Shameless Self Promotion

This is a project I have been working on for the better part of the last two and a half years.  It's finally getting built as we speak at the corner of Broad and South Streets in Philly.  This was in last week's daily Metro Paper. Look for it in the press.  Right now it's just a hole in the ground, but the foundations are going up quickly and should be out of the ground in a month probably.  The project is called Southstar Lofts for Dranoff Properties.

Mayfair

The weather is always nice too.

It's been on my list of things to do each year for the past three or four years, and this year I am finally doing it.  I will be exhibiting at my town's annual Mayfair...fair.  If you don't know already, get out from under your rock. Collingswood is the shit, and their Mayfair is the bomb diggity for people in the know.  Anyway, I will be selling some of my sketches, hopefully all of them for copious amounts of money.  It's on Saturday May 25th all day long.  I really want you to be there!There will be tons of people as usual and good food and live music.  Maybe afterwards you can all come to my house and enjoy some beers... on me!

Another lost competition

my submission. look familiar?

the obvious, hands down winner.

my rejection letter.

My hometown of Collingswood is a great place to live.  Great little community with tons of things to do, great places to eat, and a great train line that connects us to Philadelphia at all hours of the night. So it was no surprise that when Reader's Digest sponsored a competition for the best community in America, the residents of Collingswood came together and got out the vote like they should.  Some 66,000 votes were cast which was good enough for 16th place in the country and $5,000 in cash for the town to spend it however they wished.  Our Mayor, to his credit, thought it would be best spent for an art piece in one of the town's parks.  They announced a competition, and were going to select three finalists to faceoff in an online vote and announce the winner.  Without sounding like some pompous ass, I thought I'd have a pretty good shot at winning it.  Nope. I got my rejection letter from the borough, and then to add insult to injury, ugh...nevermind.  I'm not a sore loser, but if I can't beat out that dragon, I think I should consider a different career path.  For more on the story, click here. This one hurt.

sketches

I'm not on the same pace I was last year at this time filling up sketchbooks but I am getting back into the swing of it and enjoying it.  I hope to keep doing a few a week. Here's a select few.  I've also posted a bunch recently to my etsy page. Yeah the quality isn't so good, that's why you should go to the etsy page.

Instagram addiction

In an effort to revive my blogging prowess, I'll post some snaps I've taken recently since my blog has gotten pretty stale.  I am probably like everyone else when it comes to Instagram.  You take a picture, Instagram it, then all of a sudden you are the best photographer since 1976.  Gettin' all nostalgic over a mediocre photo, that instantly becomes a classic; worthy of your greatest family album. I hate to admit it but I have a slight addiction.

Resolutions

I have a pretty talented graphic designer at my office, and I recently commissioned her to make me something cool. The last three years I have written a bunch of goals for myself to accomplish over the course of the year. Almost like a new years resolution, but some of them aren't really resolutions, just more like "things to do." I guess things to resolve to do. Okay, I guess they are just plain old resolutions like everyone else has. Anyway, the last three years I have just been writing them on a legal pad and crossing them off as I do them. Some may have been a little over ambitious, but I have been chipping at them. Like the first year I ran two races, and then the next year I thought I could run ten races. Too ambitious. Play golf ten times? Doesn't sound like much, but I really only like to play golf if I am missing work to do it. Ten rounds of golf is like a thousand bucks and ten vacation days. Not going to happen. Natalya, the graphic designer is obsessed with typography just like every other graphic designer, so I gave her the idea to make me something incorporating my goals for the year. I figured if I had something nice to look at it and hung it up in my crib I'd be that much more likely to get crackin' on these goals. I think it'd be awesome if she made me one of these every year for ten years. How cool would that be to see a decades worth of goals you achieved?! Hopefully the picture is big enough so you can see it. click on it and see if it works.

New stuff I am working on at work

This is a project I am working on at work for a developer in the city. It's been a pretty fun project so far. It's an 80 some unit apartment building along South Street and Broad Street. Hopefully it goes through. It's been approved through zoning and should be approved by city council in the next few weeks. It's still in the very early stages and will probably change significantly. Pretty exciting though. Click on the images to enlarge.

first stab at a lobby

lobby

ART SHOW...Thursday OCT. 27th

The Philadelphia chapter of the American Institute of Architects has chosen 5 of my drawings to include in their annual exhibition; Art by Architects which will run from Sunday October 23rd til November 19th at 1216 Arch Street. Next Thursday October 27th from 5-7pm is the opening night. Thirty eight architects will have their work displayed in the main gallery. Should be pretty awesome. Hope to see you there next Thursday!

JKRNoir: BENCH!

I've never "reblogged" something, so i am not sure if this is going to work. Regardless, this was posted from my company's blog and hopefully it translates to this blog. It's a competition that the graphic designer and I worked on for a bench design for a local neighborhood group sponsored by AIA Philadelphia. We didn't win/place or show but it was still fun nonetheless. Check it out.
JKRNoir: BENCH!:

More Shameless Self Promotion

I did these drawings for work a month or so ago. I was pretty pumped that I was able to do these renderings in this particular style. It isn't often that we get those opportunities anymore. Makes me feel like an architect. Anyway the project is for Philabundance. If you don't know what Philabundance is, it's a local food bank that provides underprivileged families food at little or no cost. The task was to show how a building they already own could be turned into a supermarket. Basically these were done to raise some money so they could show investors and hopefully get the project built. I'll keep you updated. You should click on the images to make them bigger. They're worth taking a look at.

get this kid a girlfriend

This poor kid hasn't been on a date in months. Talk him up. Forward this to your good-looking, fun, smart, funny, nice, and single, girl friends and get a reward. He's smart, funny, nice, fun, and good looking! He has a house, a job, a car, a masters degree, and a soft spot for brunettes. He can build things with his hands or with machines. He's an award winning architect. He's also very good at eating, and drinking and can probably bench press pretty close to his weight. Any takers out there? Apply within. I will take out all serious recommendations given by friends.

Publicity

It's getting to be old news at this point, but it's still news nonetheless. I'm actually getting tired of reading about the saga that is 401 Race Street; a project I worked on for the better part of the last three years. Check it out though, it's cool to see your projects in the news. Or it's cool that they at least use my renderings when talking about it still, even though those are 3 years old at this point and the design has changed http://planphilly.com/final-vote-controversial-race-street-hotel-project-wont-happen-until-next-week. And just for fun, I will throw one more rendering into the mix just to confuse everyone. A never before seen rendering of one of my first initial concept ideas for the building. A gigantic three story curtain protecting the rooftop courtyard space from the bridge. How badass would that be if you had these gigantic curtains flapping around in the wind against the bridge a la Shigeru Ban with cafe space in the cobblestone alley alongside the bridge? It was nixed by the office in our in house crit but I still think it'd be awesome. click on the image to enlarge.

Shameless self promotion

I got a mention in one of my favorite blogs! I exist! The Brownstoner http://philly.brownstoner.com/ is a blog that gives the inside scoop on development/real estate/architectural happenings in Philly. A few days ago the blog called on local architects to submit a quick lunchtime sketch of what they would do with the new underground gallery space Frank Gehry is designing for the Philadelphia Museum of Art since no renderings have been released. So I did a quick 20 second sketch and submitted it. I appreciated the kudos and the sarcasm in their post. No, seriously, I did. I guess my submission was a little tongue in cheek too but either way I got some props and was proud of it. So check it out. http://ph.ly/8w