“An estimated 3 million people may have been affected by the quake and that it would take a day or two for a clear picture of the scope of the destruction to emerge. Thousands of structures – from government and United Nations buildings to the millions of shacks that line the streets of the impoverished nation's capital have been reduced to rubble.”
To what extent does the global community hold a moral responsibility to prevent such massive human destruction? In the context of this tragedy and as part of the course introduction, delivered January 13, 2010, a day after the disaster, students reflected on the idea of civic engagement. Whether in the form of governance, policy or activism the question above provokes inquiry into the well being of all world citizens. Drawing from Qingyun Ma’s, “Dean’s Message: Honoring the Past • Inventing the Future”, published on the university website, students are asked to write a brief statement analyzing and evaluating the potential for civic engagement at USC’s School of Architecture.
Title: What time brings to us?
ReplyDeleteSun rises and sets. Time brings us changes and development. As a landscape student, one of Dean Ma’s sentences impressed me a lot which is “Change as time does. Do as time demands.” For in me view, his definition of time is no longer limited narrowly. Time shows nature process; Time shows human society; Time shows objective attitude; Time shows sustainability.
Sustainability has already been the most important topic in landscape field and I believe that this concept also exists in the architect area. So what is sustainability?
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. In ecology the word describes how biological systems remain diverse and productive over time. For humans it is the potential for long-term maintenance of wellbeing, which in turn depends on the wellbeing of the natural world and the responsible use of natural resources. For a landscape architect, the quality of his design has already been judged mainly by sustainable aspect rather than colorful visual effect or any attractive idea. Here is an example.
This is New California Academy of Sciences Building in San Francisco. Not only will this roof provide all the sustainable benefits that living roofs bring to a structure, but it will be visible from within the exhibition spaces, connecting inside and out, and engaging the context of San Francisco’s flora-filled backdrop.
The roof itself is estimated to prevent approximately two million gallons of rainwater from becoming storm-water runoff. It will also provide excellent insulation, improve air quality, and require very little maintenance. Like other green roofs, this one helps regulate temperature indoors and out through the urban-heat-island effect isn’t a dire concern in San Francisco. “Nature will become part of the building itself.”
One of the reasons why this project was honored is that not only does it break traditional concept that architecture is surrounded by the nature but also makes architecture become part of natural process. As time goes by, some buildings will lose their original glory, fade and reconstruct, while the one which connects with nature will show its glory better and better for it is reasonable and it has life as the complicated ecology system.
Following the rule of time needs us to get rid of our subjective opinion and design. Time brings us the history, evaluate our present condition, imply what we should do in future.
In the first sentence in his letter, Dean Ma states that the School of Architecture is “continuously being renewed and transformed”. But is his statement really aimed toward creating those who are renewing and transforming or is it just a standard letter he was forced to write after obtaining his position?
ReplyDeleteThis letter doesn’t really speak to the students and staff which he leads. I feel that it is just another PR statement put out for admissions numbers. He speaks of the great history the School of Architecture has, the great giants which have risen from the depths of first year studio, and the professorial staff which current students only know through plaques outside of review spaces. Sure, Dean Ma speaks of the great things that have been done in the past but will he replicate them in his new “renewal and transformation”?
In the only paragraph that speaks about the present the Dean claims to be reaching afar to “new territories and cultures”. The school is currently hosting more programs about Asia yet traditional and necessary study abroad programs, for example the one in Santes, France, have been cut. These programs, which the school once hosted, are vital to student learning, taking these students back to the places where modernism and many other movements began. Many other universities host programs in traditional countries and have been attracting students from USC to transfer to that school for a semester to attend them. I do not doubt the fact that if more western programs are cut more students will be looking at attending the programs that are hosted by rival universities. By limiting pupils to only a certain portion of global culture their breadth of education is limited and they will come out of school not as culturally suited as they should be. They will have a specialty in the east but not in the west, where most of the university’s tradition was born. If tradition is so important to the dean, why don’t we respect it? This leads one to question is this new “transformation” is good for the school as a whole.
If the Dean wants to “create a platform to host individuality” he should broaden the horizons of the school; doors shouldn’t be closed while others are opening, all doors should remain open. Respect for the traditions of the school should be upheld and not tossed aside with a new regime. Maybe this renewal that the dean speaks of in his PR letter isn’t the best.
Dean Ma’s message regarding the future of USC Architecture and our role as students of architecture seemed to highlight the importance of embracing the present in hopes of making our mark on the future and creating a community better for us all. As architects we are no doubt in pursuit of licensing ourselves with the power to change the world around us, because with Architecture comes the ability to sculpt the world.
ReplyDeleteJust as art has the capability of affecting us, architecture, I believe, affects us on a daily basis. Perhaps in a less noticeable way because it is a part of the landscape rather than an impervious object hung in a museum. It is the museum, which houses art that makes up and is a part of your city and your surroundings. It is often only when our surroundings are stripped from us when we feel a sense of loss. It is perhaps then when most people realize the attachments they have to a certain piece of architecture, to their cities, their homes and the normalcy of things that make up all our lives. In times of war such things are often rattled as they are today in the case of the natural disaster in Haiti.
In Los Angeles natural disasters usually take the form earthquakes, which I quite frankly have become used to the idea of. As I read the news today I repeatedly was being informed about tornados approaching the California coast, coming for Huntington Beach, Newport, etc. I couldn’t help but be a bit taken aback at the thought of a tornado hitting any part of California. The thought of any sort of destruction so close to my home, my city frightened me. It threatened my environment and my architecture, which I cannot envision my city without.
I don’t think I could come close to grasping the devastation the residents of Haiti must be enduring at the moment. With the natural disaster, which has struck the area, they have lost their homes. They have lost their architecture. With architecture comes history and comes a connection. It is a form of legacy that Dean Ma was talking about in his message.
Dean Ma talked about the importance of time. With time comes architecture. Just as Rome was not built in a day neither were the cities we live in today, or the future Haiti. With time comes change, and as our environments change as we are continuously pushing forward and looking for new ways to create, build and design we make an impact on our surroundings and on the surroundings of others. With all the relief efforts currently in place for Haiti it is hard to know where to start. As a student of architecture the one thing I want to give back to the victims is their architecture, their city and shelter. The only question is how.
The time is NOW....
ReplyDeleteThe passage of time seems to be the crux of the message and what the message is primarily focused on. “Success rides on time” was a poignant and thought provoking statement. Does success ride on time? In many ways it does. For example, this topic brings to mind the argument of quality vs. quantity that is often brought up in regards to sustainability. Does one tend to overbuild too quickly and sloppily? Or does one take their time and figure out what is needed in a space and what the best way to approach it would be. Both approaches seem to be taken in the field of architecture. This also brings to mind the idea of “vein space” also known as flexible open space, where certain spaces are left “open” so that one can change it with time easily. This idea is fascinating to me and seems to be the way we should think about things for the future. Adaptable spaces seems to be the way to go.
As a student, the time is now. We are lucky live in a city like Los Angeles where we are on the cutting edge of technology and thought. Things are always changing and at a fast rate. From drafting to 2D computer program designing to 3D computer renderings, the world is constantly changing its approach to design. If one does not constantly adapt are they lost or left behind? So while pondering the concept of time, I refer back to Dean Ma’s message. Dean Ma achieves this concept well but in a vague fashion. The message is inspiring and uplifting but in a truly generic way. When reading it, I could not help but think it seemed to not deviate from a rather standard “dean’s letter” at any other school. As a student, I would be interested to hear more about the programs that are being created. I would be interested in hearing updates about faculty meetings and things that are being discussed at these meetings.
Not letting the students know about whats happening within the school does the school an injustice. For example, I was extremely proud of our school after a horrible incident where two students were struck killing one of the students by a hit and run driver in the busy intersection of Hoover. One architecture class took on the project of redesigning this crosswalk. These are the kind of things that should make it to the public realm. These types of things are what make me proud to be a student at this university. It makes you want to work to the highest potential and achieve excellence. Its a shame to think that some people may not have even heard that this was done. An all school newsletter would be something that if not done already should be done. If it is being done, the word needs to be spread about it. Why would you not take the chance to inform the students, who often get fed up of the daily grind, and remind us why we should be so proud to attend an institution like USC. Remind us why we should be grateful that we are a part of this exceptional school. That is what I want to feel as a student and unfortunately do not. With the recent events of Haiti’s devastating earthquake and the chaos going on over there, I recently learned from a fellow student that an architecture student group called the Global Brigades are trying to facilitate a project in Haiti. Why am I finding out from a fellow student and not from the school itself? It made me think, what other programs or projects are going on that I do not know about? I want to hear it from the school.
There are so many avenues and opportunities we as students have at our fingertips. The involvement of civic engagement should be a priority in everyone’s mind, and I can’t help but wonder why USC is not jumping to notify the student body on projects and programs that are going on. A natural disaster is an utter catastrophe. We as architecture students are engaging in constant learning processes. We should be the ones who are the first to be called on to help in these situations. To have the opportunity and ability to give back would be such a wonderful rare and life-changing experience for any student to be part of.
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ReplyDeleteWhat, really, is modern about education?
In a letter “Honoring the Past-Inventing the Future,” Qingyun Ma, the current dean of USC School of Architecture, reasoned that success is a result of time, moments in time, and great leaders. He mentioned a few names of successful graduates of USC. He pointed out that the school’s traditions brought out these notable individuals. For architectural students, the successful architects are idols, they are people who students look up to and strive to be. Yet, in the back of my mind, I find myself thinking that in reality, so few students will ever reach this status of fame and success.
Therefore I ask, what is blocking many students from reaching this success, of being regarded as one of the bests? Perhaps it’s the tradition?
There is nothing wrong with keeping with traditions. However, I feel that the school is stuck on teaching students the traditional method, which after almost five years of schooling, I understand that the tradition is the emphasis on design and architecture histories. I don’t disagree on teaching these principles. They are some of the fundamental knowledge for a successful foundation of architectural career. Still, I’m left yearning for more up-to-date knowledge that I can effectively apply in the professional world once I graduate.
I often ask myself, in reality, who’s more likely to be employed in the professional world once graduated: students who know more about histories and how architecture came to be, or students who know more about modern architecture within the past 50 years? Perhaps past 100 to 150 years to be fair?
I know the USC School of Architecture has more than enough talented personnel to successfully educate students on modern architecture and its corresponding technologies. The problem lies within the academia: the core courses lack emphasis on teaching what is current, even the elective class that teaches modern architecture is, relatively speaking, “modern,” but still outdated. Of course students often research or read through books/magazines to learn more. Professors often mention some unknown buildings to students as precedents. However, a class directed and designed by professionals would be more ideal. After all, we are paying a hefty sum for education.
One of the most famous poets Robert Frost once suggested taking “the road not taken.” I’m not asking the school to radically change, but I do hope that the future of the school does not lie on a path many already stepped on, a path where any ideas conceived of have the possibility of being done many times before.
So before we look at the success brought out by traditions as said by the dean, why not take a step back and look at what we are doing now, what we are teaching now, and how we can improve it for the students, students who are to be the next leaders.
TIME IS GUARANTEED; SUCCESS IS NOT. Dean Ma fails to elaborate on what it truly means to be successful within the practices of design and architecture. What has the USC School of Architecture done to maintain a tradition of success? And, how shall eager young minds respond in a time that calls for change?
ReplyDeleteThe practices of design and architecture are without a doubt markers of time and culture. We, as aspiring professionals, must engage time as it is presented to us, and react with the guiding principles unearthed to us by our scholarly education. These principles vary by individual, but should each be cognitive of the inevitable change in time, the effect our practice has on human civilization around the globe, and the humility required to reflect not what is within us, but what is within our present time and culture. Without highlighting the need for guiding principles, as he sees them, the Dean has painted a picture of success for the blind, hung a dartboard 2million miles away, and has thrown some highbrow philosophy in for fun.
The USC School of Architecture does, indeed, have a long tradition of success. The gentlemen mentioned within the Dean’s message are the forefathers of our anticipated success, but what guiding principles rang true to all of them? I’d like the Dean to trim the fat and highlight one or two of these gentlemen and really focus in on how we can engrain their best practices within our approach to the field of design and architecture. Winning Pritzker Prizes cannot be made a tradition, being well versed and knowledgeable about your design aspirations can be.
If we, as eager young minds, are being encouraged to change as time does and do as time demands, but not given constraints by which to adhere by, then the Dean seems to have left us with our own accord. This is respectful in many ways, but is also a grand opportunity for the Dean to set a distinct tone for the USC School of Architecture, its students, staff and faculty. In order to create a community, of any sort, a leader is required. And if the Dean feels that a great leader does nothing that goes against the river of time, then let me tell him that that river has forked and it is his duty to usher in the future by providing a clarity of ethic.
The Engagement of Tomorrow’s Professionals
ReplyDeleteDean Qingyun Ma’s appointment as Dean of the USC School of Architecture in 2007 is a testament of the school’s commitment to take advantage of the windows of opportunity awarded by globalization. The field of architecture operates internationally like never before, provoking an unprecedented cross-pollination and exchange of ideas, meaning that architectural professionals must be capable of developing an international mindset. As well, it means to participate in the discourse of architecture and committed to civic engagement, or at minimum awareness, both in your community and beyond it. Dean Ma intends the USC curriculum to “create a pathway for preparing young minds and future leaders who would be able to navigate the world of tomorrow.” This, of course, requires the study of today’s world under a multidisciplinary scope in order to offer architectural solutions that take into account social and cultural issues while investigating innovative and functional building strategies.
Former topic studios have engaged in field investigations to explore and address architectural alternatives that respond to a myriad of design imperatives, whether it is disaster relief, prototyping modular housing, or teaming up with Architecture for Humanity to make a sailboat from plastic water bottles and post-consumer plastics.
In 2008, Professor Janek Dombrowa’s topic studio traveled to Greensburg, Kansas, to witness and document the aftermath of a 1.7 mile wide, category five tornado which devastated over ninety five percent of the city. In Greensburg, students were greeted by the mayor as well as major players actively involved in the reconstruction of Greensburg as the “First Green City in the USA”, following a city council resolution stating that all city buildings would be built to LEED Platinum standards. Students also took part in a barn raising organized by the New York City Fire Department. The site visit allowed students to gain first-hand experience of a disaster relief zone and instilled in them a higher social and cultural awareness, which in return helped them as designers better understand the issues and concerns to consider during the design process of their studio projects.
USC has gained a global perspective by outreaching to new territories and cultures. The school’s abroad programs in France, Italy, and Asia help students widen their horizons, as do the investigations taking place in the classroom. ARCH 432 People Places and Culture: Architecture of the Public Realm is a testament of the school’s effort to explore initiatives taken by activists, designers, artists, and average Joes around the world, which are helping change the local environment, public realm, and making our cities and many people’s lives better.
What now Dean MA?
ReplyDeleteThe Deans message to the architecture school is full of hope and pride; it mentions our place in time and the schools successful past. The dean boasts the schools global initiative and the graduate’s schools involvement with China. I imagine a lot of the dean’s energy goes to supporting his relations in China and building the schools efforts of cross-cultural work. Although I am interested in this relationship with China there is very little connection to the program during the school year. In fact there are no cross-cultural programs for graduate students during the fall and spring semesters.
On the USC US- China Institute site Dean Ma says, “Los Angeles is at the crossroads of a global convergence in architecture, and the USC School of Architecture is positioned to take a leadership role in formulating the critical discourses and practices of the international architectural movement."
Following the recent earthquake in Haiti, I wonder if this school is really concerned with its global initiative as the dean suggests. He has yet to release a letter to the school about this tragedy, leaving students unaware of their role in the world. What now Dean Ma? Although the earthquake has been brought up in some classes, no faculty or student has initiated a form of relief. For example a volunteer charrette studio in which is set up to design temporary and portable shelters would be very interesting and I’m sure helpful to the cause. It seems the only organization at the architecture school is USC’s Architecture for Humanity; when I visited their Facebook page there was nothing directly posted on the page that talked about the Haiti disaster.
How can USC represent Los Angeles on a global playing field? After reading the Deans message and realizing that the students are not as involved as he mentions, I feel compelled to organize students and faculty to get more involved in our community and our world. I’m inspired by his closing quote by Confucius “Change as time does. Do as time demands.” Right now time demands students to take initiative, get involved, and change the future of this school.
ACKNLOWDEGING THE PRESENT
ReplyDeleteIn the reading of Dean Qingyun Ma's message to the University two passages really stood out to me. These were 'success rides on time' and 'success rides on moments in time.' These two quotations from the Dean embody what it means to be both a student of architecture and a citizen of the world. They exhibit the ideas of both continuous progression (or regression) and the immediacy of actions in the world today. The Dean's message addresses the cliche that for every action there is a reaction, whether intended or unintended, immediate or delayed. The world we live in today is a product of both our actions and those of generations before us. I am not convinced, however, that the Dean truly intended for this meaning to be brought forth. The title of his message 'Honoring the Past - Inventing the Future" ignores entirely the message of the present and immediate response that our profession can make on the world.
I would argue that the future is not something that can truly be invented but happens inevitably and uncontrollably with time. Our actions as designers, architects, planners, and thinkers can aid in directing the future but they can not fabricate the identity with which we grow forward. With all of its negative connotations, these professions are truly ones of retro-action. As with the Dean's message that 'success rides on time' so do all of the ideas, whether realized or not, of all the actions of the past and the present. Architecture is a profession that truly follows the phrase 'hindsight is 20/20.' I would argue, much more emphatically than the Dean that we must fully embrace this cliche and work backward to push for a better future.
Widespread changes, in any and all senses, to 'invent the future' are ambitious and impossible tasks that take the focus away from what can be done to what should be done. The ideals of the future most often do not address the realities of the present. The Dean says it best when he says 'success rides on moments in time' but does not fully explore the possibilities of the phrase. These moments are in the contemporary world and if the current condition can be improved then the future will follow suit in time.
Vision Strangled in a River of Time
ReplyDeleteAs a new USC landscape architecture student, reading Dean Ma’s message to the USC School of Architecture felt like being left out in the cold. The message is a carefully constructed political piece that pays homage to previous Deans and famous USC architecture alumni, primarily noteworthy architects active in Southern California during the 1950s-70s and of course, a nod to Mr. Frank Gehry. I certainly do not negate the importance of understanding history and heritage, but how are these things interpreted in defining our future identity as a private institution of higher learning?
What is disturbingly absent in the Dean’s message is any mention of the social and environmental crises we are currently faced with and how the School of Architecture is poised to take real steps of leadership in addressing them. One of the more bizarre passages exemplifying the benign tone of the address is where Dean Ma quotes Confucius’s claim that “the best leader does nothing.” His interpretation of these words is that a great leader does nothing to “go against the river of time, does nothing that would leave irrevocable traces behind.” This is a hugely broad statement that requires the reader to give Ma the benefit of the doubt as to his good intentions. Perhaps these words are there to reassure alumni and donors that he will not do anything to mar USC’s heritage. He will follow in previous Dean’s footsteps, without making any lasting negative impact. But what about the potential to leave behind progressive and positive impact? With the issues of wealth and resource inequality, renewable energies and global warming heavy on the mind of today’s student, it is difficult to talk simply about the things one hopes not to do as some sort of platform for action and engagement.
This quotation and Ma’s interpretation are particularly alarming as we experience the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. Bombarded by visions of Haiti’s crumpled architecture, it seems to me that this is another product of the “river of time,” a historical legacy of slavery, poverty, and neglect. Our society must go against this kind of river of time, and reverse the course of social inequalities if we hope to build a better tomorrow. Like Haiti, Southern California shares being close to a fault line, but what if we shared more? Imagine if this event spurred talks and seminars focusing on issues of poverty and design. Imagine USC taking a lead in promoting earthquake safe architecture in poverty stricken, earthquake-prone countries. Imagine if our official school response was one of active engagement, to aid in preventing future disasters. I have no doubt the administration may very well share some of these thoughts, however, they have yet to be clearly articulated to the student body.