TEENS IN ARCHITECTURE
Teenagers.
A three syllable word so simple in its phonetics but so complex in its meaning! But not to worry, let me assure you they are not as scary as they sound. In fact, we’ve come to realize that “Teenagers” are just younger versions of us, with much better fashion sense!
Let me explain further…. These past three weeks, a few members of the BRW team have had the opportunity to put away our hard hats and replace them with hip teenager caps. As part of the process of doing a Masterplan for Dallas Housing Authority in Lakewest (a focus area of West Dallas), we are collaborating with nearly 25 high school students and 2 high school teachers to get their feedback on what they desire in their community. And it has been fantastic experience, to say the least!
The process is divided into 4 phases:
- The first phase was the orientation, which explained what the student’s role were to be and when events were to take place.
- The second phase was a Student Exploration Trip, which included a very Teen friendly Exploration Manual describing 5 different areas of Dallas and the architectural/urban elements each area encompasses. BRW Architects took the students on a bus trip to each of these areas (The Village Park, Addison Circle, Mockingbird Station, Henderson Ave, and Bishop Arts) and explained why there were successful and how they may be applicable to Lakewest. And let me tell you, there were a lot of Oooooo’s and Ahhhh’s, which was an added benefit!
- The most recent phase was the Student Planning Session, which included a large scale site plan gameboard and fun iconic building game pieces. The students were to brainstorm about what they want in Lakewest, and work together in groups to come up with a Masterplan design.
- The last phase, which will take place next week will be a final presentation of the Students Design to DHA and their families.
Although we knew going into the process that the students were going to be a blast to work with, we had no idea how dedicated they would be, how many creative ideas they would come up with, and just how passionate they are about architecture, urban environments, and their community. We are so excited about this opportunity, and can’t wait until the presentations!
So, as scary as it may sound, we were all there once. Remember, all those years long ago? These past two weekends have been like a time machine back into our high school days of classroom settings, awkward moments, and of course…..homework.
But our education was never this cool!!!!!
POSTED BY: abflores
MY WOW CAKE
There are certain moments in your life when your face lights up so bright, you could lead a blind man through a crowded street. Yes, those are the moments you think “That was AWESOME!” I call them WOW cake.
A WOW cake came to me this past weekend at a site visit to John. T. White Elementary School in Fort Worth. (Ok, ok… there were actually multiple ones.) Now…what happened might you ask that was so inspiring, so full of awe that I would actually give it such an honored label? Well, for those of you unaware, I’m an aspiring architect. You know, we design stuff, solve problems, make dreams come true, yadda yadda yadda, but most of all….GET STUFF BUILT.
Now my exposure to the “GET STUFF BUILT” category has been quite limited. So when an opportunity arises that includes “GET STUFF BUILT” and potential “WOW cake” status, I mean COME ON! That’s a no brainer! And to add even more icing to the WOW cake, there were going to be several “GET STUFF BUILT” experts there so I could ask tons of questions. And oh my, did I. I asked about the brick, the black stuff on the CMU (which by the way is damproofing!), the flashing details, the end dam for the flashing (which by the way I didn’t know existed till Drew pointed it out!), the fire dampers, the door frames, and the list goes on! And, I even climbed 2 ladders! Ok, ok…one was like a steep stair, but the other was like 100’ tall and had spikes! Well, it looked like it anyway. I mean I had a knowledge intake overload! And then…..it was over… just like that.
But you see… that’s when it hit me. Not only did I have “a moment”….I had tons of them. I not only got the extra icing on the cake, but sprinkles, fresh strawberries, and a cake cover to maintain moistness. I had gotten a WOW cake.
WOW.
Thanks Charles, Drew, Doug, Ronnie, and Masako. That was AWESOME!
POST BY: abflores
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