In the tenth and final episode of WIP-ish, I take an introspective look at the introspective work that has been my thesis: Having recently completed my SMArchS degree, I trace back the origins of work that deals with an ongoing pandemic, a certain dissatisfaction with architectural education, a need to connect with family, and a love for writing stories.

Jesse Hammer and her studio practice and online-store, Puuuulp, are difficult to categorize, so I won’t try to. Trained as an architect, Jesse has always found a way to use her representational skills to design and make non-representational objects that are so colorful, you might just want to eat them. Her sources of inspiration range from Ron Nagle, Miranda July, 90’s horror television series (PG rated), and sometimes even… Jello. Jesse’s ability to flow in and out of architecture allows Puuuulp to appeal to audiences beyond those we are typically used to, but looking to non-architecture studio practices has also helped her turn Puuuulp into a profitable business

As a SMArchS AD, I am currently interested in designing “real” things, rather than representational things that may or may not come into existence. Previously, my MArch thesis at the GSD was interested in conceiving of architecture beginning to end - that is, designing and simultaneously making architecture ourselves. However, this interest inherently means buildings are out of the question, and questions of fabrication and construction begin to surface. This episode introduces topics like “real” construction taken on by architects themselves, how objects smaller than building begin to to take on architectural meaning, and how we might learn to build ourselves by looking at other disciplines, like sculpture.

Full Howz is an architecture podcast by Khorshid Naderi-Azad that seeks to uncover and discuss places and spaces that are “ripe for review.” Inspired by the under-theorized “magical shallow pool typology” known as the “howz,” Khorshid is driven to find other largely untouched gems within architecture we just aren’t talking about. Her process in developing Full Howz is self-driven, but the process of sharing her work - even in the most informal ways - has proved surprisingly fruitful.

Julio Torres is a design - inclined comedian who’s oeuvre is full of “built” work from custom conveyor belts to faux Fischer Price toys for boys. Quick digging reveals a range of interesting collaborators, but @spaceprincejulio’s most consistent interaction with designers are his own mother and sister : Tita and Marta, who are also the founders of Martania Bags. The family business is focused on hand-sewn purses they make themselves, but Marta’s background in interior architecture allows her to continuously dip into out of bounds mediums.

The purse is small but not abstract enough to be made out of one homogenous material - like our models. Cult Gaia and Susan Alexandra make purses that each have their own construction systems, but a wearable accessory like the purse is not restricted to the world of fashion : We can reconsider it in our own terms and fabrication methods as architecture students. And unlike, say, a chair, if it is designed a certain way, we can make it ourselves without jumping into a whole new realm of unfamiliar craft.

Glossier’s unique immersive retail spaces inherently invite and include collaborators that range from floral artists to trained sculptors. Senior Experiential Designer, Kendall Latham shares a bit of his own experience in creating these spaces with out-of-house expertise we aren’t typically familiar with.

A journey through the unexpected places a single IG tag can take you and showing you one of my own favorite research processes in the process of doing so.

The solitary production of architecture in school leaves us wanting to produce on our own once out, but how do we make architecture by ourselves outside of architecture school?