Intro to the Studio Project: Palads

27 June 2012

Since our case studies were over, everybody in the architecture & design program were moved around to new professors and new classrooms. I was no longer in the poorly lit archaic timber constructed building with narrow winding stairs or low diagonal beams. My new studio was in the newly renovated building on the 5th floor a block southwest on the same street. It was exciting to see a shower in the studio spaces. I guess students really dedicate themselves. Or maybe the administration is trying to hint at something.

looking towards the north

The plus: the views were fantastic.

Interior Architecture was split into two studios- one in the old building with Johan, while the other studio was in the renovated building with BB. One studio morning, we were introduced to our project site and existing building: The Palads Cinema on Axeltorv. We were given existing plans, elevations, and sections of the cinema and were made to figure out what had been renovated since the original building was erected in 1917.

It wasn't easy. At all.

The renovations that had been made had made a giant mess of the space planning and program of the cinemas. Somehow 17 cinema rooms had been jam-packed into a old-fashioned cinema palace (hence the word palads) where it originally accommodated 2 cinema rooms that fit hundreds of people- if I am not mistaken it was probably an occupancy of 300. But now the smallest rooms had a screen that was no larger than a large-screen television. Talk about a movie-going experience. And all for 100 Kr. (~$18 USD). Really?

Renovations weren't just made to the rooms. The first story facade had been pushed out by about 3 meters or so and the terrace above is merely abandoned with no set purpose. It was also hard to figure out how to get there.

In conclusion: it's a mess. And the colors look like a rainbow vomit.

Palad's terrace. 

but wait! a beautiful lobby space!...

ruined by flashy movie stuff....

First week in København

The first week in Copenhagen was exhausting enough. 

On Monday, we had an activity called the "Amazing Race" where we were assigned groups with other students in the 6 week program for Architecture and Design. We were given a map and a sheet letting us know what landmarks to visit in the center of town, where we were to meet up with a professor from DIS and they were to 'educate' us on the significance of that location. 

Leading the pack with my mad map skills...

I will modestly admit that I have great bearings in any given city. So I was the map holder. I had also been in Copenhagen some years back, so that helped out the group, too. 

After the activity, we went to our respective studios to meet our classmates and professor for the first assignment of the program: a case study. I love case studies, and if that were a profession, I would do that. We had already been assigned groups within our studio class, and I met my fellow teammates: Rhodes College pre-arch student (male), U. of Hawaii architecture student at Manoa (male), and a Carnegie Mellon architecture student (female). Our assignment: The Holy Cross Chapel in Turku Finland. Don't let that label of "chapel" fool you, it is actually a funeral chapel and crematorium. Just my cup of tea! (really)

trying to get the model started. did you notice how
warm i am dressed?

        I wasn't too surprised to learn that we had one week to do this case study which involved building a site model (1:200) and a section model (1:50). I find it funny how students who are unfamiliar with the metric system react to it for the first time. I had been lucky to deal with that during my year in Italy, and even at work when we had projects in China. The metric system really is simple, but its so simple that it can complicate things with newcomers. 

The first week basically consisted of just working on the case study day after day. Including Saturday and Sunday. But that is normal.

I also had the pleasure of meeting my fellow RISD classmates. All of them had already met either at the airport or at the DIS-provided housing. Two students had actually done their undergrad course together. Out of the 9 RISD students in Copenhagen, one is from Jordan, another from Lebanon, another from Thailand, another from Venezuela, 3 from India, and the remaining 3 from the United States. I will admit that I am questioning the application process at RISD. Just a thought. But at least its diverse, right?