A June Weekend June 30, 2009
Posted by Vincent in Arts, Bad Movies, Mississippi.add a comment
I. Deer Island
For a while, I have wanted to swim out to Deer Island, the small coastal island about half a mile off the Biloxi beach. Saturday afternoon, I decided to give it a shot. The water is hot, salty and stagnant, so it it not a very pleasant swim, and you have to watch out for boat traffic the entire way. However, I made it, and the island itself is quite nice. It is uninhabited, although plenty of boaters pull up to enjoy the beach. The shore side of the island is an attractive expanse of marsh grass followed by tall, hardy pine trees. The Gulf side is more bare, covered in oyster shells and skeletal tree stumps where the island has shifted and the water has overtaken the trees. The journey left me thirsty, sunburned and accomplished and wishing I had a waterproof way to bring a camera along for the swim.
II. Raiders Adaptation
Saturday night, on the recommendation of GCCDS planning intern Mark, I joined a group from the studio to see a screening of “Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation” in Ocean Springs. This is a shot-for-shot remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark, filmed between 1982 and 1989 by a group of kids from Ocean Springs, half on Betamax and half on VHS. Although I’m tagging it here as part of the Bad Movie of the Week, and the audio and video quality are terrible, the effort put into recreating the original is impressive and some of the scenes are hilarious. This adaptation has been screened around the world and has become a cult hit.
III. Fran & Eric
Our friends Fran and Eric departed yesterday after two weeks spent volunteering here in Biloxi. They brought with them an impressive army of friends, ranging in age from 6 to 87, who helped them work at one of the Coordination Center’s current projects, Shirley’s house. Fran and her tile crew did not one but three amazing tile mosaics, and Eric did some excellent trim work. (See their pictures from the past two weeks here). This Sunday, they joined us for lunch at the Seal Avenue house. There was fried chicken, pasta salad, bruschetta, salad, peach-blueberry galette, homemade sorbet, and more. We had a great time and were glad to be able to chat with Fran and Eric and wish them a safe trip home. Come back soon!
IV. Pool Party
After an excellent meal, we wrapped up the weekend by spending a relaxing afternoon at the Treasure Bay Casino pool. Many of the casinos have pools that are open to the public on Sundays, so we went to paddle around, sunbathe, and relax. Finally, the thunderclouds began rolling in and we headed home to enjoy the first rainstorm in a couple weeks.
Why is some research so hard? June 25, 2009
Posted by Vincent in Architecture.Tags: building systems
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Thanks to the Internet, I often take for granted having a quick and easy source of information at my fingertips. But I have found that some research, particularly architectural research, is difficult or impossible to do on the Internet. Even relatively simple questions can be hard to answer.
Before you jump to conclusions, I should point out that my teachers and professors went to great lengths to encourage non-Internet research throughout my education, and I’m reasonably competent at it. But information in libraries can be out of date or irrelevant, and databases and journal articles can be hard to access outside of a university. By comparison, the Internet excels at providing up-to-date information about products, news, projects, and research in many areas. Just not, as far as I can tell, in architecture.
Perhaps it’s simply the nature of the beast — architecture deals with physical, three dimensional things, things that cannot simple be scanned like a book, but must be photographed, drawn, or otherwise represented. Perhaps the depth and complexity of information about architectural products and materials is too great to be compiled even in large databases like Sweets or ToolBase. There is a great deal about architecture that can only be learned through many years and decades of experience. But certainly the Internet could be more useful in many ways:
- More firms, non-profits, and independent architects could share some “open-source” design ideas (for examples, see the Open Architecture Network)
- Manufacturers and independent research laboratories could do a better job of sharing product and material data in a way that facilitates meaningful comparisons between products (a ‘Consumer Reports’ for building materials)
- More information could be shared at a regional level (as I previously discussed in this post)
Of course, no tool will ever replace the education, training, and field experience necessary to become a building professional. Yet there are some types of information that can, and should, be made more useful and accessible to all.
Oh Internet June 22, 2009
Posted by Vincent in Arts, Random.Tags: buffy, buffy the vampire slayer, star wars, twilight
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Oh Internet, what joys have you for us today?
And secondly… Wow. Don’t ask questions. Just watch.
Via Cynical-C and Topless Robot.
God’s Architects June 19, 2009
Posted by Vincent in Architecture, Arts, Design/Build.add a comment
Last night, Seth shared with the studio a movie based on the research of our friend Emilie Taylor, called God’s Architects.
In the spring of 2005, Emilie Taylor, then a graduate student at the Tulane School of Architecture, received a travel grant to research and document self-taught and visionary builders around the south. After visiting and documenting a number of builders, most of whom professed some degree of divine inspiration, Emilie shared her findings with filmmaker Zachary Godshall. Immediately attracted by Taylor’s stories, drawings, and photographs, Godshall decided to visit the builders himself.
And so in November 2005, Godshall set out from south Louisiana with a camera, tripod, and microphone to interview and document the work of Floyd Banks Jr., a divinely inspired castle builder living in the east Tennessee hill country.
Three years later, Godshall completed a feature-length film that both examines and celebrates the work of Banks along with four other solitary builders who have constructed similar monuments. Beyond the builders and their work, the film functions as a personal essay that explores the nature of inspiration and one’s dedication to a creative project, no matter how absurd or mysterious the circumstances may seem. (Source).
Let me say it clearly: this movie is great. It’s hilarious, moving, and awe-inspiring. It examines the work of five individuals: Floyd Banks Jr., a castle builder in Greenback, Tennessee; Reverend H. D. Dennis, a charismatic preacher in Vicksburg, Mississippi; Kenny Hill, a mysterious sculptor in Chauvin, Louisiana; Leonard Knight, a painter and mountain builder in Niland, California; and Shelby Ravellette, a master stonemason in Omaha, Arkansas.
See the trailer for the film as well as several short clips featuring each individual. The official website for God’s Architects can be found here.
Building Systems Guide June 17, 2009
Posted by Vincent in Architecture, Construction, Didactic.Tags: building systems
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Recently, the GCCDS has been researching a variety of building systems and their applications to architecture on the coast. We have looked at everything from whole-building systems (such as structural insulated panels or insulated concrete forms) to individual components (floor finishes, insulation types, etc). For each system, we attempt to analyze its advantages and disadvantages in many areas, including strength, thermal performance, ease of construction, environmental impact, and affordability.
Even when we are finished, our research will only partially cover the vast number of building systems and products that are available. With our guide, we hope to compare a variety of the most common and most promising systems in a way that is useful and easy to understand. If you have experience with any building technologies that we should include, or have ideas for useful ways to present and share this information, let me know.
Information about building systems is not always easily accessible. ToolBase is one site that does a great job collecting information about different systems, but if superior building technologies are to become more widespread, we need more tools for sharing that information. In particular, we need ways of sharing information on the regional level. Throughout the Gulf Coast and the deep South, there are major climate factors and other issues that affect buildings. These include long summers with high temperatures and humidity, seasonal threats from hurricanes, tornadoes, and flooding, mold and insects, expansive wetlands and other environmentally sensitive areas, high levels of poverty and inequality, and more. The GCCDS is committed to seeking regionally appropriate design solutions for the Gulf Coast. Keep an eye on our website or this blog for more!
Knocked Over June 16, 2009
Posted by Vincent in Mississippi.Tags: burglary
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Our house was broken into today. Someone threw a rock through a back window and climbed in. They only took a few things: my laptop and my roommate’s TV and camcorder were among them, so my posting may be even more infrequent than usual. Or not; we’ll see.
Aside from that, life has mostly been free of major misfortunes. Yesterday, I helped Seth install some custom wood finishes inside Shirley’s house. Our good friends Fran and Eric have returned (this time, with an army of friends) and will be volunteering their labor over the next couple of weeks, so Shirley will also get a custom tile mosaic, and we should make progress on some of our other houses as well.
Last weekend I went blueberry picking. Amazing! There were tons of berries, and now I’ve got two gallons to go through. Doug and Mark and I also went to the Biloxi High School stadium to watch the finals of the International Military Women’s Soccer Championship. Brazil beat South Korea 1-0. Who knew you could come across good soccer in Biloxi?
Aside from the above excitement, summer has been slow, and will likely continue that way. Still, I’m busy enough with work and frisbee, swimming, and various other activities. If you’re looking for a summer beach vacation, come visit and help relieve the boredom — we’ll show you a good time!
Ultimate in Biloxi June 9, 2009
Posted by Vincent in Mississippi.Tags: biloxi, frisbee, ultimate
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Regular readers will know that one of the highlights of life in Biloxi is Tuesday night Ultimate. Our weekly pickup game goes back more than three years, when volunteers from Habitat for Humanity and Hands On Gulf Coast first began playing at the Salvation Army field. Since then, dozens of regulars and hundreds of volunteers have kept the game going. But we’re always looking for more people to join us:
Tuesdays, 6:30-9:00
Salvation Army’s Yankie Stadium
575 Division Street, Biloxi, MS
Ultimate (also referred to as Ultimate Frisbee) is great fun and some of the best exercise you’ll ever have. Most weeks, we’ll have a mix of people who have been playing for years and people who have hardly ever played before. If you’re interested, come on out!
