On December 10, the Rhode Island chapter of the American Institute of Architects held its annual awards ceremony at the Narragansett Towers in southern Rhode Island. This year we submitted East Side Addition (Residential), Old Stone House Inn (Adaptive Reuse), Old Stone House Spa and Restaurant (Interior), and Au Bon Pain (Commercial/Industrial) –all four received Merit Awards in their respective categories. Take a look at our submissions and view other winners on AIA/RI’s website.

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A new video of the Biltmore Hotel Porte Cochère project has been posted on 3six0’s YouTube channel. The evolution of the project is condensed into a 30 second animation that illustrates material reasoning driven by the net-like matrix of the hotel’s lobby ceiling, and the canopy’s function as a sheltering entry-marker that reverberates with the historic architecture of the Biltmore Hotel and the city of Providence.

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I have recently returned from an extended 26 day trip to China. I made two earlier trips to China in 2004. On the previous visits my travel was limited to the three major cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing due to the shorter time period of 10 days each trip. This time I was able to visit some of the more remote cities and locations missed on the previous trips and revisit Beijing and Shanghai to observe the epic changes there in just 4 short years.

The many contradictions and struggles within China today are compelling. A rich culture dating back to ancient times transitioning into the modern era at a speed and scale that has never been witnessed. What happens in China, the third largest country in the world with 20 percent of the world’s population, will undeniably shape the immediate and distant futures of us all.

On this blog I will be posting a travel journal of sorts with photographs, observations, sketches and other miscellaneous information from the trips. Labeled on the map are the cities and villages visited while in China.

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNOp2VaUoQ4]
Some of you might be wishing that he had taken this path, while others are just as thrilled that he did not. Setting aside the politically motivated opinions, my colleagues and I at 3six0 think that being an architect is one of the best professions out there even if it is not as high-profiled as the presidency (you might remember our post on architects being among America’s happiest workers). Even in these challenging times, we still love our profession and take pride in our contribution to the world.

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A recent article in Architects Journal quotes Prince Charles saying,

I don’t trust any architect who can’t draw, and who doesn’t submit a drawing, or a measured drawing from which I can judge what the building is going to be like.

Prince Charles’ comments come from his perception that architects rely too much on technology, to the point in which technology goes from being the “slave” to the “master”. What is your opinion? Do you think manual drafting is essential to the profession? Would you trust an architect more if s/he gave you a hand-drawn sketch manual draft versus a computer rendered drawing CAD rendered draft? Or does the idea of receiving something hand-drawn drawn in pencil and pen seem old-fashioned to you? Taking the 2-D design to 3-D form, how do you feel about an architectural model built from physical materials versus a 3-D model on the computer CAD rendered 3-D model?

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A link from Land+Living led me to this article entitled, “Where Do America’s Happiest People Work?” Architects are fourth on the list with 53.5% reporting at very happy! I can tell you from working here at 3six0 that our architects are definitely part of that percentage, and I feel that it is largely do to the workspace. At 3six0 you will find no windowless, gray cubicles. Every desk has a window and the walls are broken down for an open and collaborative space. Music flows in steady streams through the speakers overhead, and inspiration from past projects is never more than a few feet away with architectural models occupying the shelves and desktops. Got a video or a catchy headline to share? Just speak up and people will rise from their desks to crowd around your monitor. It’s a friendly atmosphere and I enjoy working here.

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