Friday, January 23, 2009
Friday, December 5, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Conflict Resolution
1. Become aware of your emotions. If a conflict happens, check in with your body. Keep breathing. What
emotion do you feel inside? Core emotions: mad, sad, glad, afraid, confused. Anything else is a judgment, not
an emotion.++
2. Count to 10. Are you able to clearly say what you need without the cloud of anger? Hold off reacting in the
moment, if needed. Instead, choose how you want to respond, and when.* Remember that you cannot
control what others will do. You can only control your response to it.*
3. Keep the end in sight. Do you want to have a good working relationship with this person? Do you need
to have one? If the answer is no, you may still need to get rid of the emotional baggage you may be carrying
in a healthy way. Consider a ‘stand-in clearing’, writing a note and destroying it, or just breathing out and
naming the baggage.#
4. Talk to the person it’s hardest to talk to. Try to clear the situation up with them first. Going to the boss
is the last resort. Ask for support from your boss in a three-way conversation. Don’t triangulate.++
5. First seek to understand. Then seek to be understood. If the other person is upset, first validate their
feelings by saying, “It sounds like you are angry.” or “I can understand how you might feel that way.” Then ask
questions to help you both understand the situation better. Consider various perspectives. #
6. Find common ground. Are there some points of agreement upon which you both can start to form an
answer to the situation? Negotiation and compromise are often part of conflict resolution.+
7. Clear things up as soon as you can. Can you look the other person in the eye or is there something
standing between you? Ask for what you need in a way that others can hear without feeling threatened.
First ask permission to clear things up. Then use the PIN clearing model: physical data, intellectual story, and
need. Do ask for what you need to feel clear with this person. Give each person a chance to clear, one at a
time, while the other person repeats back what they heard.++
8. Keep it work related. How does the situation affect the work, the team, or your working relationship?
Don’t get into personal attacks or discuss situations beyond those related to work.
9. Be clear and specific if you need to communication information. Ask for confirmation that others heard
your meaning. Repeat back what you heard when receiving information by saying, “So what I heard you say
is...” If the meaning isn’t correct, correct your meaning courteously.+
10. Offer choices when possible. This gives others more of a sense of control over their own situation.
Invite them to consider the options. Then respect their choice.++
11. Create healthy boundaries. Before working together, decide upon clear roles and responsibilities, how
decisions will be made and how the team will work together. Assign a leader. Be honest and assess the team
as you go. Make changes as needed for the good of the team.
12. Earn trust. Be an accountable member of the team. Concentrate on your own contribution. Do what you
say you are going to do. If you need help, ask for it. And respect the expertise of your team members. If you
don’t, expect others to clear with you. The energy you put into the team will come back to you.
marcia stone ms6@iupui.edu educating emotionally intelligent designers
the 12 keys to conflict resolution
* In his book, Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman says that IQ is less important than EI (Emotional Intelligence).
Those who are Emotionally Intelligent can recognize and control their own emotions and, as a result, live happier, more
successful personal and work lives.Creating an emotionally intelligent work environment Conflicts between people, not the work, are usually the biggest problems for designers. Teams fail, business is lost, and employees leave organizations or are asked to leave as a result of these conflicts.Before you start to work together,agree upon how you’ll work together;Roles and responsibilities,Expertise areas,Levels of delegation,,Decision making processes,Meetings, Physical closeness; beware a team of isolated individuals,Schedule,Conflict resolution
Accountability,communicate,Clear,,Honest,,Timely,,Respectful,,Listen to each other,stay together thru the stages of the creative process,Creative people tend to be goal or deadline oriented; may jump to execution, Creative people tend to want to spend most time in process in their comfort zone,Diverging (considering many options),Deferring Judgment during Divergence.
Converging: (making decisions)
use feedback strategically
360º review process at regular intervals
Have good successes: celebrate what we did right
Have good failures: learn how to improve outcomes
pin conflict resolution model
ask
Ask the person(s) with whom you have a conflict if they are available for to clear something up
with you. For instance, “I have something to clear up with you and I wonder if you are in a
place to hear me.” If the other person is available, continue. If not, ask if the person would be
available to schedule your discussion for another time.
repeat back
During the conflict resolution, pause and allow the other person to repeat back to you what
you are saying at each stage to make sure you are being heard. Be prepared to listen and be
heard, using active listening skills, making sure that you understand the other person’s
perspective accurately and fully.
p (physical data)
State the specific behavior or events you saw or heard. Be objective and non-judgmental.
Do not include judgment or conclusions. Only what you actually saw or heard. State the
consequence(s) of the person’s behavior in terms of results or relationships or both.
i (intellectual story)
State the story you make up about this behavior or event. For example, “I think you don’t
accept me as part of the team.” “I feel you want all the credit…” or “I think you don’t want any
of our ideas to be successful…” These are your own judgments on the situation, based on
your personal frame of reference. You are sharing this information so the other person has a
clearer understanding of how you view the world and your work together.
Then state the consequence of this behavior. For instance, “When you show up late
(behavior), the group gets started late (consequence).”
n (need)
State what you would like the person to do in specific, measurable behavior. Don’t make the
person guess. Allow your statement to reflect an underlying attitude of acceptance, respect,
and a desire to reach an understanding in order to be non-threatening to the other person.
example
0. Are you available for me to clear something up with you?
MOVE AHEAD OR SCHEDULE FOR LATER
1. I saw/heard you (physical data)
PAUSE; REFLECT BACK; CONFIRM OR CORRECT
2. and how I try to make sense of that is that I think (intellectual story)
and how this affects our working relationship for me is (consequence(s))
PAUSE; REFLECT BACK; CONFIRM OR CORRECT
5. and what I need/would like is (need).
PAUSE; REFLECT BACK; CONFIRM OR CORRECT
Is that something you can do?
AGREEMENT/REVERSE CLEARING IF NEEDED
turn it around
In turn, once you have cleared up what you needed, the other person(s) may then ask you if
you are available to have something cleared up with them, if needed.
a conflict I want to clear up at work
p (physical data)
i (intellectual story)
n (need)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
sources
Steven R. Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Free Press, 1990.
John Field, The Strategic Listening Model: skills and strategies toward a new methodology for
listening, Bates USA workshop, New York, 1999.
Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence:why it can matter more than IQ, Bantam, 1997.
Marcia Stone, The Creative Director Survival Guide, http://www.cafepress.com/
cdsurvivalguide, 2005.
Charlene Tosi, Tosi and Associates, The Woman Within Training Weekend, Woman Within
International, www.womanwithin.org, 1992.
marcia stone ms6@iupui.edu educating emotionally intelligent designers
Friday, November 14, 2008
Jersey Devil
Steve (Steven Paul) Badanes is widely known for his practice and teaching of design/build. He is a founding member of the Jersey Devil design/build practice, and is currently a Professor in the University of Washington, Department of Architecture, where he holds the Howard S. Wright Endowed Chair of the University of Washington College of Architecture and Urban Planning.Badanes received his Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University in 1967, and his Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) from Princeton University in 1971. Seeking an alternative to conventional practice, Badanes and partners Jim Adamson and John Ringel founded the Jersey Devil design/build firm in 1972. The firm has designed and built a wide variety of projects over the ensuing three decades. The firm is comprised of skilled craftsmen, architects, inventors, and artists "committed to the interdependence of building and design." Jersey Devil architects/builders live on-site during construction of their designs, which are known for energy efficiency and innovative use of materials. Badanes has lectured on Jersey Devil's work at over 100 universities in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Europe. Their work has been the subject of two books, Jersey Devil Design/Build Book (1985) and Devil's Workshop: 25 Years of Jersey Devil Architecture (1997). Their work has also been featured in numerous articles in various professional and popular media.
Badanes has taught at various architecture and art schools since the 1980s. He has been on the Board of Directors of the Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Warren VT since 1983, and regularly teaches there in the summer. He first taught at the University of Washington in 1988. In 1996 he accepted an appointment as a permanent member of the UW faculty and is the first to hold the Howard S. Wright Endowed Chair. He typically teaches a design/build studio every year in the spring.
Badanes has conducted design/build workshops at the University of Technology in Helsinki, Finland, the University of Oregon, the University of Miami,Atlantic Center for the Arts, McGill University,UNCC, Ball State University, the University of California at San Diego, Florida A&M University, Miami University in Ohio, North Dakota State University,University of Michigan, and the University of Wisconsin. He is a frequent speaker at architecture schools across the United States and internationally.
The ACSA (Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture) has honored Badanes as an ACSA Distinguished Professor.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Detercraft: the Bodhibrikshya
http://kaperry.iweb.bsu.edu/arch601/veneer/index.htm
Friday, October 24, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
deterkraft
- Strength in bending with grain
- Excessive Redundancy
- Perpendicular planes
- Linear twist parallel to grains.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Nepal: Hisotry in brief
1768 - Gurkha ruler Prithvi Narayan Shah conquers Kathmandu and lays foundations for unified kingdom.
1792 - Nepalese expansion halted by defeat at hands of Chinese in Tibet.
1814-16 - Anglo-Nepalese War; culminates in treaty which establishes Nepal's current boundaries.
1846 - Nepal falls under sway of hereditary chief ministers known as Ranas, who dominate the monarchy and cut off country from outside world.
1923 - Treaty with Britain affirms Nepal's sovereignty.
Absolute monarchy
1950 - Anti-Rana forces based in India form alliance with monarch.
1951 - End of Rana rule. Sovereignty of crown restored and anti-Rana rebels in Nepalese Congress (NCP) Party form government.
1953 29 May - New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepal's Sherpa Tenzing Norgay become the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
1955 - Nepal joins the United Nations.
1955 - King Tribhuwan dies, King Mahendra ascends throne.
1959 - Multi-party constitution adopted.
1960 - King Mahendra seizes control and suspends parliament, constitution and party politics after Nepali Congress Party (NCP) wins elections with B. P. Koirala as premier.
1962 - New constitution provides for non-party system of councils known as "panchayat" under which king exercises sole power. First elections to Rastrya Panchayat held in 1963.
1972 - King Mahendra dies, succeeded by Birendra.
King Mahendra's 1962 constitution cemented royal rule
1980 - Constitutional referendum follows agitation for reform. Small majority favours keeping existing panchayat system. King agrees to allow direct elections to national assembly - but on a non-party basis.
1985 - NCP begins civil disobedience campaign for restoration of multi-party system.
1986 - New elections boycotted by NCP.
1989 - Trade and transit dispute with India leads to border blockade by Delhi resulting in worsening economic situation.
1990 - Pro-democracy agitation co-ordinated by NCP and leftist groups. Street protests suppressed by security forces resulting in deaths and mass arrests. King Birendra eventually bows to pressure and agrees to new democratic constitution.
1991 - Nepali Congress Party wins first democratic elections. Girija Prasad Koirala becomes prime minister.
Political instability
1994 - Koirala's government defeated in no-confidence motion. New elections lead to formation of Communist government.
1995 - Communist government dissolved.
1995 - Radical leftist group, the Nepal Communist Party (Maoist), begins insurrection in rural areas aimed at abolishing monarch and establishing people's republic, sparking a conflict that would drag on for over a decade.
1997 - Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba (NCP) loses no-confidence vote, ushering in period of increased political instability, with frequent changes of prime minister.
2000 - GP Koirala (NCP) returns as prime minister, heading the ninth government in 10 years.
2001 1 June - King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and other close relatives killed in shooting spree by drunken Crown Prince Dipendra, who then shoots himself.
2001 4 June - Prince Gyanendra crowned King of Nepal after Dipendra dies of his injuries.
2001 July - Maoist rebels step up campaign of violence. Prime Minister GP Koirala quits over the violence; succeeded by Sher Bahadur Deuba.
2001 November - Maoists end four-month old truce with government, declare peace talks with government failed. Launch coordinated attacks on army and police posts.
2001 November - State of emergency declared after more than 100 people are killed in four days of violence. King Gyanendra orders army to crush the Maoist rebels. Many hundreds are killed in rebel and government operations in the following months.
2002 May - Parliament dissolved, fresh elections called amid political confrontation over extending the state of emergency. Sher Bahadur Deuba heads interim government, renews emergency.
2002 October - King Gyanendra dismisses Deuba and indefinitely puts off elections set for November. Lokendra Bahadur Chand appointed as PM.
2003 January - Rebels, government declare ceasefire.
2003 May-June - Lokendra Bahadur Chand resigns as PM; king appoints his own nominee Surya Bahadur Thapa as new premier.
End of truce
2003 August - Rebels pull out of peace talks with government and end seven-month truce. The following months see resurgence of violence and frequent clashes between students/activists and police.
2004 April - Nepal joins the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
2004 May - Royalist Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa resigns following weeks of street protests by opposition groups.
2004 June - King Gyanendra reappoints Sher Bahadur Deuba as prime minister with the task of holding elections.
Direct power
2005 1 February - King Gyanendra dismisses Prime Minister Deuba and his government, declares a state of emergency and assumes direct power, citing the need to defeat Maoist rebels.
2005 30 April - King lifts the state of emergency amid international pressure.
2005 November - Maoist rebels and main opposition parties agree on a programme intended to restore democracy.
2006 April - King Gyanendra agrees to reinstate parliament following weeks of violent strikes and protests against direct royal rule. GP Koirala is appointed as prime minister. Maoist rebels call a three-month ceasefire.
2006 May - Parliament votes unanimously to curtail the king's political powers. The government and Maoist rebels begin peace talks, the first in nearly three years.
2006 16 June - Rebel leader Prachanda and PM Koirala hold talks - the first such meeting between the two sides - and agree that the Maoists should be brought into an interim government.
2006 November - The government and Maoists sign a peace accord, declaring a formal end to a 10-year rebel insurgency. The rebels are to join a transitional government and their weapons will be placed under UN supervision.
2007 January - Maoist leaders enter parliament under the terms of a temporary constitution. Violent ethnic protests erupt in the south-east; demonstrators demand autonomy for the region.
Maoists join government
2007 April - Former Maoist rebels join interim government, a move that takes them into the political mainstream.
2007 May - Elections for a constituent assembly pushed back to November.
A US offer to resettle thousands of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal has raised hopes but has also sparked tension in the camps, says Human Rights Watch.
2007 September - Three bombs hit Kathmandu in the first attack in the capital since the end of the Maoist insurgency.
Maoists quit interim government to press demand for monarchy to be scrapped. This forces the postponement of November's constituent assembly elections.
2007 October - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urges Nepal's parties to sink their differences to save the peace process.
2007 December - Parliament approves abolition of monarchy as part of peace deal with Maoists, who agree to re-join government.
2008 January - A series of bomb blasts kill and injure dozens in the southern Terai plains. Groups there have been demanding regional autonomy.
2008 April - Former Maoist rebels win the largest bloc of seats in elections to the new constituent assembly, but fail to achieve an outright majority.
2008 May - Nepal becomes a republic.
2008 June - Maoist ministers resign from the cabinet in a row over who should be the next head of state.
2008 July - Two months after the departure of King Gyanendra, Ram Baran Yadav becomes Nepal's first president.
2008 August 18 Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal ( Prachanda) becomes Priminister.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Proposal/Arch 652
the pre-writing goes like this;
Fall Semester /2008
“Unknown cities within the city…. The foundation of self respect in their society is not having cash but a place to live.”
-Professor Richard Sennet
“The house was not so hard to make because I kept the structure minimum…..It sometimes gets cold but I like the view of the river.”
-Okawara, A homeless in Tokyo
“These homes (of homeless) embody simplicity and functionality at one with their environment, like the Japanese Tea house of Sen Rikyu.”
-Architect Kyohei Sakaguchi
Architecture has taken a great leap since the beginning of the human civilization. The materiality, techniques, forms; functionality has profoundly changed since early shelter of nomadic tribes to modern intelligent buildings. Architects and designers throughout the world have put most of their energy in creating aesthetically beautiful, structurally sound and functionally user-friendly built environment. In such an encouraging scenario, when I observe the world around one questions comes up in my mind, what about the architecture of the homeless people.
Small enclosure of materials like flattened cardboards, corrugated metal roofs, sheets of plastic, leftover materials in Dr. Wes Janz’s word ensure them same security and sense of privacy that our house provides us. Intricate network of metal pipes, geometrical roofs, and even use of solar panel reflects their interest in design fulfilling function. Though they are not architect, their construction approach to support their need of shelter always draws my attention.
Thus, I propose to study a tragic arena of architecture, existing architecture of homeless people. The materials used, forms, structures along with the surrounding environment in different part of the world. I want to discover their inherent feelings about their home.
To achieve this, I will carry out literature study on the construction of homeless people using available books, internets and magazines. I will collect talks, views and case studies (if possible) of the related groups or individuals to discover their world of architecture and social aspects. Based on such study a set of photographs, structure and material study will be compiled in a report form.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
BSU student wins award
Link for the Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu1Uj_Ajyrw
My new friend at Ball State University Jagjeet has earned 1000 USD scholarship and Ball State University received an electric car as a gift fromMiles electric Vehicles. ( Unfortunately, the award is not vice versa. Isn't it, jagjeet? ha... ha...).He had participated and won in Miles Revolution Video contest jointly sponsored by Miles electric vehicles and No Gas Required.
The electric car is the most expected solution for sustainability of natural resources. Jagjeet took a first ride of car before it was handed over to the BSU in University's earth day celebration. " I honked the horn as I drove it, Just to show everyone that the car can make some noise", the university website quotes Jagjeet.
Prediction
"Everything that can be invented has been invented."
-Charles H. Duell
(Director of US patent ofiice, 1899)
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Food for thought
-Andy Goldsworthy,"Time,Change,Place" in Time (New York: Harry Abrams, 2000)
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Hello! Ball State University
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Beijing 2008:Olypicizing Architecture(Part-3)
Thirteen Finalists of the architecture design competition of the national stadium
( 2008 olympic main stadium) are listed on the official site of the Beijing
Municipal Commission of the Urban Planning.
The link is:
http://www.bjghw.gov.cn/forNationalStadium/indexeng.asp
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Beijing 2008:Olympicizing Architecture (Part -2)
Location:Beijing, China
Broke ground:December 2003
Owner:Government of the People's Republic of China
Surface:Grass
Construction cost:4 billion yuan (~USD $500 million)
Architect:Herzog & de Meuron,ArupSport,Ai WeiweiCAG
Capacity:Olympic Capacity: 91,000 & Post Olympic Capacity: 80,000
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Traditional Newar Houses of Nepal
Construction Materials:
- WOOD mainly used as columns ,beams,rafters and for construction of doors, windows, stairs. ( Shorea Robusta, Pinus roxburghii, Schima Wallichii, Quercus glauca and Michelia Champaca ,all Latin names, species of local trees were used.
- METALS copper, iron, brass, bronze were commonly used. Extremely expensive building material, it was used on religious and door facings, lattice- works, door latches.
- NATURAL STONE sedimentary rocks or metamorphic stone gathered from the quarries situated on the north and south sides of mountain slopes.
- BRICKS AND TILES mud bricks were used for construction of walls. Mud was/is easily available as a local building material. clay tiles were extensively used for roof coverings and for courtyard paving, terrace floors and floor coverings ( Ceramic tiles
- MORTAR Grey clay was used as jointing material. Special mastic along with grey clay was used for religious buildings, palaces and other important buildings, always together with conical bricks. Lime-Surkhi, Lime stone was also used.
The roof is double- pitched with the ridge on the line of the central spine wall, and a projecting overhang of about 850 mm at front and back. The structure is of timber and comprises columns on the central line supporting a ridge beam, intermediate purlins supported on primary rafters, a wall plate , an outer beam supported on angled struts, and then the rafters pegged together over the ridge beam and projecting out over the walls to the outer beam. Onto the rafters are laid timber or split bamboo laths, then a thick ( 150mm ) layers of sterile mud finished with small fired clay roof tiles ( jhingati) embedded on it.
Roof is the most striking architectural feature in traditional Newar buildings.
- Huge projecting roofs ( Pau in Newar language). Hovering roof form with bracket support overhanging precariously on building walls with bracket support.
- Set one over the other in Pagoda form one over the other.
- Protect brick walls in mud mortar from weather: Rain and Sun.
- Overhang: Dwelling- 1000mm, Vihara-1500mm, Temples- Up to 4000 mm.
Design and detail of roof construction same in all buildings.
- Pitched Roof:
- Purlin Construction
- With rafters (musins) of the topmost roof of temple meeting at a point on central post ( than)
- Ridge piece ( dhuri) rests on lower sleeper walls that are an extension of the lower wall structure.
- Roof plate (nas) rests on either on an eave structure or slanting struts ( Tundals)
- Wooden nails ( chukus) keep the various components in place.
- Rafters 8musins) and floor beams ( dhalins) are spaced at intervals of 100-150mm depending on beam section
- Roofs are covered with special clay tiles (jhingati)
- Horizontal wooden planks placed over rafters - above which is laid clay is spread in 40-100 mm thick layer - into which jhingati, with overlap of 2/3rd , is pressed.
- Kopus or Gogochas are special tiles used for ridges.
- Dokuns are special tiles used for valleys.
- Bhauwas are special tiles to provide light and ventilation.
- Corners and junctions of eaves is emphasized by corner tile ( Kunpa) usually designed as a bird.
- Tiles are uniform in shape but often different in size.
Construction Techniques:
Unlike the Indus valley civilization, the construction technique of the traditional Newar house is same as that of the early Greek's and Egypt's - the trabeated system.Wooden posts, beams and struts used in the houses are clear intermingling of the structure and ornamentation. Usually a dressed natural Stone called lohan or a wooden threshold ( lakanshin) supports the wooden post (than) and wooden bracket ( meth) which supports the load from the lintel (nina) and beams ( dalin) on the post.
A long peg called sa , extending from the post, passes through the bracket into the beam and holds the three structural elements in position. The upper half of the post and the brackets are intricately carved, whereas the beams and base plates are generally without decoration.
Super craftsmanship is lavished on the pillars, lateral pilasters, lintels and beams or on the brackets which support the projecting eaves of the roofs.
Lintels over openings are of timber and often in three parts, stepping upwards towards the inside.
Aspects common to Traditional Newar Architecture:
- Low and Close: Human Scales- Inside and Out ( Low doors, Ceiling Heights)
- Local Building Materials
- close Interaction Between inside and outdoor spaces.
- Symmetric/ Central Entrance
- Informal but structural planning.
- The traditional architecture of the Kathmandu valley,Wolfgang Korn, Ratna Pustak Bhandar, Kathmandu, Nepal 1998.
- Building today in a Historical context Bhaktapur Nepal,Giovanni Sceibler, Ratna Pustak Bhandar, Nepal 1982
- Nepalese Architecture, N. R. Banarjee, Agam Kala Prakashan , Delhi 1980
- Kirtipur: An urban community in Nepal its people, town planning, architecture and crafts, Editors: Mehrdad Shokoohy and Natalie H. Shokoohy.
- Lecture Notes during Archiview 1998, Prof. Donn Treese.