Sustainability (!)

Our lighting class is rolling along interestingly. It's a lot of data we need to know for the workforce, and better, its what's contemporary. Our teacher one day explained to us that it was his job to teach us what the latest softwares, technologies, and lamps are in the field, so that we leave, we can find jobs at firms and show them how to do it. One of those things he's teaching us is a new type of CAD software called AGi32. Its user interface is clunky but logical, but its not really designed for building complex forms. For example, if I wanted to make a room, I would click the "Add" menu, go to "Room" and select "flat" for a flat-roofed room. Then you draw a box and it creates a room for you. At this point, I still don't know how to make a room of a specific entered size. I just "add" "object" "library" "chair" and use that chair as a scale to rough out the size. If I want to modify any of that stuff, I have to go back to "modify" "object"..etc. etc. This ain't autoCAD. On the plus side, this is the hottest, latest and cutting edge software used in the lighting design industry. This entire program is devoted to light calculations and hyperacurate raytrace rendering. In laymans terms, it lets you see how a light will really make a room look when you put it in.

Once you get past building the model, all you do is go to a lamp manufacturers website, download the photometric data sheet, and then you plug that back into the program and it generates that light for you. More importantly, it shows you how bright the room average is, at certain points, power usage, watts per foot which is vital for LEED certification and strict lighting code, amongst other functions. Basically once you have your space, it's plug and play from then on.

So that's lighting design. I was slightly disappointed that I didn't get to go see the US national soccer team play Mexico in a sold-out game here in Phoenix. However, considering that they filled the massive stadium, I don't think I would have been able to get tickets anyway. At least the US won 2-0, which was a huge letdown for my roommate Sal.

My human behavior and design class is still very stupid and ridiculous. Our "attendance question" was "who won the superbowl?" My roommate assured me that the teacher of the class is actually quite intelligent, but I can tell she hates the class and is only teaching it so ASU will waive her Doctorate tuition fees.

Today we went to a mandatory lecture. What, I thought, is mandatory about it? Our studio teachers were not there at the door, marking attendance, we were given no crucial bit of data to pass the class, and there was no other threat against us, so what makes it mandatory? I went anyway, since the language suggested that it was advisable to attend, and because it concerned Sustainability. This was the kick off lecture of the spring 07 lecture series. When a faculty member read off the list of who else was coming to talk, I had heard of none of them before- which, admittedly, could be the fault of my own, although I didn't hear any delight from anyone else recognizing a name. Last semester, for sake of comparison, were lectures by Teddy Cruz and Shigeru-ban. Shigeru-ban is probably the best known architect of Japan, in recognition second only Tado Ando. This whole semester lecture series centers on Sustainability.

I get the feeling that my posts have become somewhat fragmentary of late, it captures the feeling of this semester to an extent- my trying to piece everything in my current life together, taking freshman level classes along with a fragmented, self-guided studio, decisions on post-graduate life, the feeling of the temporarity of this apartment, etc.