sloArch » General

The Studio 91: Live From Denmark

Tim Alatorre — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:30:39 +0000

Brian Vargo, (B’Arch ’11), finalist in the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat‘s international tall building competition, calls in from Denmark to share with us what it’s like to be an architect in Europe.

Don’t forget to tell your friends about us, join us on Google+ and Facebook, leave a review on iTunes, vote for us on Podcast Alley, and follow us on Twitter!

Check out the show notes for links and more!

1st Annual sloArch Sketching Competition

Tim Alatorre — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 03:25:34 +0000

We are now accepting entries for the 1st annual sloArch sketching competition!

Simply send us your favorite original sketch by November 19th and you could win one of our new architecture T-Shirts!

The store won’t be opening until next year so you’ll be the first on the block with one of these awesome original designs!

Official Rules:

Entries must be original works and owned by the submitter.
Sketches can be of any subject, just keep them family friendly.
You may enter as many times as you want but only one prize will be awarded per person.
We reserve the right to disqualify any entry for any reason.
Images may be used for promotional purposes.
There will be a maximum of three winners.
Winners will be announced on the December 22nd episode.
That’s it, good luck!

Materials: Thank You, Wood

Tim Alatorre — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:35:27 +0000

Thank You, Wood from Giant Ant Media on Vimeo.

Wood is probably one of the most versatile building materials. We use it in every project: trusses, casework, furniture, plywood, paper, and cardboard. When is the last time you said thank you to such an amazing, useful, beautiful, and renewable resource?

Cal Poly Architecture Faculty Speak Out

Tim Alatorre — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:21:12 +0000

We just found this video that was released in January by the Architecture Department. It features several Cal Poly Architecture faculty talking about why they love the program.

The video features commentary from:

Prof. Howard Weisenthal
Prof. Chandrika Jaggia
Prof. Emeritus Allan Cooper
Prof. Margot McDonald
Prof. Thomas Fowler, IV
Prof. Tom di Santo
Prof. Sandy Stannard
Prof. Barry Williams

Diversifying

Tim Alatorre — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:30:13 +0000

Don’t get me wrong, I love theStudio podcast, it’s a blast to do, our guests are awesome, and we need a venue to vent and discuss this amazing profession we are a part of. The only problem I have with theStudio is that it has taken over sloArch.com!

It takes a lot of work to produce the show every week and we don’t have much free time left for writing. Even if the blog remains all podcast all the time for the foreseeable future that’s okay. In the meantime we have added a couple new features to the site.

Forums

If you haven’t checked out the forums yet we set these up as a place for the Cal Poly Architecture community to talk about the things that matter to them.

Create an account, as a question or answer one. We monitor these forums closely and are more than happy to help.

Wiki beta

Just launching this week we’ve added a wiki to the site. Warning, this thing is very beta, it’s got a lot of kinks to work out, but we are so excited about it we decided to launch it anyway.

The goal for the wiki to to compile all the information known on the Cal Poly Architecture program. This is a huge goal but we are ready to give it a go.

It’s Up To You

As always the success of sloArch depends on the community. We are looking for contributing authors, guests for the podcast, and more! If you see something you would like to help with let us know!

Watch out for Falling Power Saws

Tim Alatorre — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:12:47 +0000

sloArch.com has a new look! It’s still a little rough around the edges but we’re working as fast as we can to implement new and exciting features.

While we finish the details, keep your hard hats on and forgive us for any minor problems.

We Want You!

Tim Alatorre — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:30:27 +0000

Okay, I know, the graphic is way overused. But it’s true, We Want You for sloArch! As part of our 2010 initiative sloArch is expanding and we want your help. Yeah, yeah, I know. You are busy. But we hope to make this website the portal for all things Architecture and that means you. You are an Architect after all, or you at least pretend to be one. So help us and let us help you! So… what can you do?

For starters, subscribe to The Studio! This is our new weekly podcast by, for, about, and featuring CalPoly San Luis Obispo students and alumni! Yeah, that’s right, we’re talking about you!
Contribute to our new forums! Have a Revit or AutoCad question? Need help with the IDP? Not sure what’s the best technique for creating a model that’s sure to get you noticed in studio? Post a question and we”ll help you find the answer.
Write for us! We are looking for contributing authors. If you have a report on a show in the Berg gallery, news on a Hearst lecture, a Revit tutorial, or want to promote your latest project, we want to hear from you! If you are interested please contact us!

Don’t let Uncle Sam down,
contribute today and help out the Cal Poly Architecture community!

End and Beginning: Thank You

Tim Alatorre — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:30:20 +0000

With 2009 and this decade at an end I want to say thank you to all my readers, commenters, and supporters. When I launched this site on May 4th I had no idea of the global audience that I would stumble upon nor the learning experience that writing here would become.

2010 is going to see some big changes to the site. Between today and the end of the year this transition will start to take shape.

Be sure to check back on January 1st to see the beginning of what I hope will be an exciting new chapter in sloArch’s contribution to the Architecture community. Starting with the new year the site will take on a new role and start to serve a more focused purpose.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and may God bless all our efforts as we work together to make the new decade one that we will be proud of.

A Little Green Humor

Tim Alatorre — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:25:46 +0000

I was recently sent this cartoon via email. Unfortunately I have been unable to determine the source.

Besides being funny, I thought the cartoon underscores the point that often our “green” and “sustainable” activities are merely moving the problem to someone else, not necessarily helping the planet our the community as a whole. For example, driving an electric cars may reduce dependence on fossil fuels locally, but usually it just results on shifting the demand to coal power plants.

Just a little food for thought.

Going Green

LEED Study Aids

Tim Alatorre — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:50:58 +0000

A number of my colleges are cramming for the LEED exam. Now that LEED v3.0 is here I’m sure there are a number of people trying to sneak in under the old LEED v2.0 test. I thought I’d post a few of my favorite LEED study resources on the net. Even if you aren’t studying for the LEED test these sites are a good explanation and summary of the rating system.

http://www.intheleed.com/ – All around great guide. Explanations of the credits, study and exams helps.
http://leedvisual.com/ – Who doesn’t love pretty pictures?
http://www.usgbc.org/ – USGBC for the rating systems and other info
http://www.intheleed.com/leed-test-in-5-days/ – One persons study schedule

There are a lot of paid resources on the net as well:

http://www.leedexcel.com/moodle/ – Very inexpensive timed practice tests
http://green-study.com/
http://www.usgbccolorado.com/resources/leed-studyguide.html

Good luck!