thoughts on architecture
The buildings that are now derelict or too damaged to be viable housing options have been taken over by homeless people. Although at first glance it seems like a better alternative than no place to live at all, these places became hot spots for gang activity that take advantage of the most vulnerable amongst us.... Continue Reading →
Although the issue of buildings with seismic risk often appears in structural engineering literature and catches occasional public interest in media, noticeably absent are studies that establish their architectural, social, and economic value. As a result, I was obliged to draw on literature peripheral to the focus of the thesis and other investigative methods to... Continue Reading →
Source: my own work; Last surviving "mental map" I have from my early flanerie days I am Romanian, from Sibiu (also known as Hermannstadt, in Transilvania). I spent the last two years of my high school education travelling to and from Bucharest every weekend (600km/372mi) to attend drawing classes in preparation for the entrance exam... Continue Reading →
I've been looking at how glass is made, either traditionally or in large scale factories. I do like the idea of craft being supported or enhanced by technology (mainly robots), much in the way I've been using the robot arm for fabrication. It's rather obvious that moulds are an essential part of both manual glass... Continue Reading →
Kuma in action. Turns out, it's a very slow process (cutting blue foam with a hot knife) so I had to speed up the video. Apart from being slow, we managed to optimize the speed of the robot according to the amplitude of the cones and they seem to be cutting nicely now. Here... Continue Reading →
We have been exploring ways to use the capabilities of Kuma, our larger robot hand that is mounted on a track. We quickly decided on using the hot knife cutting tool as it seemed the one that offered the most possibilities for now. We have a large stock of blue foam perfect for this task,... Continue Reading →
The process of recognising architectural heritage or value is prescribed by detailed legislation.[1] In an interview with Stefania Romascanu, adviser at the Sibiu Department for the Protection of Culture and Heritage, she described the consultation process as lengthy, often lasting years. If a request is received for a building to be granted the status of... Continue Reading →
A few of us continued to New York for another 3 days. It's a wonderfully eclectic city with lots of interesting architecture. We walked a lot, saw a lot, and I'm certain that I would need another few weeks to cover everything still. I'll just post some highlights here. The JFK main concourse is still... Continue Reading →
Another 6 hour trip and we were back in Chicago, this time in a much nicer hostel. I absolutely loved the city, which seemed a perfect mix of urban and suburban in one's grasp. I started off with a night tour of the city and a blues concert, followed by an extensive Frank... Continue Reading →
Crista Popescu 