Did Someone Say "T-Shirts"?

AGSA is a student run organization. While we greatly appreciate the support of the amazing faculty of the School of Architecture via emotional, mental, scholastic, and monetary contributions, they can only do so much...and we want to be able to do more. So, we do fund raisers throughout the school year. T-shirt sales is one of them. Of course, as a student run organization, we look to each other, the students, to make those fund raisers happen. Last spring we put on a T-shirt design contest. By graduate student vote, the choice was by a landslide! Receiving 81% of the votes, Rhian Lord's CoD Section design was the winner!

T-shirts are only $15!

If you are interested in purchasing a T-shrit, please contact ncsu.agsa@gmail.com for payment and pickup coordination.

Thanks for your support!

-Team AGSA

In process...Studio time!

A big part of Architectural Grad school is the Studio Culture. The SoA graduates are hard workers and dedicated to excellence in their education. The layout and locations of each of the studios facilitate a collaborative work environment. As studio classes are not closed, but open to encourage the students to talk with each other and share ideas, it is easy to see the high level of design that comes out of this school. We took a tour of some of the graduate studios this past week to find our grads deep in crits, reviews, site installations, meetings, books, iterations, diagrams, models, and lots of caffeine....just to name a few.

Cam rockin' out finishing his final models for next week's 2 Pavilion final review.

      Jose Luis and Lotte adding a bus shade in front of the YMCA as a mini-design/build gift to the community.

  

Sarah grinding it out.

Halifax is moving studio huddled up in discussion.

Context model for Tall buildings design.

 
Tall building literature and some 3D printed schematics.

Kelsey making some models.

 
Initial sketches from team Yujie and Matus.

David Hill giving Allison some valuable critics on her form.

 
Ross presenting his Charleston maps.


You never know what you will find on the desk of an architect student!


Cal posing with his drawings in the second year track 3 studio.

Installation of a gift to the community....details coming soon!

Studio culture at NCSU SoA is not limited to the four walls of studio. The design - make - design process is in full swing. Tune in for future blogs to see the result of all this hard work!

ARC 503 - Tall Building Design goes to San Francisco!!

Professor Wayne Place has allowed his students to spread their wings...all the way to San Francisco! On September 10th, 10 graduate students, along with Wayne, ventured west visiting the many sites of the iconic California city. This semester for the Tall Building Design Studio includes working with the renound firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM). SOM is one of the largest and most influential architecture, interior design, engineering, and urban planning firms in the world. Founded in 1936, they have completed more than 10,000 projects in over 50 countries. SOM are renowned for their iconic buildings and their commitment to design excellence, innovation, and sustainability. One of the perks of working with SOM Architecture (www.som.com) on their studio project is visiting SOM's office and many buildings around the San Francisco area that have influenced the urban fabric and skyline of the city. They also visited The Golden Gate Bridge, The Embarcadero Center, the Ferry Terminal, a Tall Building Tour hitting many of the tall buildings in the Financial District, the California Academy of Sciences, DeYoung Museum, China Town, and ate a ton of amazing food including Persian, Chinese and Cantonese.

 
The Great Rocky Mountains...

 

 No matter what city, Kelsey needs her coffee..."This was a trip of a lifetime! Getting to take a class trip with a group of students so diverse, all bringing something different to the table, was incredible. Thankfully we also had our trusty tour guide/professor, Wayne Place, to explain the city in a way we would have never understood before. Our day spent with SOM was also amazing, we all look forward to their help and guidance this semester."

Jeromy with the TransAmerica Building in the background. "It was a whirlwind tour of skyscrapers and Asian cuisine. We had a blast and if I learned one thing, it's this: If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair!"

Yujie at the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. "This trip made us grow, not only as an architect -- of course we learned a lot about the urban environment, architecture, and structure -- but also as a group of people. We understand each other better even though we are totally different from each other, there are now strong bonds between us."

Jeromy and Zeyad pose from the deck with the city in the background.

Wayne, Giti, Kelsey and Yujie enjoying the view.

Matus in deep thought while Sam and Sara laugh it up.

               

350 Mission - Recently completed by SOM.                Model of the city for a project at SOM's office.

We can't wait to check back in on these guys in studio to see what amazing things they are designing!

Mixer at PR's

On Friday September 9th, we blew off some steam after studio mixin' it up with the faculty at Player's Retreat with drinks and appetizers. We had a great turn out of multiple tracks, multiple years including a few 5th years and a record attendance by faculty who joined in on the fun!

Emmy, Jeromy, Sam, Kristen and Matus enjoying the apps, brew and converstation!

Smile Kristen!!! Matus and Ryan got it down pat!

Elaheh and Afsoon experiencing American pub culture...and lovin' it!

Ellen, Bregitta, Sara, Ross, Alaina, and Alyssa relaxing OUTSIDE of studio...

Standing room only!

2016 Fall Semester New Graduate Orientation

At the beginning of August we invited the new Graduate students to participate in a week of tours, orientations and firm crawls...

AGSA Mixer at Crank Arm Brewery

Alaina and Jen helping themselves to a bit of Pizza.

Ryan and Abdul making tables possible under our tent outside.

Moe, Danny and Scott, chillin'.

Even Aria came out to enjoy the evening.

Shop orientation. 

Table saws, band saws, nail guns, oh my!

Durham Firm Crawl with Dr. Robin Abrams.

DPAC tour

Duda | Paine Architects

Lunch

Bus trip home

Rock Bottom - NCMA - 2016 Summer Design/Build

This summer we had 16 graduate students and one undergraduate student working on this design/build. We began with a simple program requirement of 120 sq ft storage and an outdoor classroom with enough coverage for 10-12 people. Through multiple iterations, and a lot of consensus building, we developed a plan with a diagonal butterfly roof made of a massive glue-lam girder sloping down the site with wood rafters and blocking. The high point of the roof and the site is the location of the storage space which is wood framed and cladded with charred wood. The charred siding was reused from the habitat restore and the formwork used to create the two parallel concrete walls that embrace the storage. At the bottom of the slope, the roof emerges on a gutter that will collect rainwater to create a fountain that pours out onto a large rock at the bottom. The large rock is the feature of the beginning of the rain garden that also directs water from the site to be absorbed into the site to prevent runoff. The volunteer gardeners have moved their tools into the storage and already the pavilion is being informally used by the museum employees even though they have not had the grad opening yet. The clients stated we met and exceeded their expectations. Go team! 

Garden Pavilion with Enclosed Storage

Sketches for NCMA Sensory Garden

Moe and Scott - Charlie's Angels?

Rhian. Heatin' things up!

Board formwork level, braced, and ready for the concrete pour.

Keeping everything level and in line was imperative to the success of the project.

Eli and Kristen keepin' things level.

Emmy working on grinding the steel to prepare for welding.

Bryan and Rhian guiding the w-flange beams to pin to the column.

Matt....thinking.

Gabby connecting the angle fascia to the rafters at the overhang.

Joel's expert advice paying off!

Jenn making final touches on the custom made, custom welded door mechanism.

Giti using a giant mechanized pogo stick to compact the grit. Scott supervises.

The whole team, Finished.