Q&A

AJ Newlin, Architecture

Anonymous — Wed, 03 May 2023 18:30:00 +0000

AJ Newlin, Architecture Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/03/2023 - 12:30

Where are you from?

I am from Fort Collins, Colorado, which is about an hour away from Boulder.

What inspired your decision to come to Environmental Design at CU Boulder?

I was very interested in the interdisciplinary nature of ENVD even though I already knew I wanted to go into architecture. I was able to visit Boulder in the spring of my senior year, and even during the pandemic I knew I was in the right place.

Did you know right away that you wanted to major in architecture? How/when did you know?

I only really discovered my love for architecture during my last few years of high school, but looking back, it has always been there. The first realization was when I took a construction class in high school and built a house. It was the first time I had truly understood a process start-to-finish. Seeing the house go from nothing to something tangible gave me a huge sense of accomplishment. I was hooked.

Do you have a favorite project that you're currently working on/have worked on in the past?

I think the 8-week architecture studio’s Athenaeum project has been my favorite so far. I often revisit and edit it even though the course ended. I learned a lot about balancing concept with practicality and it was my first real attempt at using design software in my work.

What has the program taught you about yourself as you’ve taken on your educational career?

I learned how to adapt to new challenges and deadlines that I have never faced in the past. ENVD has a lot of resources that are there to help me.

What would you like to do upon graduating from Environmental Design?

I know that there are a lot of possibilities, so I am trying to keep my options open right now. I do know that I want to go to grad school after I graduate and I want to work somewhere that allows me to travel a lot while my career is starting out.

What tips or advice would you give to future design students?

It’s very easy to compare yourself and your work to others, especially in a program like design, where our work is so subjective. Be confident in who you are and what you bring to the table, because others see a lot of value in your opinions and your work even if it doesn’t look like theirs. How boring would design be if everything looked the same?

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Ainsley Watkins

Anonymous — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 17:23:52 +0000

Ainsley Watkins Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 04/19/2023 - 11:23

What year are you?
Senior

Where are you from?
Saint Louis, Missouri

What inspired your decision to come to Environmental Design at CU Boulder?
My woodworking education throughout high school led me to seek out a program in which my desire to make things with my hands would be met and challenged.

Did you know right away that you wanted to major in product design? How/when did you know?
I felt pretty certain that I was drawn to product design within my first few weeks at ENVD but I didn’t know for sure until I had to make the choice to specialize in EPOD my sophomore year. I knew it was the right choice for me when it came down to what sort of work I wanted to be doing during my time in the program. Hands-on problem solving and material studies appealed to me and solidified that choice.

What has the program taught you about yourself as you’ve taken on your educational career?
ENVD has taught me so much about the ways I work best. Pen to paper sketching and tangible, hands-on prototyping hugely outweigh digital means of illustration and development. I have also been asked to do a lot of reflection around my identity and values as a designer which translates so heavily into the lifelong practice of being a human.

What would you like to do upon graduating from Environmental Design?
Smile, share some hugs and kisses, maybe move back to that mountain in New Mexico.

What tips or advice would you give to future design students?
You are not your best ideas nor are you your worst ones, your identity lies in your values and passions and how you choose to answer them

For Ainsley Watkins the hands-on problem solving and material studies was appealing and helped solidify her choice in product design.

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Andrew Song

Anonymous — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 17:17:43 +0000

Andrew Song Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 04/19/2023 - 11:17

What year are you?
Junior

Where are you from?  
Aurora, Colorado

What inspired your decision to come to Environmental Design at CU Boulder?  
I have always loved creating. Whether it be art, music, design, etc the creative process has always been a part of my life. I love being in a creatively enriched environment and it is amazing to see how uniquely different all our creations are.

Did you know right away that you wanted to major in product design? How/when did you know?  
I had a hard time choosing which discipline I wanted to major in, but as I experienced more of the design process I figured out that I prefer working on fast paced and tangible projects. After making my first lamp in 1110 [fundamentals of product design], I felt empowered to create anything and that feeling fuels me to continue creating.

What has the program taught you about yourself as you’ve taken on your educational career? 
EPOD has shown me how capable I really am. Everyday I am creating new things that I didn’t think I could make. I am constantly pushing my boundaries, and the program has shown me just how quickly we can grow our skills and knowledge.

What would you like to do upon graduating from Environmental Design?  
I would like to gain more experience and knowledge by working in industries that I am passionate about, eventually I would love to use those experiences in order to create my own business that is a combination of my interests and passions.

What tips or advice would you give to future design students?  
CREATE MORE. The more you do the less you wait.

Andrew Song has always loved creating and loves being in a creatively enriched environment.

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Nate Kingdom

Anonymous — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 21:54:12 +0000

Nate Kingdom Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 04/17/2023 - 15:54

Where are you from?  
Denver, Colorado

What inspired your decision to come to Environmental Design at CU Boulder? 
When I came to college, I knew I wanted to be creative and constructive. At first, I was set on being a sculptor, but then I realized that I wanted to create for people.

Did you know right away that you wanted to major in product design? How/when did you know? 
I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do. I was back and forth between architecture and product design. But, after taking the 1110 studio, I knew EPOD was right for me.

What has the program taught you about yourself as you’ve taken on your educational career?
This program has taught me how to present who I am in professional environments and how to defend myself and my work. It has also helped show me my place in the world.

What would you like to do upon graduating from Environmental Design?
When I graduate from ENVD I hope to leave the United States and start designing for the world. Products that can help everyone and be used all over the world.

What tips or advice would you give to future design students?
Always keep working hard, have a positive mind set, and keep your eyes open. It's a beautiful program and so much to learn from it.

Nate Kingdom, a product design major from Denver, hopes to design products that can help everyone and be used all over the world.

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Liana Bradley

Anonymous — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 21:31:22 +0000

Liana Bradley Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 04/17/2023 - 15:31

Where are you from?
Durham, North Carolina

What inspired your decision to come to Environmental Design at CU Boulder?
I was originally an environmental studies major in 2020. After my first semester I found myself bored with the subject. I found the most joy in my 3D art class and I was constantly making art in my dorm. Coming into college I suspected I would change majors and after my first semester I discovered ENVD. I could design and fabricate as a major instead of on the side in my dorm.

Did you know right away that you wanted to major in product design? How/when did you know?
After my initial intro studios I knew that I wanted to specialize in product design. I was immediately drawn to the human interaction between people and their cherished possessions. I love seeing the relationship of people to products and what makes them loved or hated. I felt that this deeply personal connection to design was the strongest in EPOD and that’s why I picked it.

What has the program taught you about yourself as you’ve taken on your educational career?
ENVD has taught me that finding a major that I am passionate about was more important than sticking with the one I was in because it was easier to stay than transfer. ENVD has made me understand my values as a person and discover how I can use my skills to contribute to a better world.

What would you like to do upon graduating from Environmental Design?
I am unsure of what I would like to do after I graduate. I think that ENVD has given me great opportunities to look at a wide range of options for opportunities I can take after graduation.

What tips or advice would you give to future design students?
I would say that you should use the full extent of the ENVD resources from the get go. Places like the DMC photo booth, and the CINC are really cool and exciting resources that are great to practice hands-on work. I wish I had practiced taking photos for a portfolio or getting familiar with the DMC resources sooner.

Meet Liana Bradley, a product design major from Durham, North Carolina. Bradley loves seeing the relationship of people to products and what makes them loved or hated.

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Five Questions with Senior Instructor Jade Polizzi

Anonymous — Mon, 17 Sep 2018 21:36:06 +0000

Five Questions with Senior Instructor Jade Polizzi Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 09/17/2018 - 15:36

ENVD sophomore Aubrey Prestwich sat down with Senior Instructor Jade Polizzi to get the inside scoop with five questions from the Environmental Design student body.

What makes the ENVD community more unique than other design schools?

I was actually a student here in the 1990s and in 2002 I started teaching at ENVD. I don’t have experience teaching in other design schools, however, when I travel I make a point of visiting design schools and taking tours. I’ve probably toured 30 different design schools and programs. Something I really love about ENVD is that it’s a small program at a large university, everyone knows each other and takes classes with each other. I love how students support each other and how the faculty and advising team supports the students. I feel that we’re really good at helping our students succeed. And, compared to other universities, our work is competitive.

What have you learned while being a college instructor that you didn’t expect to?

I love being surrounded by young people. I am an optimistic person in general, but I think being surrounded by our young optimistic students is really inspiring. What I didn’t expect when I began teaching, was how I would get so attached to each student’s process. I get emotionally attached to their work and I want each one of them to succeed. In a pin-up or a review, students want to make sure that what they are presenting represents the amount of time and effort they put in, but I’m sitting in the back thinking “don’t forget to mention this influence” or “make sure you point to that drawing.” I’m just as nervous as you are.

Other than that, I enjoy watching a student’s progress through life. Even if they don’t continue on the formal design path, I love hearing about former student’s families and life experiences. A couple of my former students are now teaching at other universities, and it’s great to get questions and emails from them. I think with social media its really easy to stay connected and I love that.

What is your favorite class to teach?

I enjoy all of my classes, but my favorite format is the design-build classes. First-year classes are fun because you get to see such great progress from beginning to end and the students know how much knowledge they’ve gained in drafting, modeling and computer skills. Upper-level students have such amazing knowledge and it’s fun to see them take on bigger challenges. But, the design-build classes are so much fun, especially when we go down to New Mexico, and live together for three weeks on-site. We camp together and eat all our meals together. We get to really problem solve together. The projects are so unique and I don’t always necessarily know the best solution, but we’re all working together to make something great. Another benefit is that I get to see who the students really are on the trip. I try not to stereotype my students, but it is easy to think about a student as the one who produces great work or the one who is very intellectual. That all gets stripped away when we spend so much time together and I get to learn a lot about them as people outside of the classroom.

What has been your favorite project to work on so far?

I couldn’t pick a design-build because that wouldn’t be fair, each project is unique and has its successes and challenges. I’d have to say that I really like the second-year studio abstraction project. Students are really happy with their work on the project and it’s challenging. They pour so much of themselves into this project and even though it is typically outside of their standard comfort zone the final output is frame-worthy.

How has travel changed or impacted your perspective on design?

One of the best things you can do as a designer is travel, because the more you see, the more you can draw from when you are designing. Last year I spent 11 months in 18 countries and we visited 121 different museums, cathedrals and monuments, and those just the ones we had to pay for, not the ones we popped our head in or visited from the outside. It’s great to see work that you’ve spent hours studying in books and journals in the flesh and I’m really excited about what I am bringing back from this experience.

Before the trip, I considered myself an environmentalist, but after seeing how many people live on the planet I would say I care about our resources even more. Travel has really shifted my paradigm of what’s important. Looking at the historic structures in Europe and how these spaces are thousands of years old has really made me wonder how we can build more permanently and make our buildings more adaptable for the future. I want people to be inspired to produce things with a high level of craft and construct from great material. Things are so cheap now and we are losing the art of craftsmanship and the desire for permanence.

Describe your teaching philosophy.

I want to know what makes students excited about a project and allow them to design based on what they like. What engages a student? A thought, a material, a form. It could be just one detail or a technique but I want our students to get excited about their work. I like to give the students the freedom to explore but with guidance and structure. Projects that build on each other are the most successful I’ve taught. It’s fantastic to see how a project progresses from start to finish when there are small attainable steps involved.

ENVD sophomore Aubrey Prestwich sat down with Senior Instructor Jade Polizzi to get the inside scoop with five questions from the Environmental Design student body.

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Colloquium Series Q&A with Georgia Lindsay

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 17:00:36 +0000

Colloquium Series Q&A with Georgia Lindsay Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/12/2018 - 11:00

Environmental Design sat down with Senior Instructor Georgia Lindsay for a Q&A before her Research Colloquium presentation Friday, September 14.

Tell me about yourself.

I did my undergraduate here at the ��. I was an art and psychology double major, and people used to always ask me if I was going into art therapy with these two majors, but it was really the effects of the arts that interested me the most. For example, what does the “stuff” we make mean to the world and not necessarily just to the artist?

Later on, I worked for a non-profit arts organization and decided to get my master’s degree from the University of North Carolina in Liberal Arts. It was sort of a choose-your-own-adventure program, so I focused on a photographic essay. Again, I chose not to study the effect of making a photographic essay, but instead studied other photographic memoirs and how people used them; and what was the effect this had on the world.

I was also teaching high school at the time and decided that I liked teaching, but that I also enjoyed research, especially the reading of theory and thinking about ideas. So, I started looking around for graduate schools, because while there are lots of professions that tie those two things together, the main one that appealed to me is “college professor.”

I got into graduate school at Berkeley, and I decided to study architecture while keeping in mind that it is an art. I was most curious about iconic buildings, because they are kind of like sculptures out in the world, and I just assumed that architects would care about the effects of their sculptures. I

What brought you to ENVD?

The really pragmatic reason is that I needed a site for my field research, and had asked a few art museums with iconic architecture…and the Denver Art Museum said yes. It was a great move for me because I had always liked Colorado and was happy to get back here.

While I was here doing fieldwork, I met a few people from CU Boulder and it just so happened that ENVD needed a lecturer for 1052. They haven’t been able to get rid of me since!

The reason I love ENVD is that my work sits in between fields. What I do is look at the city-wide effect of architecture–some aspects of my research include understanding how architectural objects fit in a city, what they do for cities, both at the visual city-scape level, while also thinking about branding, iconography and marketing for cities externally, but also how we as citizens see ourselves in cities. So, I tend to draw on the fields of geography, planning, architecture and a little bit of landscape architecture. An interdisciplinary program like environmental design just fits better, because I constantly move across different disciplines.

Tell me about your research interests and why you’re passionate about the topic.

My research interests are in iconic architecture, also known as “starchitecture:” the pretty, shiny objects that go in our landscapes and cityscapes. That’s where I began thinking about what does iconic architecture do for us, what do they communicate and what values are they communicating? I think about architecture as a form of communication, especially when it’s an iconic architecture pushing the norm, and trying to be cutting edge. It makes you wonder, “what are they trying to say?”

So, I started with art museums and I’ve been expanding that to include other cultural buildings. It began with looking at the communication in terms of aesthetic values and it’s expanded into what are they communicating in terms of social value, and specifically looking at sustainability in green building and infrastructure.

I’m passionate about my topic for a couple of reasons. First of all, I think it’s really important. Fundamentally, my work is about humanizing architecture, and taking built objects–which tend to be (at least in architecture history) object-oriented—but thinking about what they mean to people, and really understanding the human perspective, which is often called the user perspective.

Asking questions like, what do buildings do for us as humans, as a group, smaller sub-groups or individuals? I think that is really important because so often the majority of the people don’t have a voice in what goes into building iconic architecture because the buildings are expensive. It’s more about what does the client want and how much money can they throw at this?

I feel that sometimes the voice and the perspective of people, who didn’t give five million dollars to get their name on the building, is lost. I think it’s important to speak up for them and ask what are the effects of these buildings beyond just having another “cool” thing dotting our skyline?

What kind of findings has intrigued you so far?

While studying a building in Berkeley, there was one finding that really opened up a new aspect in my research. It was a LEED Platinum building and we found that passersby would rate it more highly visually, that is, they would say they like the way it looked if they were told ahead of time that it was LEED Platinum.

This little tiny finding has intrigued me so much that I’ve pursued a whole line of research on it. People care about sustainability, but they don’t necessarily know about it, so how can buildings communicate values of sustainability better. What I’m finding is that architects are not very good at communicating the goals of the building, and right now sustainability is very confusing for the general public. I feel it’s a missed opportunity for changing the conversation about values. We’re letting LEED do it instead of design do it.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

I really like that moment where something suddenly clicks and things that didn’t seem to fit together suddenly fit together, whether it’s for myself during research and I have the moment, or when I can help a student get to that moment through teaching; The light bulb flashes. I love that moment and I get to have it both in my research and as a teacher.

What do you find challenging about researching or teaching?

I would say the most challenging thing is all the administrative “stuff.”

How do you like to spend your free time?

I like mountain biking and yoga. I played roller derby for a long time but had to stop since it took too much time, but I still roller skate on the paths. I really like cooking, baking and spending time with friends. Also, I love brunch!

What’s the most helpful piece of advice you’ve received when you were figuring what you wanted to do?

There is no right answer. There’s just lots of answers and you just get to pick one. So, it’s okay to chill out a little bit. Know that you can always change later.

Who has influenced you the most as a student and as a researcher?

As an undergraduate student at CU Boulder, I was in a program called the INVST Community Leadership Program. At the time, I had a graduate TA whose name was Beth Krensky, and she was encouraging, supportive and thoughtful. She also did really interesting research. But, she was just so open and transparent about her life, and always very professional.

As a researcher, my entire dissertation committee was hugely influential. I still refer to the work they gave me.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

When I grow up, I would really like to sail around the world, be a contestant on the Great British Baking Show, win and be a star baker for one week. Also, I think I could actually be really good at being a sofa Netflix tester.

What’s your favorite thing to bake?

I really like chocolate chip cookies, because my husband also likes chocolate chip cookies so I know I have an appreciative audience, and I won’t have to eat them alone. For I while I got into a sourdough bread kick. Bread and desserts are just really fun to make. Pies and cakes are next in line after chocolate chip cookies.

What was it like to have a book published?

The day they gave me the cover, I printed it out and posted it on my whiteboard because I was like “wow, I did this thing! Look at that cover, it has my name on it!” And, I keep a copy of it in my office, mostly just to remind myself that it’s real. It was very exciting to see the culmination of multiple years of work exist in reality, not just in my head.

What authors and books have influenced you the most?

I love reading novels! But, if we’re talking professionally, I really like Carol Duncan’s Civilizing Rituals. She’s an art historian and the book is really thin with pictures all throughout it. She discusses how art is displayed, so it’s not about the architecture necessarily, but it’s readable, understandable and she’s very clear in her writing. She doesn’t try to make ideas complicated, even when they are complex. I appreciate the combination of pictures with purposeful writing, which gets to the point and moves on. That has influenced both my teaching and my writing.

Victoria Newhouse also does similar things. She brings together both visual and textual information in a nicely designed book. She breaks things into categories, which really helps us think through what things mean and do.

What does Environmental Design mean to you?

The way it has been used is an umbrella term that encompasses a variety of design fields usually spanning from architecture through landscape architecture and urban design and then also includes planning but doesn’t necessarily. That’s basically the right definition, but I also think there’s potentially a more interesting way to think about it. For example, if you’re embracing the term environmental design, instead of one specific discipline, it’s really about the interstitial spaces between the disciplines and how what is going on that isn’t strictly one thing or the other. Rather, it’s how do these things bleed together and inform each other to fill the gaps between the official disciplines.

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Nicholas DeFaria

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 19:08:23 +0000

Nicholas DeFaria Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 02/22/2018 - 12:08

Nicholas is from San Diego, California. He's a full-time student and spends his weekends with the Air National Guard. One thing he likes most about ENVD is the opportunity to make connections with professionals.

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Brooke Williams

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 17:45:07 +0000

Brooke Williams Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 02/22/2018 - 10:45

Brooke is from Santa Cruz, California. During her sophomore year, she made the switch from architectural engineering to environmental design. In summer 2017, she interned with the architecture firm Fuse, and in summer 2018 one of her designs broke ground. In her spare time, she listens to podcasts, "because you can learn so much about a subject in 20 minutes."

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Christian Bellefeuille

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 17:23:21 +0000

Christian Bellefeuille Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 02/22/2018 - 10:23

Christian is from Fort Collins, Colorado. He works at the Digital Media Center and enjoys urban exploration and photography. One piece of advice he'd give incoming students is "to not hold back, be yourself and go for it."

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