Category / Architecture & Urban Design

by shannonchance

Observations from a Walk with Amanda

Thought I’d share some random images from a walk I took in Dublin (from Smithfield to Kildare Street) with Amanda Bernhard.

Wow! UGS for sale…
…hum, seems a bit dodgy…
…”perhaps” they’re not authentic!
This is the stately Sy. Paul’s Church of Smithfield.
Like many churches here, this one caters to a specific ethnic group as well as the Irish-born population.
Its sign had caught my eye once upon a time…
…I’d forgotten until Amanda remarked how strange it is to have at @ on the name plaque of a church.
I’ve been meaning for so long to show you the mail boxes here. You’ve got old and new styles beside one another here on Arran Quay (pronounced “key”).
This is the medieval St. Audeon’s Church. I’ve not been inside because it is closed in winter.
The medieval wall of St. Audeon’s Church is still intact. The area was once known as Hell, Esther and I learned when we took the Dublin Ghost Bus tour.
This is the West Gate of the city, attached to Christchurch Cathedral (protestant, Church of Ireland).
Like me, Amanda also spends too much time at the computer (brainy Fulbrights!?!). We decided to step into the Back Shop on Exchequer Street.
The black chair was beautiful and very comfortable.
Some others were a bit over the top!
Of course, you can choose your own fabrics. They build the chair to fit your own back!
by shannonchance

Dave-i-tivity

Demolition at 616 High Street.

Demolition at 616 High Street.

My constructions of the week mostly involve educational ideas. I completed initial drafts of two conference papers, submit one of them, and today started drafting a third. I have decided that last fall was my “warm up” period and now it is time to hunker down for a little while and produce a host of papers about various aspects of what I learned.

Back home, Dave has been constructing physical things at his new studio. He removed some case work that didn’t suit his needs and he has purchased the materials needed to insulate and construct a new wall surface over the existing concrete block wall on the east side of the main studio space. In the construction biz, we call this “furring out” the wall.  Dave will be able to hide the currently exposed electrical wiring inside the new wall and it will make a much nicer surface for displaying photos.

I’m happy to report that he didn’t hurt himself in the demolition. It sounds like there were some close calls in that he decided to do the work all by himself. Let’s wish him luck in his “furring” job today… and me on my drafting….

Materials for Dave's rebuild.

Materials for Dave’s rebuild.

by shannonchance

Fulbright Joy at Hughes Pub

Fulbright Alexander MacDonald, his friend Nora, Fulbright Amanda Bernhard, and her husband Jonathan Kennedy at Hughes Pub last night.

Fulbright Alexander MacDonald, his friend Nora Rodriguez, Fulbright Amanda Bernhard, and her husband Jonathan Kennedy at Hughes Pub last night.

Several of this year’s Fulbright Students to Ireland were invited to Dublin to be interviewed for a Fulbright video. They shared advice for others who want yo apply for student programs to Ireland. Fulbright was reimbursing their travel expenses but we were able to save them some money on housing; Amanda and her husband Jonathan stayed with me instead of a hotel.

After the interviews, two of the students, their significant others, and I went out to chat about our Fulbright experiences.

We found Jack Nealons pub too loud for easy conversation last night, so we skipped down the way to M. Hughes Pub. (Their names don’t have apostrophes in them. I’ve aimed for accuracy here….)

Hughes pub has the added benefit of being a late night venue. Last call is 2 AM at least on weekends, I do believe, while many other pubs stop serving hours earlier.

Hughes pub was perfect for the talking we wanted to do — the regular Friday night musicians were playing in the snug. Last night we sat outside the snug but we could still hear the music in the background. The level was very comfortable for talking and laughing. And that we did!

So what’s a snug? It’s an enclosed room, where in the distant past women were allowed to gather and drink. Back then, they weren’t allowed to be in the main (men’s) part of the pub. You’ve seen pictured of the snug before (It’s where brothers Gavin and Aidan Duffy play on Monday nights — I’ve attached a photo here in case you didn’t see that post).

the Duffy brothers playing in the snug at Hughes Pub last fall.

The Duffy brothers (to the left) playing in the snug at Hughes Pub last fall.

I learned all this from Saul Golden who teaches at the University of Ulster and whom I met at the All Ireland Architecture Research (AIARG) last weekend. You didn’t get to her Saul’s description, so I searched on line for a defnintion.

 The Free Dictionary offers this explanation:

snug 2 (sng)

n. Chiefly British

A very small private room in a pub.
[Short for snuggery.]

We asked the bar man about the snug (to confirm my suspicions that that little room actually was one). We talked theory. We joked around. And, we had some fun with the camera. A little about the characters of the night:

Alexander MacDonald is a highly accomplished tap dancer who hails from New York City. He is currently working on a Master’s degree at the University of Limerick. He is studying enthochoreology (which is the history of choreography in various cultures). He’s got two tapping videos on line, one improv and one from a party.

His friend Nora Rodriguez is from Mexico. She is working on a Master’s degree in contemporary dance performance. It was the first time Amanda, Jonathan, and I got to meet Nora, and we enjoyed out time with her immensely.

If you’ve followed this blog, you already know that Amanda Bernhard is a Fulbright who is working on a Master’s degree in Irish at the University of Galway. Her husband Jonathan is enrolled int the same degree program. They are very excited about the dialectology (theory and study of dialects) course they are taking this semester.

Immersion experiences like the one we’re in prompt reflection.  We’ve all be soul-searching.  Our evening at Hughes’ gave us an opportunity to share our thoughts and experiences — and to consider them in new ways.

I wanted to get in the photo, too, so we all had to be very still while I took a panorama. (Shannon Chance, Alexander MacDonald, Nora, Amanda Bernhard, and Jonathan Kennedy at Hughes Pub last night.)

I wanted to get in the photo, too, so we all had to be very still while I took a panorama. In this photo Shannon Chance, Alexander MacDonald, Nora Rodriguez, Amanda Bernhard, and Jonathan Kennedy contemplate the photographic procedure.

Nora was fascinated by the story Amanda, Jonathan, and I told of the car fire we’d just witnessed beside my apartment building. She was captivated by the story but, just having seen Quentin Terintino’s newest flick, though the photo didn’t live up to the image our story had painted in her head. Nevertheless, I assure you the events were dramatic. Jonathan had insisted on taking a closer look, and as a result, we witnessed a lorry (i.e., truck) driver speed up to help. He jumped from his truck cab, extinguisher in hand, ran to the car and valiantly fought the blaze. The driver and her son had fled the vehicle after it burst into flames.

Amanda and I each recalled that time went into slow motion as we watched these event. We noticed many interesting details. We found the event to be quite dramatic!

Shannon, Alex, and Nora.
Nora, Amanda, and Jonathan.
The car fire that captured our attention. (We don’t think anyone was injured, thankfully!)
by shannonchance

Expanding your Learning Styles

Iroda Karimova said in earnest that she misses my crits! (!?!!??)

As per my prior post, Iroda Karimova said in earnest (while I was visiting the Hampton University Department of Architecture two weeks ago) that she misses my crits! (!?!!??)

Because I’m an active blogger I’m forever getting the question, “Do you ever work?”

The answer is yes; here’s a quick example.

My former student int he Department of Architecture at Hampton University, Iroda Karimova, emailed this to me from her smart phone today:

It was also nice to talk to you too. We haven’t see you for a while. I hope you are enjoying your oversea experience. I sometimes read your blogs, to see how you we doing.

Yes sometimes I wish I could hear your critiques, especially when I did good :). Your critiques were short, to the point, emphasizing important accomplishments, and sometimes not too enjoyable but helpful.
 
 Thank you for sending me this post.
 See you soon.
____
Whew! It sounds like I was doing my job correctly. Part of that  job is to help students learn to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. I’ve got to challenge them to address weaknesses I see. Effective teaching requires a careful balance of challenge and support (Sanford, 1962). I aim to provide that and to help students reach just a bit farther than they are comfortable doing (this is called a “plus-one” approach to teaching).
Good students, like Iroda, recognize that challenges are presented to help them grow and that the professor’s main role is to help guide them in their own learning. Receiving critique is never pain free, but it is necessary for growth and development.
Here’s the very quick reply I dashed off:
Thanks for your note, Iroda!  

 
You always do excellent work.  I wanted to make sure to help you reach for the stars, though.  You’re really terrific at technical ways of thinking.  As a second-year instructor, my job is to try to help students develop fluency in multiple ways of thinking… particularly the ways they find foreign or uncomfortable.

 
I’ve attached a chart to explain (it’s from a paper I was working on Tuesday). Most students come to college very good at one corner/quadrant of the chart. You were exceptionally good at Convergent thinking. I’d say you left second year with new skills in that realm, but more importantly, with new skills in the other three quadrants as well.
 
Cheers,
Shannon
_____
Below is a chart I made to describe Kolb’s (1984) theory. It is based on a similar chart published by Evens, Forney, and Guido-DiBrito (1998). You can read more in the paper I created for the National Conference on the Beginning Design Student (MADE Proceedings Chance Writing Architecture). If you reference it, please cite the source. The citation for the paper is:

CHANCE, S.M. (2010).Writing architecture: The role of process journals in architectural education. MADE: Design education and the art of making (160‐170). Charlotte, NC: College of Arts + Architecture. Presented at the 26th National Conference on the Beginning Design Student in Charlotte, NC.

Kolb chart by Shannon Chance

by shannonchance

A Visit to Bemis

Bemis lawn with Bemis Laboratories to the right, home of the Hampton University Department of Architecture.

Bemis lawn with Bemis Laboratories to the right, home of the Hampton University Department of Architecture.

I almost forgot to show you my January 2013 visit to Hampton University. The semester starts earlier there than at most universities, so I had the chance to visit before returning to Dublin, and while HU classes were in session. That way I could see my students as well as other professors.  I snapped some photos along the way of things that caught my eye….

Everything seemed the same, until I got to the main stair. I never expected to see a big photo of myself mounted in this prominent location!
I caught up with many of my former students. All these folks have travelled with me to Italy: Ed Glover, Alex Taylor, prof. Mason Andrews, and Sharlita Green.
Iroda Karimova said in earnest that she misses my crits! (!?!!??)
One of students garnered a donation of plotters from HP. Way to go!
This is the interior of the new student center…
…with its grande central stair wrapped by a third-floor track for running.
Our campus has such rich history — architecturally, socially, and culturally.
I wandered around campus delivering Christmas presents. Here’s our lovely Trustee House.
by shannonchance

Defining the Street in Dublin and Ballsbridge

Parnell Street

Parnell Street

In my opinion, good city buildings touch each other and define the street. They don’t have to be glamorous to make good urban fabric. When building work together, they create good spaces for people to enjoy.

I’ll give two quick examples of clearly defined streets. These two streets are near my apartment in Dublin. Unfortunately, they are both designed for cars–not people.  Nevertheless, the buildings work together to define space. On Parnell Street, the buildings support a good mix of uses and are close enough together to provide the density of population needed to support ground-floor retail. Residential density is lower a few blocks away, on North King, and ground-floor business are fledgling.

North King Street -- view toward the Jameson Distillery smokestack -- where density breaks down.

North King Street — view toward the Jameson Distillery smokestack — at the point where density breaks down.

Simply put, a proper mix of residential and office space is necessary to support ground floor restaurants and retail. By providing residential as well as working space, mixed-use districts are active throughout the day. Businesses can draw customers morning, noon, and night.

Having the right mix in your district ensures you’ll be able to get the services you need without getting in a car. (Oh, that we’d build this way in the States! Walkability is so rare in cities back home.)

I was reminded of all this last Thursday, when I travelled to the Fulbright office in Ballsbridge to help interview Fulbright applicants. It’s in the outskirts of Dublin. Although this is a suburban neighborhood, it is still dense by US standards. Notice that there’s more space between buildings in Ballsbridge than in Dublin city center, but that there’s still a good mix of uses/services. Nevertheless, some buildings contribute much more to the life of the street than others!

The American Embassy is located on the main street through Ballsbridge.
It acts like a fortress, guarded against and offering little to the street.
The older buildings do a much better job of defining the street and making places for people.
Overall, Ballsbridge offers an eclectic mix of buildings. Attached, single family homes snuggled up aside the neighborhood post office.
The new residential buildings serve to increase density. I’ve always liked this particular building with its heavy base and festive cladding.
It even fits decently among the buildings on its block.
Nearby, this building ignores the street entirely. It offers the pedestrian nothing and it makes no attempt to communicate with other buildings. What a dreary situation!
I had forgotten the sports staduim was so close to the Fulbright Office (which is just around the corner).
Like the Embassy, this is a fortress-type building…
…but at least it offers intrigue and a place to sit in the sun.
These single family homes are typical in Dublin. You’ll find them here in two-…
…as well as one-story versions.
by shannonchance

Hail Mary in Limerick Today

The AIARG conference wrapped up yesterday (my solo presentation went well and the audience was enthusiastic).

I stayed over to experience Limerick (again — Dave and I took a brief stop here in 2003 to see the castle).

Experience Limerick I have. The city gets lots and lots of rain. Today started with sun and intermittent but brief showers.

I admired the River Shannon, wandered the Medieval district, and stepped into Mary’s Cathedral for the end of a Sunday service. I enjoy Protestant services because they include women as primary leaders. I need that and I wish the Catholic Church would get with it. When I was six I wanted to be a priest. The Catholic Church wasn’t ready to accept my contribution. I invested my life’s energies in teach through architecture instead of through theology. I find that, like theology, making architecture requires hope, faith, and expressions of truth and beauty.

Leaving Mary’s Cathedral I headed toward Mary’s church. It seems there are redundant versions (Catholic and Protestant) of churches dedicated to many of the same saints here in Limerick. There are many, many fine church buildings here.

Sadly, the Mary Church was not open though it glowed merrily in the sun’s rays. For a minute. Then all Hail broke out.

I continued wandering on King’s Island in the hail until the the wind and pellets conquered me.

Soaked, I turned back to a corner pub. I sit here warming myself and attempting to dry, Bulmer’s and iPhone blog app in hand. They had no hot drinks but hot whiskey! The radio is blasting weather reports. The resounding “I’m a Believer” brightened the sprits of all the men huddled at the bar, and me!

“I Feel Good” is jazzing us up now….

The River Shannon.
The castle on King’s Island on the River Shannon.
Reflection.
Pedestrian shopping street.
Fun signage.
The Hunt Museum where I went between hail storms.
Mary’s Cathedral (Protestant).
Service at Mary’s Cathedral.
Mary’s Church (Catholic).
Hail in the moss.
Mary Daly’s pub.
Sign at Mary Daly’s pub.
The weather got so bad that I turned back for the pub….
…and got a Bulmer’s…
…and a warm spot to dry out!
by shannonchance

AIARG!

Gavin and I successfully presented our work today in Limerick at the 2nd annual conference of the All Ireland Architectural Research Group (AIARG). Got up at five to catch the train so we could finalize the presentation.

David Leatherborrow delivered the keynote address on Louis Kahn. It’s a lecture that I missed when he gave it at the National Conference on the Beginning Design Student in 2010. (I had to catch my flight). Some opportunities do come again and get better over time. That was part of his message: beginning again, over and over, approaching the issues slowly and being open to emerging opportunities made Kahn’s design work great.

20130125-204919.jpg

20130125-205209.jpg

by shannonchance

Why Winter is Comfy in Dublin

The weather was chilly this morning as I boarded the bus at O’Connell Street to go interview potential Fulbrighters — but it was much warmer than in much of the USA!
…when I downloaded these images last night, it was five hours later in Dublin than at home, and of course much farther north as well.
It has been warmer in Dublin than at my Portsmouth, Virginia home…
The red dots on this map show the locations of Portsmouth (left) and Dublin (right). (Base map was downloaded from a Regnum Christi blog post.)http://live.regnumchristi.org/2011/07/where-are-you-from/

The red dots on this map show the locations of Portsmouth (left) and Dublin (right). (Base map was downloaded from a Regnum Christi blog post.)

Winter weather in Dublin is often much like that in the costal region of Virginia where my house is.  The nearby water helps mitigate temperature extremes in each location.  (That’s partly because water heats up during the day and releases that energy slowly at night — keeping costal areas warmer than inland areas during winter.)

Like Portsmouth, Dublin rarely sees snow.  When a dusting comes, it quickly dissolves.

Both places near the brink of calamity with the slightest hint of ice or snow. The cities and drivers simply aren’t prepared to deal with it.

What’s interesting about all this is that Dublin is so very far north. It’s much farther north than, say, Fargo, North Dakota, where my friends have reported recent wind chills of minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit!?!! Yet it never gets that cold here!

In summer, however, Dublin doesn’t get nearly as warm as Portsmouth.

In 2003 Dave and I were in Ireland for the extended “heat wave” where temperatures reached 75 degrees Fahrenheit for at least two weeks.

This chart shows the blend of temperature and humidity that most people in the States find comfortable. (Image from Shiller, M. (2004). Mechanical and electrical systems. Chicago: Dearborn Financial Publishing.)

This chart shows the blend of temperature and humidity that most people in the States find comfortable. (Image from Shiller, M. (2004). Mechanical and electrical systems. Chicago: Dearborn Financial Publishing.)

These factors affect human thermal comfort. (Image from the book Shiller, M. (2004). Mechanical and electrical systems. Chicago: Dearborn Financial Publishing.)

These factors affect human thermal comfort. (Image from the book Shiller, M. (2004). Mechanical and electrical systems. Chicago: Dearborn Financial Publishing.)

The humidity is terrible at home in the summer.  But here, the level of humidity is always quite comfortable.  The air doesn’t tend to hold a lot of water.  When it reaches the point of saturation that would be uncomfortable to most people, it drops the water in the form of rain.  So, Dublin gets some rain most days, but the shower doesn’t usually last long.  I don’t carry an umbrella because a lightweight coat and hat do a fine job keeping me dry.

Based on the chart above (that I use in the Architectural Ecology classes I teach at Hampton University), the humidity level in Dublin must stay between 20-75%.  Mother Nature must naturally remove the water as rain when humidity reaches a point over 75% here.  How generous of her!

Overall, Dublin enjoys a pretty good balance of the factors show in the drawing to the right (humidity, temperature, sun, and wind).

The weather was chilly this morning as I boarded the bus at O'Connell Street to go interview potential Fulbrighters -- but it was much warmer than in much of the USA!

Incidentally, the humidity in this picture is from the warm, wet breath of people riding the bus this chilly morning. The wet air tends to get trapped inside the bus.  And, it seems to be a bit more humid up top on the double deckers, perhaps because heat rises.

A great benefit of all this is that my laundry almost always dries within the day when I hang it inside the apartment — I have a clothes dryer here, but thankfully no need for it!  The air is dry enough here to absorb the water in the clothes as soon as I hang them.  It takes much longer for laundry to dry in my house in Portsmouth, even when the air conditioner is running overtime to such the water form the air.

Here, there’s no need for AC (except, of course, in buildings that were designed without regard for climate… who would overlook that!?!).

by shannonchance

Silver Linings of Dublin

I'd never noticed this beautiful weathering panel on the Quay just east of the Four Courts. Lovely, isn't it?

I’d never noticed this beautiful weathering panel on the Quay just east of the Four Courts. Lovely, isn’t it?

I’d snuck in one last trip to see the nephews this past weekend while I was back in the States.  It was such fun, but I caught a bug that kept me in bed all day Monday.  That prevented me from wrapping up my writing in a timely fashion and packing for my return to Dublin.  I had to lean on my colleagues for help and then throw my bags together in the wee hours before my flight.

The resulting overweight bag set me back $200.  And, I arrived in Dublin sans Irish credit card, bus pass, et cetera.  I suppose those documents are at home in some very safe location.  Dave has been in bed with the bug today and hasn’t yet located them.  I spent the day pulling myself back together.

The sliver lining in this cloud is that a new bankcard is on the way.  And on my walk to withdrawal cash I discovered wonderful new delights of Dublin.

Leaving home, the plane flew right over my neighborhood (the gridded one in the foreground).
Leaving Newark, we flew smack over Manhattan. Had I been sitting on the other side, I’d have seen my sister’s apartment in Harlem. (From the runway here, you can see the Chrysler building just off the wing tip and the new Trade Tower on the right hand side.)
I love studying city and land patterns from the sky.
The Dublin airport is shiny and new…
…and it’s well linked to the city by two different bus lines. This one has a stop just four blocks form my apartment.
The parks of Dublin are stunningly green, even in the coldest of weather.
My bank (AIB) recently opened a new brach location on Capel Street…
…the security is so tight that even after you enter, you have to wait in line to go through a double security door. (Wish I’d left my cards here instead of some random safe place at home!)
I discovered a brand new vegan restaurant on Mary Street. It’s been open just two days. The gluten-free foods were tasty.
There was a bassoon player out on Henry Street. Double reeds in this cold weather? Burrr.
I found an alley I’d never passed through before. It led to a place I’d been during Dublin Open House — complete with anther emerald green park.
I captured a view of Dublin’s historic vegetable market before my camera battery gave up the ghost for the day. It must be feeling jet-lagged!