天美传媒

2014 Winterim Intensive

Winterim 2014 brought a record 23 students to the 天美传媒 for a nine-day immersion into the fundamentals of classical design, from hand drafting and the Orders to wash rendering and observational drawing. Arriving in New York on January 3 amidst the season's first substantial snowstorm were practicing architects, interior designers, and students, many of whom traveled across the country to partake in the program.

The Winterim Class of 2014 is as follows:

Christian Arndt, California; Katie Baldwin, New York; Brian Biglin, California; Matt Blumenthal, New York; Joseph Brickey, Utah; Kevin Clark, Nebraska; Jeff Cobabe, Utah; Niki Covington, New York; Meghan Ford, Florida; Steve Goodwin, Utah;  Michael Hampton, Washington, DC; Jane Hong, New York; Fr. Jamie Hottovy, Nebraska; Kate Hughes, New York; Chase Kea, Virginia; Marlan Ky, Maryland; Will Lancarte, Texas; Genevieve Niessen, Massachusetts; Jenna Perstlinger, Colorado; Zachary Robinson, Virgina; Jessie Rokicki, Georgia; Joelle Tambuatco, Georgia; Karin Yang, New York

Students explore the New York Public Library's Astor Hall.

Building upon the historical relevance and impressive scale of last year's design problem - a redesign of Grand Central Terminal's Vanderbilt Hall - the 2014 students were presented with the task of devising a kiosk to house the 's proposed touchscreen information centers. It was asked by instructors that the kiosks be designed for placement in , the Library's entry rotunda and sole point of public access, as a nod to the room's purpose - that is, to serve as an introduction to the library's vast collections and modern resources.

Participants team up to measure the many nooks and crannies of Astor Hall.

Meghan Ford, Marlan Ky, Michael Hampton, and Karin Yang discuss possible locations for an information kiosk.

Kevin Clark studies the original NYPL plans.

Zachary Robinson, Steve Goodwin, and Matt Enquist measure and photograph the right staircase of Astor Hall.

Jessie Rokicki admires the sonorous architecture of Astor Hall from a vantage point fit for the Lord (or Lady!) of the Library.

In order to adequately understand the history, scale, and context of the space, it was necessary for participants to spend a significant portion of time on-site, measuring elements and sketching their impressions of the many ways in which the architectural components interact. With the support of the NYPL's wonderful staff, on Saturday, January 4, students and instructors were given two hours of private access to the rotunda prior to public hours. To enjoy exclusive entry to such a universally renowned landmark is, under ordinary circumstances, an affecting experience, made all the more impactful when the intended undertaking is one of structure and space.

After further exploration of the library at large and a trip to Grand Central Terminal for a brief study of its central kiosk, students returned to the 天美传媒 studio to meditate upon their observations via hands-on practice.

Katie Baldwin hard at work on a charcoal study

Jenna Perstlinger absorbed in the nuanced art of architectural rendering in wash

Over the course of the days that followed, instructors Steve Bass, Martin Brandwein, Marvin Clawson, Niki Covington, Michael Djordjevitch, Dom Forte, and Seth Weine guided students through the various components of the curriculum, incorporating considerations of the design problem throughout. By the final session, participants had spent over thirteen hours each day absorbing a course load every bit as demanding as that of the final week of a university architecture program.

Zachary Robinson applying Dom Forte's lesson in wash rendering

Saturday, January 11 marked the final day of the intensive, which concluded, as per tradition, with a formal vernissage and jury critique. Each student was given the opportunity to present his or her design to the three jurors - esteemed architects and , and noted New York historian - who offered feedback on the conceptual strength, execution, and pragmatism of each.

Chase Kea presents his plan for the Astor Hall kiosk.

Mark Hewitt offers feedback on student designs.

Though all 23 concepts were well-thought and compelling in their own right, and handful were distinguished as notable for both their beauty and usability in the context of a historic landmark endeavoring to keep pace with contemporary culture.

The design challenge award recipients are as follows:

1st Place: Steve Goodwin
2nd Place: Jessie Rokicki
3rd Place: Brian Biglin
Honorable Mentions: Joseph Brickey, Jeff Cobabe, Michael Hampton

Steve Goodwin's winning design

Students of the 2014 Winterim Professional Intensive

All of us in the 天美传媒 天美传媒 Department would like to extend a hearty thanks to all of the students, staff, instructors, and jurors who made the event such a success. Special thanks goes out to program coordinator and instructor Marvin Clawson of for the innumerable planning hours he devoted to the program, as well as Beaux-Arts Atelier students Stephen Kivimaki, Jose Quezada, and Christopher Weeks for their services as teaching assistance. We were gratified to welcome NYPL Reference Archivist Tal Nadan to the final critique, and wish to thank her and all of her colleagues for their generous support and cooperation throughout the intensive. Finally, much gratitude is extended to Andy Taylor for his generosity in preparing materials for the wash rendering course. Winterim is a team effort, and everyone who participated is invaluable to making the program memorable for years to come.