Seeing the Signs at MIT and Harvard

In a recent trip to Boston for the American Institute of Architects National Convention, I found myself meandering the Ivy League walls of Harvard University and the progressive inconsistent architectural stylings of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

I was greeted by a pleasant surprise when I saw this sign at MIT:

I followed a trail that led me to a narrow staircase to an even narrower hallway. Upon reaching the front door, the spaces suddenly open up with double doors and a friendly greeting from one of the staff.

I browsed a few maps as I did not carry a map with me when I left the hotel at Copley Place but rather relied on my free-spirited instincts to carry me through from one destination to the other. Keep in mind that this is my first time visiting Boston and that I did not know anybody there except my lunch companion who meandered his way to watch the Red Sox game at Fenway Park. The good news is that I did not get lost and safely found my way back to the hotel in time for a quick change of clothes for some heady conversation and nocturnal frolic in this intellectual town.

I digressed. When my short attention span was exhausted from browsing the maps, the architecture bookshelf collection caught my eye. I saw a sign---a sign I've seen before.

It was the HOME House Project, a book on the future of affordable housing by David Brown of the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) in North Carolina.

This book was special to me because more than five years ago, I collaborated with three talented guys on the project, MOD(Modular Oriented Design) House. Our design efforts resulted in our work being selected as a finalist and making it in publication on the HOME House Project book. The MOD House was also part of a traveling exhibit that was mounted on prestigious venues like the Frederick R. Weisman Museum in Minneapolis, Cleveland Institute of Art, and galleries in New York.

For more information on the HOME House Project Traveling Exhibition, visit:
http://www.secca.org/homehouse/tour.html

www.secca.org/homehouse/pdf/HHPT-checklist.pdf