Not Even Sure How To Explain This Story...

I think I should start back to the second studio class. We had all finished our pathway models and we had displayed them in the center of the desks. And then the professor had asked if any of us wanted to talk about any of the models specifically. At that point, I just really wanted to speak up. So I picked up a yellowish model that had a circular structure with staircases around it... It didn't make sense.

Turns out it belonged to this guy... "Mark". We'll call him that. Anyway, last week in our building construction class we were assigned to build frame models. I had my partner and Mark had his. Tuesday morning this week, we all arrived for the studio class- I arrived at 8:15 am because I couldn't sleep the night before, and I had brought my Teffilin (phylacteries) or prayer straps, to school because I wanted to pray on the bus. I then left the Teffilin on the table, leaning on the column, next to our studio corner. It was placed there due to a lack of a personal locker.

It was there all day, 12 pm as far as I remembered. But after class, the groups reformed to finish the frame models. My partner and I worked at the head of Diamond's Studio corner, and Mark and his partner worked on the desks that my Teffilin was by. Around 4:30pm Mark and his partner let us know that they're going out to by materials, so we asked if they could pick up some for us. They call at about 5, just to make sure that they're getting the right stuff. They come back, my partner pays his half, Mark hands me the change and says to pay him back $5 to make it even. "I'll pay you back on Friday, I don't have cash now... We're in class together so you can trust me." or something along those lines.

7:30pm rolls around, I'm insanely tired and I was in need to catch the last bus to Monsey. So I picked up everything I could and began to head out. Not seeing my Teffilin where I'd left them, my brain automatically assumed that I had packed them away. So I left.

Next morning I'm on the bus and realize that I had completely forgotten my Teffilin in school! Hoping that that the rule was still being kept: That the Architecture Studio will not be touched by the cleaning crew, and anything you leave there might still be there the next morning.

I arrive at the studio around 9:30, and there are classes going on, but I tried to take a look around to see if I spot the Teffilin.

No Luck.

So I run upstairs and ask the security guard if he's seen anyone bring it to the lost and found. He points me in the direction to check the Lost & Found on 1855 Broadway. And they pointed me back to the other security guard.

No Luck.

Now the reason I was there early Wednesday morning was because my partner and I still needed to complete our frame model. Somewhere between 11am-12pm Mark shows up and asks if I had the $5. I told him "Yes, but it's only $2 in cash and the rest is in change."
He says, 'Never mind, I'll wait for the cash." So I reminded him that I'll pay it on Friday. Soon I remembered that the studio class was getting together on Thursday to build the Site Model, so I invited him to join.

We finished our model around 12:30pm. Quickly rushed to finish everything else before our history class at 2:20pm. Meanwhile, I had gone back upstairs to the security desk and asked again if my Teffilin had been seen.

No Luck.

Class starts, I'm given the idea to ask if I can see the security cameras. So I go and ask, and then run down to the studio to check all of the drawers to see if someone had stuffed it in there, and I looked on top of the air vents to see if it was hidden up there.

No Luck.

I get back to class, and finish up. And then run to get snacks for the 6pm Building Construction class. At this time, the security was going through the video tapes from Tuesday. At around 7:15 I received a text from the security desk that they want me to come see the video recording. I had to leave class abruptly.

The guard zoomed into the corner where my Teffilin was. You can see it clearly from the camera's view. At 5:57pm on the camera, Mark is seen moving his bag in front of the Teffilin- obstructing the view of the camera. And then suddenly the next frame is him and the Teffilin are gone!
After identifying Mark as the suspect, the security guard said he doesn't think it's enough to go on and I shouldn't get my hopes up. But he will file a report and I should take it up with the Director of Security William Joseph tomorrow. In the meantime, I shouldn't confront Mark, since we are in the same class together and nothing good can come from it.

I went back to class after that, and just in time for the break! My partner and I had a secret meeting about what happened, but I didn't tell him it was Mark that we suspect took my Teffilin. My partner narrowed it down himself, which was pretty cool, but I told him to keep it a secret for now because we didn't want to frighten Mark.

Mark happened to be sitting 9 feet away from us, and thinking back now, he was giving us a bad look...

Anyway, the next day, I went to class after asking the morning security guard if Mr. Joseph was in. I would have to see him later after class. My classes seemed to be more important that hunting down the culprit, but only because I personally believed I'd have it returned after praying extra hard since I first found out who took it.

Sitting in Mr. Joseph's office, he discussed with me the report and then left to check the video cameras. He returned saying that there was nothing on the cameras. But it turns out he didn't know where to look, nor how to zoom in on the image. So we left together to watch the film.
As soon as he saw the same frames that I'd seen with the night guard, Mr. Joseph suddenly changed his tune and even called the 20th Precinct for me.
15 minutes later, Officer Firro and Officer Castro arrived and began to make a report. And then they too viewed the video. They noted that there was a 45 second gap between the two images.

But the evidence was clearly pointing at Mark.

Some Luck.

Meanwhile, we were all standing in the Lobby of 1855 Broadway, and students are coming in and staring, and I was feeling slightly humiliated although no one really knew who I was. But there were one or two peole who joked around asking what I was being arrested for, since I was being escorted between the two buildings by 2 police officers and the campus security.

Soon after that, Officer Firro's supervisor was called to the school. He seemed to be the fixer. And he was good at it. Officer Firro tried to make small talk with me and speculated that perhaps the $5 that I owed Mark was the reason he may have taken the Teffilin as collateral. It seemed to make sense.

Soon we had left to enter the studio where Mark was supposed to be according to one of my friends. We had missed Mark by 10 minutes, or maybe he heard the police were there and ran... I don't know.
The whole studio was buzzing since I was in the center of the police escort. One dark-skinned student actually asked if something was wrong because "I kind of worry when there's a group of cops around."

Mark's partner was downstairs and found out what was happening, and was then asked to call Mark to come back to school. We all then went upstairs to the Admissions Office so I could speak with Mark on the phone ask him if he could come back as soon as possible.

The supervising officer asked me earlier if I would be ok if I got my stuff back, and I said sure! I really didn't need or want to cause so much trouble in or for the school. I really did just want my stuff back.

ANYWAY, after talking to Mark for a minute, we made up that he would meet me in the Admissions Office at 7pm so he could return my Teffilin. The officers told me that if he failed to do so, I should immediately call 911, or the number to the precinct so they could go to Mark's house, arrest him and return my stolen item.

So we all hoped he would show up. Meantime, in the studio, many people asked why there were cops downstairs... Pretty soon the whole studio (100 people) will know... Which is going to be awkward for Mark but not me, I was humiliated enough today.

6:45pm I begin to head upstairs to wait for Mark. The night security guard opened the Admissions Office for me since that was the meeting place, and it was completely private.
6:55pm I called Mark and got the voicemail.
7:10pm Mark entered the building and was stopped by the other guard who didn't know that he was the one who had my Teffilin.

When he did hand it back, he offered a very strange "I'm sorry I took it." And then I began to examine the bag...
The Teffilin bag inside was turned side ways, the Teffilin were unwrapped. The back zipper was slightly opened and it looked like someone had gone through it looking for money, not knowing that the true value was $2,500.00 for the boxes.
So I muttered a "WHY IS IT RIPPED UP?!" which made Mark panic a little-- I may have done that on purpose. But then I thanked him for giving it back and said "See you tomorrow in class!" with a shy smile.

Mark left and then the night guard began to make a final report about the exchange. I told him to put down that the bag was pulled apart. And then I explained to him that married men have a larger bag for their Tallis (Prayer Shawl) and that they usually keep small bags of change and money inside, and perhaps that was the reason my Teffilin bag was heavily disheveled.

And then I went home happy... Lesson Learned!

Thanks for reading, dear reader.
~ArchiTalmud

Color VS Black and White

"True Colors." That's what we used to say, and that's exactly what happened today.
How I ended up arriving late to class will be discussed after this.

Our site was the Richard Morris Hunt Memorial on 5th Ave and 71st Street. Our task was to survey and analyze, we were each assigned a partner if we didn't grab one before then. So Gabe was my partner, chosen for his drawing skills, he was tasked with the axonometric and section cuts for the site. I had the Panoramic photos and the plans.

Our rivals from the other studio section (Nizan), did similar, however we had forgotten to do sketches, and even more so, our presentation was in Black and White.

Professor Diamond was using his usual tool for decisions: Voting.

66% voted for the Color presentation, while 33% chose our black and white, hand drawn, presentation-- I forgot to mention that the other group had printed out all of their work...

The lesson from this is: If you want your presentation to shine, use lots of color, large plans and show the full site. Also, it really helps to have a color palette of three colors (theirs were greens).


Now to explain how weird my day was:
I slept through my alarms, made the 8:10 bus on the button. There was an accident on the highway, but all that did was leave a wide open lane for the bus after the police let us through, and then I was in the city at 9:10.
So I ran to class, accidentally almost crushing a pigeon.
And then when I finally made it down into the studio and pinned up my work, I didn't even say anything because the three other people in my group did all the talking. Afterwards, my friends congratulated me for having a great presentation! But of course they were kidding.

Then my professor accidentally broke one of my sharpies...
Speaking of my professor, he was on the corner of 5th and 47th while I was waiting for the Monsey bus. And then all of these attractive girls from everywhere started lining up for the Monsey bus too. I was confused. Then I realized it's Friday!

Thanks for reading, dear reader ;)
~ArchiTalmud

First Day of Design I (Arch201)

Happy Friday!! This morning the studio was partially vacant around a quarter to nine. But soon after the room was filled. 25, 30, 35, 40...50! We had 50 students with us! Half were from my previous semester and the other half were students that seemed to have taken Fundies 1 and 2 over the summer... masochists. Meanwhile, someone mentioned the ArchiTalmud blog and completely over-hyped it! Like, I'm not even funny half the time! Am I...?

There were jokes going around, catching up about summer plans, and overall commitment to staying focused this semester after learning what not to do last semester.

Anyway, soon after that the professors started arriving. Clara Ha was seen with a new guy. Originally believed to be her boyfriend, we were all surprised to learn that this was a fourth/new professor in NYIT.
Tension was tight while everyone filled out sheets with their previous studio professor's and previous grades. This allowed the professors to start a trading card game which soon led to a full-fledged FANTASY DRAFT!
It took about 45 minutes and a false start when David Diamond yelled, "LASLO!" until we were all sent to a originally assigned sections... Talk about relief.
I, Ronal, Gabriel, and Sherif moved to the executive corner of the studio. Two of Diamond's previous students were sitting by his corner. I already knew they shouldn't be there, but I waited for the professor to tell them to SCRAM! (Oh, how that made me happy :) )

Professor Diamond began explaining our first project. The whole idea around it is basically "Architecture Promenade" (Le Corbusier). In English, the experience created by the rooms or spaces should tell a narrative. There should be a beginning, a middle, and an end. However, he was putting an emphasis on Arches. Titus, Washington, etc. These all had this story that they told (triumphs). But more importantly, they independently created an entrance or gateway into the cities. Literally, Awesome (Awe inspiring).

On that note, our first practice project wants us to build off the Cubist project from last semester and fold an existing plane to create 3 landings with different views, experiences and levels. And there must be an 'Over/Under' in there. Made from white museum board (Personally, I'll be using illustration board), and must be self supporting- No basswood columns. 1/4" = 1'-0" scale.

There's extra detail in there, but the e-mail won't be arriving for another 30 minutes or so. However, I forgot to mention our terrible adventure back to the High Line. It wasn't terrible, but the heat and the heat was too much. On the C train, we sat around discussing how we'd build the stairs of the model. Then I'd whispered to a friend,

 "That awkward first day when no one wants to make eye contact with the professor."

He laughed because it was true. And not because we were sitting directly across from Professor Diamond... There wasn't much else to do, so I took out my 24-Sharpie Marker set. The group lit up!
"Yo! He's prepared!" said one friend.
Quietly I was saying to myself, 'NO ONE TRY TO STEAL MY MARKERS! I WILL MURDER YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!'
But I didn't really say that. Just thought it.

At the High Line, we had split up into groups and had each been given jobs to either: Sketch the enclosures (The folding of them); Sketch plans; or Draw the section.
Still not sure what we'll be doing with these, but I'll know as soon as the e-mail is sent.

Thanks for reading, dear reader :)
~ArchiTalmud

First Day: Arch 161 - Survey History of Architecture

Not much to say, but our professor Sean Khorsandi. Funny as possible with his honesty and sarcasm. And completely understanding. There would normally be a funny story but... I don't know. It turns out that most of the group from Taylor's intro to history class is together again, and we're all sitting in our comfortable areas.
I took my seat in the second row, third seat from the left; front and center from the professor's computer. And then everyone just sat around it. Not that I'm popular, but being the first to sit down is basically creating the center point for all other to crowd around.

Afterwards, I waved to everyone, said Hi! and then proceeded to enjoy a chocolate brownie cookie.
3 hours later we were done, and will continue class with the semester long assignment.

I think it'll be interesting, but there will be 3 days I'll be missing.

2nd Year - Semester 3

 

BRING IT ON!!! I DARE YOU!!!

The Simcha Hall Project

Summers is pretty much over, and it seems like a good enough time to say, "WOW! I WASTED ALMOST 3 MONTHS!"
Which isn't necessarily true as it is more likely an over statement of the truth. There were multiple events over the summer that prevented me from completing any of my projects, but the one I did mostly complete is the one I'm posting about now.

On the left, is a rendering given to me after I had measured the existing dimensions of the structure. The large dining area is all that I am planning. However, it wouldn't hurt to plan where the bathroom will be, along with the kitchen.
For plumbing and accessibility reasons.

 On the right, is the first drawings I exported for the project. Three different angles, some elevations and the preexisting plan. It's a very interesting shape, I did not realize until recently why it's shaped as such. Its reasoning is because of the floor above the same goes with the window placements. There are large vertical windows on the upper floor and someone thought it nice to make all the windows align.

The next image is a recent rendering (Low quality) of the interior space. It's the women's side washing area. It's much too dim currently, but adding some chandeliers and LED lights should increase the brightness of the night time scene.
The mirrors are being used to reflect light and increase the size of the room. Simultaneously, it's allowing people to view themselves, so they can always look their best! 
That's very important.

The floor plan that I submitted to my client. Complete with dimensions and column placements.
If you look, you can see two wide entrances on the center wall (vertically)... I'm planning on having it closed so the room will make more sense.

Below is a rendering that was made during the writing of this post.

Interior rendering.

A lot of work on the coloring and the lighting of the room still needs to be done. Also the profiles of the moldings for the floor and ceiling. AND lights on the actual columns.

Over all, it's come a long way since I first started. And given the amount of time put in, we're right on schedule.

Speaking of schedules, mine is ready and set for the coming semester!

I. Am. Ready!

Thanks for reading, dear reader :)
~ArchiTalmud

Multiple Summer Projects

To date, there are 4 projects I've been balancing.

• The Triple-Purpose Bookcase
• A Full Basement Renovation
• A TV stand/case
• The Simcha Hall

The TPB is coming along slowly, I mostly just have to figure out the mechanics of the structure and figure out the doors.
The FBR needs to have the full measurements taken from the exterior and then the interior to get the exact measurements.
The TVS/C is still in the layout stage, but it's the lowest priority of all four.
The Simcha Hall, my Rebbi from Yeshiva hired me to measure the pre-existing space and the draw up the floor plans and then pump out a rending of what he wants it to look like. Basically, Preliminary Drawings. The room is based on the Zanger Simcha Hall in Detroit, Michigan. It's elegant and medium in size. Mostly meant for small parties (eg. Vort and Sheva Brachos) (Aka. The before and after wedding parties).

The Simcha Hall is going to have its own post once everything is laid out and ready to print. After that, my Rebbi can pass off the drawings to a contractor and get the construction underway.

Although I won't have a hand in the project post-completion, I still have and will enjoy the idea that I played a part in something bigger than me that other people can enjoy.

What I do wish, though, is that i could have a had a larger creative part in it. Replicating an already existent room is just... not as amazing or fulfilling as other original projects.


Thanks for reading, dear reader :)
~ArchiTalmud