Why I Chose Architecture (and other tidbits of news...)

I'm a bit behind in posting, mostly because of being super busy with school and holidays at the same time. But with the recent news I've shared with family, friends and neighbors, and now with you, that I've been accepted to the 5 year B.Arch program at NYIT; I've been asked this little question that's difficult to share with strangers thus, I wanted to put it out here where anyone can read.

What made me choose Architecture?

It started in high school after I switched schools, that I began to ask myself 'what makes me happy?' what do I enjoy doing?
At the time, my first answer was Comic Book Artist. After looking into I'd found that it's incredibly hard to break into the career. So I moved on to the next best thing: 3D Computer Artist and I'd begun learning how to use Blender, and tried modelling different things including myself. I'd learned a lot over the year, but then gave it up as I'd moved onto writing and story telling, my mother had even given me some Writers Digest magazines, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It involved tips on writing and how to create mysteries and intriguing dialogue. I was eating all of this up, but what didn't sit right were the words from my grandfather: "There's no money in that."

Apparently money is a big deal as you're growing up, and as I see it now it really is, but it's not the most important thing.

Because of this I started looking into lucrative careers, I was only 15 at the time. I knew I didn't want to be a doctor, it wasn't in my future. I liked math and I was doodling every day in school. So I wanted a job that allowed me to draw every day, help people, and possibly tell stories. It came down to two options: Engineer or Architect.

At this time, the internet had relatively little information to give about Architecture, what it is, and sometimes I look and see that it hasn't changed.

The description for 'Engineer' told me that I needed to learn all of the sciences including Chemistry. I HATE CHEMISTRY! That was the major turn off. Most of the information taught about chemistry is it's history, useless things for moving forward.

The description for 'Architecture' said I need I needed to be an expert at almost everything and be able to use technology. After I had given it some thought, I began researching shuls (synagogues) as my base point for understanding architecture.

I feel that until I'd decided to do that, the local library that hosted at the time maybe 4-5 books on synagogues was never touched. Now it has almost 20 books on synagogues and the books on architecture is growing in the library. Anyway, I was constantly researching and was sold on the idea. I even looked into schools within New York to apply to.

My main goal was to become an architect to builds shuls and homes in hopes to revive the old European designs that I found were the perfect places of spirituality and prayer.

But I think that covers why I chose Architecture...

Anyway, thanks for reading dear reader, and I hope to start posting more again-- I mean there is SO MUCH happening right now, and I know I promised pictures... They're coming. Just need to sort and edit them at some point.

~Architalmud

Noah: Savior of Mankind - And the Ark that helped...

"Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generations" (Bereishis 6:9)

  G-d sees the world is bad and finds Noah, 'The Last Man on Earth' (Get it?) who is still good. G-d chooses him and his family to continue life on Earth. But first they had to survive The Flood.
But how are they supposed to do that?

"Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with compartments, and you shall caulk it both inside and outside with pitch." (Bereishis 6:14)

 First of all, why on Earth would G-d force Noah to construct an Ark with rooms that's sealed and insulated, when G-d can wipe out the world and not have to bother with this?
The answer is so the people of the world could watch Noah build this- not large- GIGANTIC Ark for the next 120 years and ask him why. Noah would answer and G-d hoped they would repent.

 To quote Bill Cosby, he had a cynical rendition of one of the conversations that probably took place:

I was just wondering: What would be the effect of an Ark on the average neighbor?
Now, here's a guy going to work, 7 o'clock in the morning - Noahs next door neighbor and he sees the Ark. 

Neighbor: Hey! You up there! 

Noah: What you want? 

Neighbor: What is this? 

Noah: It's an Ark 

Neighbor: Aha... 

 You wanna get it outta my driveway?
 I gotta get to work!
 Listen, what this thing for anyway? 

Noah: I can't tell you
 Hahahahaha! 

Neighbor: Well, I mean can't you give me a little hint? 

Noah: You wanna a hint? 

Neighbor: Yes, please 

Noah: How long can you tread water?

 G-d gives Noah all of the dimensions and specifications.

...The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. 

A window shall you make for the ark, and to a cubit shall you taper it on top, and the door of the ark shall you set in its side; with lower, second, and third stories shall you make it. (Bereishis 6:15-16)

 Dimensions List:

• Length: 300 cu.
• Width: 50 cu.
• Height: 30 cu.
• Extra Window + Door: 1 cu.

What's very special about these dimensions is that they are equal to the Hebrew letters: Shin, Mem, Lamed and Aleph.
This spells out the name Sah-muh-el. This is the name of the angel of evil. Pure evil. Why would G-d choose these exact dimensions if they represent something so bad? The answer is that the dimensions were bad, but what was inside the Ark was all good. And that would protect them.

 The material and sealer/insulation needed to be exactly as was asked for. Interestingly, Moshe (the leader of Bnei Yisroel in years to come) was placed in a basket. This basket was only sealed on the outside. This was done only because the Nile river was calm. The Flood of Noah's generation was going to be a whirling whirlpool of wickedness for a year, therefore it needed to be sealed on the inside and outside.

  The window that was asked for was needed for light because the rest of the Ark was completely sealed. The Gen. Rabbah says, "Some say [that it was] a window, and some say [that it was] a precious stone, which gave them light (31:11)". Also, it's explained that the 1 cu. was actually slanted on the top so it would be more of a triangle and that would allow the water to run off and not be trapped on top which would create leaks.
[Le Corbusier once designed a house that had that exact problem. A million dollar problem.]
 The door was placed on the side of the 1 cu. so water would not get into it. Obviously, the Ark was not created to be a submarine.

Masechet Sanhedrin explains why the Ark was three stories: The top floor was for people, the middle for all the animals (and demons), and the bottom was for waste. The smell from the 3rd to the 2nd floor was only a problem when the animals needed to be fed. And it was a miracle that the animals behaved themselves well for the 40 days that they spent cooped up together on the Ark.

Why can't we act like that for a 2 hour trip? Because we're human, I guess.

Thus, G-d thought out perfectly again the exact dimensions for the survival of Noah and his family. Although, it should be mentioned that, given the dimensions, there was more than plenty of room for people to come onto the Ark. Noah and his family were only eight people (not including grandchildren). G-d really was hoping for the people to repent. Alas, they did not and Noah and his family had this shopping mall sized living area to live in for the next year.

Have a Good Shabbas, dear reader.

Emunah V'Pachad ---- Faith & Fear

(eh-moo-nah veh-pa-[Jewish CH]-odd) 

My project’s concept is called “Emunah v'Pachad”.

You have to have faith that the roof stays up...

And fear that it doesn’t fall down... 

And “Rosh Pasuach” to keep an open mind. Or, in this case, an opening in the roof to signify that idea, but that would have only worked if the roofing plan didn't change. Every part of the Sukkah was virtually thought up, researched, and drawn before construction began.

Before the summer began I was sitting in Yeshiva spending mornings in Mishnah Berurah looking up the Halachos for Kosher construction and measurements and the acceptable practices in which to do it. From what I learned, it’s apparent that many of the Sukkos that the majority of people use or buy became kosher after its commercialization. Don’t get me wrong! The sukkos are not posul, but how they reached the status of kosher is through the popularity.

Other days I spent in Masechta Sukkos, looking up the halachos of a round Sukkah. The Chachomim discussed the minimum amount of space that the interior should have, based on the understanding and close approximation to then recently discovered Pi (3.14159265359) which they rounded to 3. This gave a 3:1 ratio for the circumference of the sukkah to the radius.

The Chachomim said that the minimum size for a round sukkah should be able to sit 24 people, each with a 1 Amoh (1.5 square feet) space per seat. This means that the circumference should be approximately 36 feet (24x1.5). Therefore, and by doing some arithmetic, the radius of a minimum round sukkah should be 5.73 feet. Which then equals a 11.46 foot diameter. A square sukkah with the same circumference, or perimeter, of 36 feet would only have 9 feet per wall. Already it’s understandable that a circle has a larger Area than a square or rectangle Sukkah.

In terms of Calculus, the maximum and minimum area can be found using derivatives to solve for the relative maxima, if possible. But why bother with all that tedious work...

What interested me most in even thinking of trying to build a 'well-rounded' or an octagon sukkah was a small article I found that mentioned briefly the effect that a curve in a wall could do to/for airflow. After the old sukkah was knocked down during Hurricane Sandy (22-31 October 2012), which had high winds that reached 115mph, I was certain that reducing the risk of air force should be a priority.

With this in mind, the first post was placed on the Northern point to directly break/split the wind to go around the structure, rather than the older model that had the wind push straight into it. The following seven posts were put down in order by placing 2x6x8’ boards on the ground. After getting all of the posts up, it was vital to attach them from the top because there was a chance, and it happened, that one fell over. The top half was quickly done the following week.

Standing in the completed frame wasn't enough. We had to add doorways or else visitors and guests might trip over the lower frame. The doorways were added and the feeling of being able to walk in was inspiring. I ran around dancing for a while, running in and out of the doorways like a hyperactive child.

4 August 2013 - We brought ourselves to finally put the center support beam for the roof on. It was scary for the first hour- especially with the amount of hands we were working with and the extreme weight and length of the beam (23 feet). Also, the extra hands that were helping accidentally dropped it on a table that was relaxing below it...
Watching it sit snug in its spot 9.5' over our heads, on a beautiful day, really made me proud to be working on the project. Too bad we would have to share it once the holiday starts.

Over the course of the next week, we got the remaining 6 beams up and 16 cross beams at varying lengths that creates both a spider-web AND a sundial when the sun shines. It's marvelous! The wall panels and doors were put up to ensure that the project would have an interior echo system that would allow neighbors to hear what we were saying about them.

Luckily, the echo is lessened by the increase of items and people that absorb the sound waves. Sadly, I was looking forward to being the loudest family on the first night of Sukkos. Instead, we'll have to settle for being trend setters. Yes, we are the first ones to do an octagonal Sukkah in our village. This blog is proof of it. Why? Because it's written on the internet. The internet doesn't lie.

Come check out the Sukkah, dear reader. 
If you know where it is...

~ArchiTalmud