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Struggling With Space: Collection Browsing, Architectural Illustrations, and Remote Storage Decisions

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Lucy Campbell and Barbara Opar, column editors

Column by Janine J. Henri , Architecture, Design, and Digital Services Librarian, UCLA Arts Library (jhenri@library.ucla.edu)

 

 


Many architectural publications are still only published in print. Not everything researchers need is available from architect or firm websites or blogs, and many older architecture titles have lasting research value. Faced with a broad collecting mandate in support of professional and academic degrees, and a library facility that reached capacity many years ago, selecting materials for remote storage has become a part of my weekly routine.  Recurring queries on librarian discussion lists regarding selection of materials for storage is evidence that UCLA is not facing this issue alone.

 

 

Overflow books that cannot be shelved due to lack of stack space. The library has book trucks in aisles and every nook and cranny.

 


Many collection managers select material for remote storage or withdrawal based on circulation activity. However architecture collections are frequently browsed and used on site. Some books may be too heavy to carry to studios, workspaces may be unsecured, and when the library provides free scanning, scans may be all that are desired. Some libraries track in-house use, but this can miss researchers who sit in the stacks, perusing each book on a topic. Besides circulation statistics, how can we select materials for remote storage? My approach has been to consider the relationship between intellectual access, browsing, and expected use.

 

 

A student browses a section of stacks looking for suitable content.

 

 

 

For back issues of journals the decision is easier. The Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals does such a great job of indexing articles down to the project level, with descriptions of specific types of illustrations (plans, site plans, elevations, sections, models, axonometric views, etc.). Volumes can be retrieved from storage the same day or next weekday, depending on when a request is submitted. However book descriptions are less detailed. When a book concerns a single building (or project), we can expect that it is described in our library catalog with the name of the building (or project) as a subject. This subject access, plus the mention of illustrations and plans, is enough for a user to know whether the book is on topic. Users can determine (sight unseen) that these books are worth requesting, and I often select these types of books for remote storage. When a book features several buildings (as in discussions of typologies, materials, fabrication technologies, design methods, etc.), the book’s subject(s) will not necessarily include building names. Our users will be unable to determine which building might be illustrated from the description in the catalog. I am more likely to keep these types of books on site so researchers can browse them to quickly determine relevance. I also tend to keep books with plans that include a scale on site, since researchers frequently seek this information. I also use my knowledge of the curriculum, local research needs, and the ways different books are consulted, in order to decide what to store. For example, books used primarily by historians and theorists who tend to plan out their research and are able to wait a day for a book’s retrieval are better candidates for remote storage than books primarily used by designers who tend to have unanticipated research needs during the design process. At UCLA, which is on the quarter system, a single day delay can derail a project.

 

 

A section of stacks with books about tall buildings. Many patrons search for materials on a specific subject by browsing.

 

 

 

Several years ago when I discussed my storage selection process with a faculty member, he responded by stating he believed that we must keep as many highly illustrated books on campus as possible. One of his important considerations when browsing illustrated materials, is that he is looking for specific views or details. No bibliographic description will help him identify which title includes the one photograph that shows a building from the specific angle he seeks. Over time, through browsing, he has developed his own knowledge of which books have the specific views he needs to make his point (or that one view no one else has published), and he wants to make sure his students are also able to develop that kind of familiarity.  I acknowledge that this way of browsing physical books is lessened somewhat by the growing availability of titles in Google Books, but since Google’s ‘snippet views’ do not necessarily show the needed illustrations, for now, browsing physical books in the stacks is still a core architecture research method.

 

 

 

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

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Corey Saft, former ACSA Board member, professor, and practicing architect noted for sustainable, economical design and construction will give the commencement speech at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette on Friday, August 4th. 

To read more about Corey and his work, visit here. 

Oklahoma State University

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Professor Randy Seitsinger, FAIA, was named in September 2016 to the position of Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for the College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology.  In this capacity, Professor Seitsinger works closely with CEAT Dean Paul Tikalsky on matters related to academic outcomes, staffing, scheduling, and accreditation.  Randy’s prior experience as Head of the School of Architecture from 1995-2016 serves him well in understanding the workings of the university and anticipating the needs of units in the College.  As Head and a Professor in the School of Architecture, Randy participated in the summer European Studies program often and as a design studio critic and juror whenever possible, in addition to his administrative duties.  Randy was responsible for securing the Donald W Reynolds Foundation grant that made the renovation and addition to the Architecture Building possible; the project received an AIA Oklahoma Honor Award for its design in 2012.  Because of his longstanding involvement in architectural education and for service to the AIA in Oklahoma, Randy was elevated to FAIA in 2015.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

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The College of Architecture from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) is pleased to announce Associate Professor Timothy Hemsath and architectural doctoral candidate Kaveh Alagheh Bandhosseini have published through Routledge an insightful, research-driven book packed with hundreds of simulated illustrations entitled “Energy Modeling in Architectural Design”.

This ground-breaking book provides the reader with detailed energy-saving, design methods and resources for simulation in architectural design. While there have been other books and journals that have included parametrically-driven building forms for energy simulations in architectural design; they are often limited to a single climate and residential design. This book takes energy-efficient designs to a new level.

“We explored three different offices sizes in three different U.S. climate zones, and we coupled newer lighting metrics with energy simulations which is extremely novel,” stated Hemsath.

Using research proven methods, Hemsath and Bandhosseini detail how to use design elements and the identification of climate opportunities to create energy savings and help reduce the energy footprint of new buildings. From project conception, the authors demonstrate how to utilize important fundamental passive design elements for software-agnostic energy modeling. The book also provides a step by step guide to creating and testing parametric models for a structure that is not only beautiful but high-performance and efficient.

Artfully illustrated with more than 100 color images, this book includes a pattern guide for high-performance buildings. These illustrations are a small representation of the thousands created during their research using the Holland Computing Center.

“Hemsath and Bandhosseini have delivered a timely and informative introduction to building energy modeling. Energy modeling has become an essential tool for modern architects to understand when designing high-performance buildings. This book is richly illustrated and provides vital information that will assist architects in making energy saving design decisions,” commented Jason Glazer, P.E., BEMP; principal engineer at GARD Analytics Inc. and chair of ASHRAE Standard 209.

Leading energy experts concur, “Understanding the energy consequence of architectural design decisions is the foundation for high-performance design. The authors of “Energy Modeling in Architectural Design” provide the framework for all architects to effectively use energy modeling as a design tool,” said Tom Hootman, AIA, LEED AP, WELL AP, author of “Net Zero Energy Design”.

A copy of “Energy Modeling in Architectural Design” can also be found on Amazon.com  

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

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Bicak Research to Explore Criteria for Makerspaces

University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Architecture is pleased to announce Nathan Bicak, assistant professor of interior design received a Layman Grant Award for his project entitled “A Spatial Taxonomy and Best Practices Criteria for the Interior Design of Makerspaces”. This auspicious project will serve as a foundation phase for future work focused on establishing developmental strategies, design criteria and best practices for makerspaces as an emerging interior space typology.

While making and makerspaces have evolved from a sub-cultural movement to the mainstream at a rapid pace, there has been limited research on best design practices. A makerspace developed with evidence-based practices has greater potential for success and longevity when its stakeholders, community leaders and developers are well informed. It is critically important that an institution or community understand common equipment, space standards and the potential of said spaces in various markets in order to determine appropriate actions and strategic plan development.

This project will involve the collection and examination of equipment resources, creative pursuits, user demographics and social capital in a variety of existing spaces. The target audience for this project will be organizations seeking direction on makerspace implementation in their communities.

Makerspaces were born from the Maker Movement, a “do it yourself” effort started by hobbyist engineers in the 1990s. These facilities offer equipment and studio space to individuals and organizations who might not otherwise be able to afford it. They democratize small scale manufacturing through equipment like 3D printers, laser cutters and Computer Numeric Control (CNC) machines for the purposes of innovation and entrepreneurship.

The Layman Grant Award program is supported by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Office of Research and Economic Development, which funds work that enhances a researcher’s ability to obtain external funding to support prominent scholarship. There are two tracks: the Layman Seed Program, which funds new projects by non-tenured junior faculty, and the New Directions Program, which funds tenured faculty who are re-entering research or branching out in new directions. 

From the President

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After a year serving as First VP/President-Elect, I now begin my official term as President of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. I am aware of the honorable platform to which I was elected, as well as the privilege to lead ACSA in its ongoing process of making a profound difference in architectural academia.

I embark on this voyage with the highest sense of responsibility toward the discipline, our constituents, the Board, the Association and our four collateral organizations: AIA, NAAB, NCARB and AIAS. I am grateful for the lessons bestowed by those who served before me and am committed to providing continuity to their achievements as I also introduce an agenda for strengthening our international footprint, reiterating our protagonism and relevance in the future of our cities, ensuring equity and diversity, and demanding a continued presence in the STEM discussion.

Throughout the year, ACSA will host four important academic events: the Fall Conference in Marfa, TX (Crossings Between the Proximate and Remote), the Administrators Conference in Albuquerque, NM (Crossing Boundaries), the Annual Conference in Denver, CO (The Ethical Imperative) and the International Conference in Madrid, Spain.

I look forward to an exciting year and to the opportunity to discuss and debate the future of architectural pedagogy with current and future member schools.

Francisco Javier Rodríguez, AIA, DPACSA
2017-2018 ACSA President

See the list of all 2017-18 ACSA Board Members.

Visualizing the Architectural Research Process: A Collaborative Library Instruction Workshop

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Lucy Campbell and Barbara Opar, column editors
Column by Stephanie Beene, Fine Arts Librarian for Art, Architecture and Planning, University of New Mexico  

I arrived at the University of New Mexico in January 2016 as the Fine Arts Librarian for Art, Architecture & Planning. Within a few months, I was asked to teach a collaborative Research Methods Workshop for Architecture graduate students with Associate Dean and Professor of Architecture, Mark Childs. Throughout 2016-17, Professor Childs and I collaborated on the workshop and spent time assessing and developing it. Some of the experiments from those developments are presented here.

In the workshop, graduate students conduct field and/or archival research; literature reviews; create and compare maps and GIS data; conduct database and journal reviews; and use all four libraries on campus, including the Fine Arts and Design Library. Students create their own path to authority by interrogating the authority of other works and spaces. They assert their expertise as one among experts, by examining artifacts, data, and models, and placing them in conversation with one another.  Professor Childs and I challenge students to create visualizations, or concept maps, of the research resources they encounter, leading to a variety of curatorial, creative, and professional outputs.

We spend significant time framing the research process through Scholarship as Conversation.1 One of the ways we do this is by placing authorities and works in conversation with each other in a nonlinear, creative way. Students create a concept map2 or visualization of their research process, from literature encountered to end design products. By visualizing their research process as an investigation of scholarship, topics become conversations occurring across time, space, and media. I have found that concept mapping lowers the frustration threshold when emphasizing the iterative nature of research. It allows students to understand how and why something enters “seminal” status. Conversely, students are able see when a scholar or architect is unique or isolated in scholarly or professional circles. Taking public housing as an example topic, students quickly see the need to narrow the subject down by geography, city, material, and/or era. Students with this topic can easily discern clusters of discussion points in a concept map, where certain cities or subtopics have been more heavily discussed than others. Scholars, arguments, funding models, designs, models and site analyses begin to emerge as ideas to pursue for their own projects. Meanwhile, keywords, subjects, authorities, and experts begin to recur throughout the visualization, becoming the connective tissue between disparate resources. Some students’ visualizations include imagery, data, or schematics, leading us on a visual quest for additional images based on those already found, using tools like Artstor, or browsing through monograph and periodical collections. Through the iterative nature of research, additional lines of inquiry expand as the visualizations grow organically, allowing for inspiration and comprehension of a topic. By visualizing arguments in terms of conversations that build or collapse, like monuments, students are able to see how scholars mirror the act of construction.

 

  1. The Association of College & Research Libraries “Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education” lays out 6 Frames, or “Threshold Concepts.” One of these is Scholarship as Conversation. It states “Searching for information is often nonlinear and iterative, requiring the evaluation of a range of information sources and the mental flexibility to pursue alternate avenues as new understanding develops.”  “Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education,” Association of College & Research Libraries, last modified January 11, 2016, http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework.
  2. Academic OneFile, a Gale Resource, http://blog.gale.com/topic-finder/, allows students to begin their research by visualizing their keywords and phrases through concept mapping, either via wheel or tile format.  The tool will narrow their topic by thesaurus and synonym, while also linking to a range of articles and resources. While students are encouraged to use Artstor and Avery Index for more subject-specific and in-depth research, this is a good starting point for them — not only for broader topics like “public housing” but also to start them thinking about concept mapping and visualization and the ways in which scholars, articles, and ideas intersect with one another.

Life on the Mississippi

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Take the first left traveling north on the Mississippi River past St. Louis and you will hit Three Forks, Montana, the headwaters of the Missouri River, 2,000 miles later. The big Y down the middle of the US map, which encompasses nearly two thirds of the country, is the watershed of the Mississippi River. The red dot, just south of the confluence or the convergence of the Y, marks what former president of the Missouri Historical Museum Robert Archibald called, the geographical determinacy of the location of St. Louis. It seems that St. Louis is where it should be.

As I write a closing statement as president of ACSA, I am happy knowing that ACSA too, is where it should be. However, the beautiful map that describes the many courses of the river over time reminds us that we live in a dynamic relationship between time and place that requires our constant attention. While I will serve one more year as past president, I am confident that with the leadership of Francisco Rodriquez-Suarez, Branko Kolarevic, and Rashida Ng, along with the entire board of directors and executive director Michael Monti and staff, the organization is in good hands.

I had not planned to make a list of this last year’s work, but I can’t resist, knowing that much of what follows has been ongoing for a long time and is a reflection of a point in time for the organization, thanks to the hard work of so many:

  • We began the implementation of a new strategic plan, including an innovative dashboard to track outcomes.
  • We launched a new committee structure, with great enthusiasm from the membership and committee volunteers.
  • We launched a new journal, Technology | Architecture + Design (TAD).
  • We launched ArchCAS, a new online admissions service for member schools.
  • We had a successful election cycle, reflecting the new board structure with a first and second vice president and the consolidation of the secretary and treasurer.
  • We partnered with Equity by Design to produce the most extensive survey to date of gender and equity issues within the profession.
  • We held amazing member discussions about board representation, that led to a national election to change the bylaws and implement the new committee structure, a reorganized regional directors structure, and reduced the size of the board by two.
  • We convened member events in Chile, Hawaii, D.C., Chicago, and Detroit, with upcoming events in Marfa, Albuquerque, Denver, and Madrid, to name a few.
  • We continued discussions with our collateral organizations to help coordinate the arc of architectural education from K-12 through late practice.
  • We also continued to work with the collaterals to help improve the process and lower the cost of accreditation.

A familiar point of discussion among the collaterals has been the value of architecture and its perception. ACSA has remained steadfast in advocating that diversity is directly related to the value and influence of architecture. Of the five collateral organizations, two are directly related to architectural education, ACSA and NAAB. The other three, however, are dependent upon architectural education in a way that has often pitted the academy against the profession. Organizational defensive routines notwithstanding, we need to continue to close this gap in the arc, and I see progress. One reality is that while programs and faculty are committed to preparing graduates for the profession, that is not all that they are committed to. The totality of these commitments is what gives me great optimism for the future of architectural education. Schools are increasingly being driven by three meta themes; research, engagement, and experimentation. Research and engagement in the face of climate change, equity and poverty, the list goes on, is what keeps experimentation from being an academic exercise and leads graduates to exercise architectural intelligence as well as architectural expertise across a wide spectrum of domains. We will all be the beneficiary. Here again, diversity in our schools as well as in our profession is one of our greatest opportunities, recalling the map of the Mississippi River, this time as our map forward.

Sincerely,
Bruce Lindsey, writing from St. Louis

Clemson University

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Clemson Architecture Professor Emeritus Receives Japanese National Medal of Distinction

Tuesday, June 20th, 2017

Clemson University Professor Emeritus Yuji Kishimoto has been awarded a national medal of distinction — the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays Medal — by the Emperor of Japan in a ceremony at the Royal Palace in Tokyo. An honorable certificate signed by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also was presented to Kishimoto for his longtime efforts to promote academic, cultural and economic relations between the United States and Japan.

“I am thrilled that Yuji has been recognized for his lifetime of service and his incredible work to forge closer ties between the United States and Japan,” said Clemson President James P. Clements. “Yuji also has represented Clemson in a world-class manner for well over 30 years as a faculty member, adviser and ambassador of the university and the state of South Carolina, and I am honored to call him a colleague and a friend.”

“I am very humbled by this news and honored to share it with and represent Clemson University,” Kishimoto said. “Helping to establish the Japan America Association of South Carolina and my position as special assistant to the president of Clemson University supported these activities and created the environment in which I have been able to achieve the level and the quality for these recognitions by the Japanese government.”

The Japan America Association of South Carolina was established in 1989 to create an environment for the business collaboration between the U.S. and Japan and to start a Japanese Saturday school for the children of Japanese industries in the Upstate area. Kishimoto served two terms as the association’s first president.

“Yuji Kishimoto’s work to build community within Clemson and with our international partners has made a big difference in the lives of many Clemson faculty, staff and students,” said Robert H. Jones, Clemson’s executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. “This award is a well-deserved recognition of years of excellent work.”

Kishimoto taught architecture studio at Clemson from 1980 until his retirement in 2011. He served for several years as special assistant to the president of Clemson for U.S.-Japan relations and continues to assist area groups with outreach efforts with Japan. In this role, Kishimoto has served as an ambassador, strengthening and developing new avenues to connect the Clemson community and the Japanese people.

“Yuji Kishimoto is a builder of bridges between people and between countries,” said Richard Goodstein, dean of the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities. “Throughout his career at Clemson, Professor Kishimoto’s passion for academic and cultural exchange between the U.S. and Japan opened doors of understanding and opportunity for countless Clemson students.”

Much of Kishimoto’s international activity has centered on academic and cultural exchanges and economic development. For more than two decades, he directed the Southeast U.S.-Japan Architectural Exchange, which brought leading architects from Japan to lecture in the Southeast and placed architecture students in internships in Japan. He also directed numerous exchange programs with Japanese companies and institutions of higher education, including Fuji-Photo Film, Toyota Technological Institute, Waseda University in Tokyo and the University of Tokyo. Kishimoto also was instrumental in developing the Clemson University-FUJIFILM Endowment, which provides support for students to participate in exchange programs in Japan.

In addition to academic exchanges, Kishimoto has served in numerous capacities to foster and facilitate academic and artistic exchange and collaboration between the two countries as well as economic development initiatives. For 20 years, he served as the executive director of the U.S.-Japan Alliance with Clemson University and in 1989 was awarded the S.C. Ambassador for Economic Development by S.C. Gov. Carroll Campbell.

Kishimoto is, by any standard, a Renaissance man. Not only does his resume illuminate successful careers as an architect, educator and international ambassador, but his oil paintings have been displayed and collected in various galleries throughout the U.S. and in Japan. He is an accomplished classical guitarist, who has infused his life and work with music. And he has run 24 marathons, including the Boston Marathon five times.

Kate Schwennsen, director of Clemson’s School of Architecture, said, “We thank Yuji Kishimoto for modeling what it means to be a global citizen architect for our students and faculty.”

Kishimoto’s academic degrees include a Master of Education from the University of Massachusetts, a Master of Architecture from Harvard University Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor of Architecture from Wadesa University. He is a native of Tokyo, Japan, and is married to Toshiko Kishimoto, Clemson professor emeritus of Japanese. The Kishimotos have a daughter, Kyo, who also is an architect and is married to architect and Clemson graduate David Brown.

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Originally published on SumterCeo.com.

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