Folio Weekly

Keep your eyes out for an article in Folio Weekly, mid January about me and Emerging Architects and our involvement with the Maritime Museum. I'll post the article myself when it does come out.

The Vertical City

Earlier this week I posted a blog about the component parts of a thriving Metropolis environment. This got me to thinking about what a modern city should look like and there were some cities that came to mind. Tokyo, for one was top on the list. But, also, even American cities like New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philidelphia and D.C. all came to mind in varying degrees as examples of what to do and what not to do in designing a new modern metropolis.

As you know, I live in Jacksonville, so I feel that my efforts and theoretical works should lend themselves to making this place into the modern marvel that I wish all cities of the future to be. And, so, I've now begun thinking, "What is a Skyscraper?"

And this is the heart of what I think will make the new modern Metropolis for our generation. But not just in a single skyscraper, mind you. What I am proposing is a complete redesign of an existing city structure in such a way as to connect everything with those component parts mentioned previously; commercial interests, transportation, housing. These are the building blocks of the Vertical City. Over the next few weeks I'll be posting a series of blogs investigating how an existing city structure can be transformed into a new vertical city completely connected within itself and it's surroundings.

The area that I've chosen for this little experiment is an area of downtown Jacksonville known as La Villa. It is an area of the city West of the downtown center just off of an existing elevated train line.

As you can see in the aerial above, La Villa is a neighborhood comprised of several city blocks bordered by a main highway to the West, the elevated train to the South, and two other main automotive arteries to the North and East. At an almost central location is the La Villa School of the Arts, a magnate elementary school. This will be the center of the New La Villa as you'll see in posts to come.

I welcome any and all comments or suggestions. Please, critique at will.

Maritime Conclusion

On the 22nd of November I and a colleague of mine gave a presentation to the Mayor of Jacksonville of a proposal for a new Maritime Museum on a plot of land named the Acosta Site. The presentation itself went well. The Mayor was receptive and attentive to all that was said, as well as the visuals provided by us.
However, it seems that the Mayor and city council have had their eyes on that particular piece of land for quite some time and have no intention of letting it go to a museum. A mixed-use development is their vision. This is, as you can imagine, not what we had hoped for, but not entirely discouraging. You see, EA is still committed to helping further the architectural attitudes of Jacksonville, to re-educating the public on good and responsible design.
So, while we won't be building the latest and greatest Museum on the water, we may be engaging in some master planning of the entire site. This would include relocating an existing museum, a restaurant and a boat slip. The master plan would incorporate Friendship fountain, a landmark on the Southbank. All is not lost, and we will push forward.
The Maritime plan is not dead either. We, EA, will continue to work with them to try and find another suitable site for new construction, and possibly to get federal and state funding so that the financial burden does not solely rest on their shoulders. This is but a small hurdle in a much longer and more complicated process.
As it stands, the City of Jacksonville seems to be in what could be called a "holding pattern". By that I mean, there are projects on the boards that will go a long way to furthering the architectural beautification of the city, but the interest is lacking. There doesn't seem to be a firm foundation of people who would be willing to give up their McMansions 30 miles (and 1 hour) away for a new condo in a gleaming high-rise on the St. Johns River. This, to me, is strange. What exactly is it that drives us into the Suburbs? Is it the quiet peacefulness of the surrounding planted forests? Is it the memory of days long passed when "the city" was a haven for "undesirables"? I think mostly the latter.
Most people of an age and financial situation in the market for new property are not going to want to live in the middle of a downtown like ours. Not to mention the fact, like a previous post, there isn't enough of an infrastructure to keep people here. All of the grocery stores, shopping districts, and activities are outside of the city core. The problem is, the city officials know this, know how to change this, but quite clearly have no intention of pushing the issue towards effective change.

A Thriving Downtown Metropolis

The question is: What does it take to sustain a thriving downtown metropolis?

Today I went to get a trim. This is quite possibly the most unlikely place to find an answer to such a unique political/architectural/socioeconomic question, but i found one. So, the obvious answer to the questions can be found in several parts as follows:

Commerce - first and foremost, I think, is the need for "downtown" to be a destination. There has to be a reason for people to spend time downtown. This includes, among other things, restaurants, shops, groceries, bars, nightclubs, etc.
Housing - second, adequate and affordable housing is needed to sustain those who would live/work/play downtown. Currently Jacksonville has plenty of housing downtown, but few units are affordable.
Transportation - this is the most crucial for a successful downtown metropolis. Those living and working downtown need a reliable way in and around the downtown area. Reliable public transportation should be the ultimate goal of any city that wishes to grow into a functioning metropolis.

Our city is a prime example of what NOT to do with public transportation. Though Jacksonville is one of the largest cities in the US due to it's land mass. Everything is spread so far out that effective public transportation becomes a colossal undertaking. And, currently, the city is totally unwilling to spend the time and money required to investigate such a thing.

Jacksonville, even with it's geographic short comings, has a downtown that is rapidly on the rise. But it is limited by the shortsightedness of it's governing bodies. If Jacksonville is going to realize it's potential as a thriving metropolis than change has to be affected. And it needs to be affected by the Architecture community. It is falling to our responsibility to re-educate the public, the clients, the developers and the city officials on good and responsible design for the future of Jacksonville.

I've been preaching about this for months it seems, but it holds true. There are projects on the boards that can go a long way to beginning this process, but they are too few and too far between. There have been others, like the Maritime Museum, that could springboard real change in areas that need something to help sustain them. It's time to show people what can really be done no matter how small the budget. I put it to all Architects and Designers, re-educate your clients. Show them the value of good design; show them what is possible when you use just a little bit of budget and a lot of imagination.

Maritime Museum Part II

This blog has been a little overdue, and I apologize for that.

The presentation to the Maritime Board was a complete success. Our sketch model and presentation were widely accepted by the board members and they are very excited to move forward with the design. By moving forward I mean, we will be presenting the design and the Maritime Museum Boards' proposal to the mayor on the 22nd of November.

This will be an exciting opportunity for both Jacksonville and the Maritime Museum. The museum is in dire need of a new structure to house their vast collection of works and the city of Jacksonville is in dire need of a true piece of modern architecture, a signature piece that will serve as a landmark for the Southbank.



As you can see from the image, the New Maritime Museum rests along the edge of the Acosta Bridge facing the Northbank of Jacksonville and it's landmarks like the Bank of America tower, the Modis building and The Landing. The only real landmarks for the Southbank of the river are Ruth's Chris and the St. John condo. There is also MOSH and Friendship fountain, although the fountain is scheduled to be demolished in the future, but these elements have no real anchor with the Southbank. There is little continuity between each piece of architecture. This new museum, we hope, will act as a springboard for further development on the Southbank. We hope that building a singular landmark such as this will give rise to renewed interest in civic as well as retail development in the downtown skyline of the caliber that we see in other cities like Chicago, L.A. and New York City.

The City of Jacksonville has an opportunity here to affect serious change in the tone and pace of the downtown environment. It's our job to make them see that.





I'll be posting one more blog for this project in the coming weeks to give a final conclusion on the continued development and possibly construction of The New Maritime Museum.

The New Maritime Museum Cont.

This past Saturday, October 21st, I led a presentation of our design solution for the New Maritime Museum in Jacksonville, FL. The presentation was a success and we'll be moving forward with the design and a second presentation to the Mayor in late November.
At first I was a little apprehensive about how the Board would react to our desing. It is a very progressive solution for a museum of this type. But, we're moonlighting this, so we figure why not take it and run with it. It definitely paid off. Our design is clear, concise and right on with what they had envisioned for a new structure to house their collection. We're all very excited about the coming month. I'll be posting some images of the sketch model as well as some notes from the presentation soon.
So stay tuned for my next blog.

Ciao.

Free Business Advertising

I've just found this and thought it an interesting resource. We'll see if anything pans out.

New Modern Maritime Museum

What is a Museum? According to the dictionary, a museum is a noun defined as:
- a building or place where works of art, scientific specimens, or other objects of permanent value are kept and displayed.
- a building, place, or institution devoted to the acquisition, conservation, study, exhibition, and educational interpretation of objects having scientific, historical, or artistic value.
- a depository for collecting and displaying objects having scientific or historical or artistic value.
In each definition we see the common thread of historical or precious artifacts. Each museum will differ in what, specifically, is housed within the structure. Some museums like the Louvre, in Paris
are more for the storage and preservation of precious artifacts rather than the display. And some, like the New Maritime Museum in Jacksonville Florida, house specialized artifacts (i.e. Aviation, Egyptian, Sculpture, Painting, and any other specified art).
So, you can imagine that special care must be taken when thinking about how a structure such as this should work.
The design is taking shape through the collaboration of several Architects and Designers. Here are several images that were generated at the last design charrette.




And of course, the product of these designs culminating in the presentation board seen above. I welcome any and all comments. This is a work in progress and I will keep regular posts on the process of development and the eventual final designs olution.

Simplicity and Moderation

In today's architecture we are bombarded by, what I like to call, "POP Architecture". That is to say, Architecture that is simply there to look good. We've all seen it, we've all been walking down the popular streets in our own cities and seen the Architecture that tends to be overly complex in it's design and shape.
I've begun to wonder why that is? Is it necessary in an architectural expression to add on layer upon layer of artifice to make the edifice? What has happened to the audacity and simplicity of the modern movement? Architects like Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Peter Eisenman and Richard Meier have shaped their individual times and locals with built works that are beautiful in their simplicity and economy of form and space. Take into consideration Meier's Ackerberg House in Malibu, California. At first glance all of Meier's work appears similar almost to the point of being carbon copies. Even the chosen color, always white, has in it myriad variations as the sun makes it's trek across the sky. And this is something that hasn't been seen since the days of the Villa Savoye.
Is it the clients? Have our clients become ingendered with this apathy towards good design versus the cost of construction? Is everyone of the mind that high design comes with a high cost? Recently I attended a lecture hosted by my local AIA chapter by Marlon Blackwell. For those of you not familiar with his work, visit his website for more information.
I recently came had a discussion with some coworkers about "architecture". The breadth of the discussion was mostly about the difference in taste between architects like Frank Gehry and, say, Paul Rudolph. I bring up Rudolph because during the discussion one of his works at Emory University in Atlanta Georgia came to mind. It came to me because this simple chapel is an example of architecture that I think embodies a vertain amount of the purity of design, the simplicity and moderation that I've been discussing here.

In the image you can see the simplicity and honesty that i'm referring to. There you can see the exposed concrete, the rough lines of the forms used to shape the walls and even exposing the connection of the roofing at the archway. These are honest and true expressions of an architectural language. And this is the true nature of Architecture: To be honest and true in the representation of Material, Connection and Craft in today's environment.

Getting it out there...

I'm thinking, this morning, on advertising and getting your message out there. I've recently began taking a more proactive initiative in getting my business off and running, so obviously Advertising has been on my mind quite a bit. And looking around at the internet and tv, and even radio, I begin to wonder what is the best course of action. Do I go for the free avenues of expression or do I get out and pay for the splattering of my message all over town? I'm thinking the free route is more viable. And besides, if you did enough, search the internet, there are thousands of ways to market yourself and get your message out there. Hell, I'm doing it right now. As I type these words, hopefully, someone is reading a previous post and thinking that I may actually have something to say that is worth paying attention to. And this will lead to others doing the same, and eventually someone contacting me about some work. After all, I am attempting to create sort of a Living Portfolio, if you will. A constant work in progress. And just like any design challenge, it has to develope in it's own way and become a complete "thing".
I love that term, "thing". One of my first Architecture classes in college was with an eccentric professor who told us not to design a building, but to design a "thing". Of course, we all thought he was crazy, but figured, "hey, we're freshmen. let's have fun with it". And so we did. My design of course came out as a house (mostly because that's what i set out to design in the first place), but an interesting process nonetheless.
I think advertising can be looked at in much the same manner. You have a design challenge - How best to get your message out to the people that will bring you work - and finding the most suitable solution to that end is dependent on your specific target and market (i have a business major in the family). And of course you want to get the most exposure for the least ammount of expenditure. Because we're all here to make money, right?
Well, those are my thoughts for the day.

"Altered Perceptions of Space"

On the cover of Architectural Record this month is the title statement "Altered Perceptions of Space", and in this month's issue is a series of critical articles on Record interiors. I must say that the projects profiled in this issue are remarkable, as are all works that appear in Record. And listed are works by some renowned architects such as Tadao Ando and Rene Gonzales. But what struck me first about this issue was not the content but simply the title of the expose, "Altered Perceptions of Space". This got me to thinking about Architecture and about Space. We, as Architects, design Space; we shape the world and mold the way in which we experience and interact with that world. And looking through history one can see in the works of our best and brightest how architects and designers have used many different ways to alter how we perceive and interact with the world around us. This, I think, is a profound challenge for all Architects.
If you look at the work of one of the great masters of this age, Le Corbusier . He set out not only to change our perceptions of space, but to create a "Machine for Living".

And in this machine for living, Corbu also began to change the way we perceived the spaces within the home. Much as Frank Lloyd Wright also did with his Prairie Style. But where Wright centralized the public spaces and secluded the private, Corbu opened the entire plan and made one space seperated by non-load bearing partitions or "screans". Many of us have grown up in McMansions all over the US and abroad so we are familiar with the compartmentalizing of the traditional house: a central living space with kitchen and dining adjacent, the master suite secluded to one side and the children's area tucked away in yet another corner of the building. This creates a sense of seperation within a single space. Corbu exploded that seperation and drastically changed how we perceive the interaction of individual spaces within the home. And this should be applied more than it is today, more than half a century later.
How can we bring about this change in the thinking of designers and Architects to take into consideration, not only the human scale,

but also the human experience? Walking down the streets of Jacksonville, Florida you see the disinterest and lack of interaction of pedestrians and buildings. There is no human scale, there is no way to experience what is around us, accept from above. What is the solution? I put it to you.

An Introduction

Hello there. My name is Jeremiah and I am "the man" of M2 Design where our moto is "Design like you give a damn". Right now some of you may be asking "what do they do", and I'll tell you. M2 Design is a design firm specializing in residential remodeling and additions. But we don't stop there. As an entity, M2 Design is a place for all types of design and artistic expression. Everything from painting and sculpture to architectural and furniture design. It's a passion and an energy that needs to be expressed and this blog will be the forum for that expression.

So, that's the skinny on M2. From time to time I'll be posting images and photos and even commentary on my own work as well as any work that i find to be interesting and worthy of more praise. I welcome and and all feedback from the public who may read this blog. I believe a dialogue and a colaberation are necessary with all walks life in order to grow and change.

I do hope that soon I'll have some images and words up for comment and commentary. So, let's get this party started.

Ciao.