That's "Low-Tech"

I went to see a lecture by Lot-ek at Tulane Architecture School last night. Just can't seem to leave that damn building.
Anyway, I was really intrigued by the work they did. They're currently exploring ways to take industrial objects and integrate it into their architecture projects.


An apartment in New York City, with a sleeping loft made from a petroleum tanker.


The student pavillion at University of Washington, made from the fuselage of a Boeing 747.

My thesis (if you care, but now that I'm no longer a student I have to milk it for all it's worth) was on converting industrial buildings and fields into cultural and recreational centers. I've always been fascinated by the look of power plants, particularly at night, particularly in East Texas. To me, the beauty of industrial architecture is that every piece is purely functional, which is a Modern ideal, but aesthetically, the sum of the parts adds up to more.

I also wonder, as the United States declines as an industrial nation, what we'll do with all the relics. In Germany there are projects where they've reclaimed nuclear sites and even landscaped gardens where the waste fields used to be. England has numerous factories that have been converted into art and science museums.

I'll quit wanking off over my thesis now. The point is I need to go to lectures at TSA more often; while I like my job just fine now, I'm often afraid I'm losing momentum/inspiration/ambition. Now and again something reminds you what you REALLY used to be interested in and had some passion for.