l ea rni ng portfol io architecture design studio iii
brenda joy gabbac arch103. s2013. ccsf
analyzing film
as a tool for architectural narrative Relationship between film & architecture
“City of Lost Children”
“Triplets of Belleville”
+ Sets <-> narrative + Editing: montage + Contrast + Reciprocals + Tension, release + Views: six directions + center + Light, dark + Emphasis + Intentions + Time + Motions + “Conversations” + Repetition + Familiar, unfamiliar + Patterns + Themes + Variations
+ Repetition: people, events + Zoom in, out + Scene changes + Warped views + Panning + Horizon line drop + Color changes: sepia tones + Series of close-ups + Lighting: dim + Themes, variations, cycles + Following + Points of view + Distortions + Icons, symbols + Focus changes + Speed of panning
+ Color: monotone v. color + Repetition + Synchronization: movements + Exaggeration + Transformation + Panning + Social class distinction + Shadows + Focus + Zoom in, out + Framed view + Scene changes + Foreground, background + Proportions + Reality v imagination + Tension, release + Pauses + Contrasts, similarities
Photomontage Objective: Consider what are the most compelling relationships between you and the city of San Francisco. Photo-document both perceptual and conceptual aspects of at least three of these interactions. Construct a three-dimensional montage that communicates your significant engagement to the city. Consider cinematic assemblages and points of view. The montage may be 6 square feet in total, oriented horizontally or vertically.
Prior to starting this assignment, I brainstormed what areas of the city I have a significant interaction with. Being San Francisco born and raised, I realized I have many connections with the city. I particularly focused on the Downtown, Embarcadero, and Civic Center neighborhoods; and a little bit of the Castro, North Beach, Golden Gate Park, & Lands End. I mostly focused on Downtown, Embarcadero, and Civic Center because these areas of the city happened to have undergone the most change & are still constantly evolving with new developments. I particularly took pictures of my favorite pieces of architecture in the city as well as a few of my favorite street art. My message is that â&#x20AC;&#x153;past meets present.â&#x20AC;? Many of San Franciscoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s buildings are preserved, however, their interiors are renovated, especially those beaux-art buildings along Central Market. San Francisco is full of diverse culture and history. And in order to have vitality, you must know history.
vitality is ...
1. The capacity to live, grow, or develop. 2. Physical or intellectual vigor; energy. 3. The characteristic, principle, or force that distinguishes living things from nonliving things. 4. Power to survive:.
Lynch’s city image
landmark
h a y e s va l l e y
a point or radial references, a defined physical object, e.g. building, sign, store, or mountain; a ampanile or broadcast tower seen from 360 degrees afar. Hayes Valley doesn’t exactly have viewable landmarks due to its flat geology & the only “landmarks“ you are able to see looking eastward are parts of the skyscrapers or highrise buildings in the South of Market; looking westward can see hills. If you are north of Hayes Street, you are able to see City Hall. However, Hayes Valley is home to these landmarks: - Davies Symphony Hall - San Francisco Jazz Center - container businesses: Smitten, Beirgarten, Ritual Coffee - Hayes Valley Farm - Patricia’s Hayes Green
edge define paths; usually buildings act as an edge to paths; some fences Noting that there are alleyways between main streets,, there is not much of a difference in the ambiance. Apartments and homes happen to be in the alleyways, whereas on the main streets grant access to small businesses, and apartments and homes as well. There are variants in noise levels of pedestrian & vehicular traffic. Fillmore, Fulton, Van Ness, & Oak streets act as edges for Hayes Valley.
Lynch’s city image
h a y e s va l l e y
San Francisco, CA - Google Maps
Address San Francisco, CA
district
node
areas w/ percieved homogeneity; common characteristics.
- fell & octavia, highly congested intersection; fell travels westward; octavia travels north/south; mainly serving cars exiting the central freeway/hwy 101
Hayes Valley is mainly a residential neighborhood. It is becoming one of the most hippest neighborhoods in San Francisco because of the many independently-owned boutiques, small businesses, small neighborhood parks, & local flavor.
- oak & octavia; highly congested intersection; oak travels eastward; octavia directs to hwy 101/central freeway - hayes & octavia; the heart of hayes valley; mainly shopping boutiques & few restaurants; patricia’s green park; hub of locals, tourist - oak & franklin; highly congested; oak travels eastward; franklin travels north; runs parallel to van ness, where autos opt this street to avoid public transportation buses, creating a moderate congestion
PATH - two way & one way streets and alleyways - 5’-0” wide sidewalks - consistent setbacks with larger buildings at intersections - trees planted are parallel to sidewalks & roadways - 3-5 story buildings: mostly storefronts at ground level & residential on top - mostly flat roof profiles; many victorian styled buldings - various levels of congestion - webster street: becomes four, two-way lanes with fir tress lining the median starting at grove street - fell & oak streets: heavily congested one way, three lane streets; en route to/from central freeway/hwy 101 - hayes street: moderately congested due to public transportation & businesses; two way street - franklin street: heavily congested; cars opt this street as opposed to van ness to avoid public transportation buses - gough street: heavily congested, en route to central freeway/hwy 101 on ramp - octavia street: heavily congested south of fell street; en route to/from central freeway/hwy 101; quieter north of hayes street; patricia’s hayes green park act as a boundary between these levels of congestion; six lanes, tree lined meridians - laguna street: moderately congested - buchannan street: quieter; very light traffic flow - fillmore street: moderately congested; two way street, one lane each way in north-south - van ness: heavily congested due to being apart of hwy 101 & public transit; four lanes; two way (two lanes on each side) travelling north-south; shrubs & fir trees or simply just concrete line the median
defensible space According to Oscar Newman: - All Defensible Space programs have a common purpose: They restructure the physical layout of communities to allow residents to control the areas around their homes. This includes the streets and grounds outside their buildings and the lobbies and corridors within them. The programs help people preserve those areas in which they can realize their commonly held values and lifestyles. - Defensible Space relies on self-help rather than on government intervention, and so it is not vulnerable to governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s withdrawal of support. It depends on resident involvement to reduce crime and remove the presence of criminals. It has the ability to bring people of different incomes and race together in a mutually beneficial union. - 3 Housing Forms: single-family houses (detached, semi-detached, and row houses), walkups, and high-rises. - A familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s claim to a territory diminishes proportionally as the number of families who share that claim increases. The larger the number of people who share a territory, the less each individual feels rights to it. (Newman 1996, p17)
research
site: mission bay south
San Francisco’s new Mission Bay development covers 303 acres of land between the San Francisco Bay and Interstate-280. The Board of Supervisors established the Mission Bay North and South Redevelopment Project Areas in November 1998. Development is controlled through the Redevelopment Plans and Designs for Development, Owner Participation Agreements between the Redevelopment Agency and original master developer, Catellus Development Corporation (now held by FOCIL-MB LLC), and Interagency Cooperation Agreements, which commit all City departments to the Mission Bay Infrastructure Plans. Mission Bay is a mixed-use, transit-oriented development. The maximum development program for Mission Bay includes: • 6,000 housing units, with 1,700 (28%) affordable to moderate, low, and very low-income households. Redevelopment Agency sponsored non-profit developers will build 1,445 of the affordable units on 16 acres of land contributed by the master developer. The remaining 255 affordable units will be included in privately developed projects, • 4.4 million sq. ft. of office/life science/biotechnology commercial space, • A new UCSF research campus containing 2.65 million sq. ft. of building space on 43 acres of land donated by the master developer and the City, • A state-of-the art UCSF hospital complex serving children, women, cancer patients • 500,000 sq. ft. of city and neighborhood-serving retail space,
research
site: mission bay south
• A 500-room hotel, • 41 acres of new public open space, including parks along Mission Creek and along the bay, plus 8 acres of open space within the UCSF campus, • A new 500-student public school, a new public library and new fire and police stations and other community facilities. The master developer will construct more than $700 million in public infrastructure in Mission Bay, to be financed through special assessments and increased property taxes generated by the development. Upon completion, the right-of-way and utility improvements will be accepted for operation and maintenance by the City. The Redevelopment Agency will operate the park system, funded by annual assessments against private property in the redevelopment areas. Mission Bay is served by transit by Muni’s new 3rd Street Light Rail system, bus lines and the regional-serving Caltrain. Mission Bay is expected to create more than 30,000 new permanent jobs, in addition to hundreds of ongoing construction jobs. Development began in 2000 and will take place over 20 to 30 years. Total development cost for Mission Bay is expected to exceed $4 billion.
site visit mission bay south
uchronian gardens at mission bay final project brief
Introduction Mission Bay South is a 303-acre redevelopment project that is transforming a former Southern Pacific Railroad Company rail yard into center for biotechnology research and development. The USCF-Mission Bay Campus and Medical Center anchor it. The latter facility nearing completion includes a hospital for children, for women, and for cancer patients. While the first phase of luxury condominiums are already in place, many others are planned. Together with the anticipated high- end restaurants and retail establishments that will gravitate to this new San Francisco neighborhood, Mission Bay will join the ranks of Pacific and Presidio Heights as enclaves of the very wealthy. Currently it is a part of SOMA or South of Market with the districts of Mission, Potrero Hill, Bernal Heights, Bayview Hunter’s Point, Portola, and Visitacion Valley to the south. Geographically surrounded by diverse communities representing a widespread range of socio-economic and cultural levels, our site within Mission Bay South may be seen as an urban heterotopia or as David Grahame Shane describes it in his book, Recombinant Urbanism, a specialized patch, a test bed of change, a place where the processes of change and hybridization are facilitated. You might also see it as a crucible into which the wealthy and powerful mix with the disenfranchised and ordinary, the 98%, if you will. After pouring this molten mixture into your design mold, what will be the synthesized result? Your mission is to propose an architectural design that will plant a seed of change or redirection to the pattern of development that is ongoing. Using what you have learned from our studies of City Image Forms (Lynch), Defensible Spaces (Newman), Heterotopias (Shane), and Landform Building (Allen), design a mixed use project that blurs the boundaries between architecture and landscape architecture (i.e. reworks the opposition between object buildings and landscape fields); favors program, process, and affect over formal similarity; responds to the needs of a stage full of diverse urban actors (not just the like of UCSF, Catellus Development Corporation, Bosa Development, and others); and enriches all lives through science and design. Slip your feet into this motley collection of shoes belonging to the very well heeled to those worn by CCSF students and through your design begin the start of a hypothetical time period of San Francisco. Site Our final project site is a flat 6.2-acres (4.8 times the area of a football field including the end zones) and a half-block bounded by 3rd Street on the west, South Street on the north, Terry A. Francois Blvd. on the east, and aligns with Campus Lane on the south. The site dimensions are as follows: • West boundary: 307 feet along 3rd Street and adjacent to the UCSF-Mission Bay Campus • North boundary: 780 feet along South Street, which aligns with UCSF’s Gene Friend Way • South boundary: 970 feet • East boundary: adjacent to the curve of Terry A. Francois Blvd., which runs along Aqua Vista Park, a portion of the San Francisco Bay. Program Note: All areas given are for reference only and should not be construed as a particular geometry or exact size. On our approximately 268,625 sq. ft. final project site, there are approximately 99,000 gross square feet (gsf) of interior programmed activity areas. This constitutes less than one third of our entire site, the bulk of which will serve as public open space devoted to diverse outdoor activities within a garden setting inspired by the principles of landform building. There are three major components of this Final Project: 1. Exploratorium South Complex 2. The MarketPlace of Earthly Delights 3. The Public Gardens The activity areas for the first two components are as follows: • ExplOratorium South Complex: an cozy adjunct to the new 9-acre campus located north along the SF Bay waterfront on Pier 15 opening on April 17, 2013. This participatory museum is dedicated to emerging intersections between design and biotechnology homegrown in Mission Bay South. Total indoor area is approximately 52,000 gsf, including circulation and required infrastructure. • Main Museum Gallery: 20,000 gsf. • Indoor Ancillary Exhibit Spaces: One for SF Bay Ecology and Natural History (sponsored by the San Francisco Port Department); the other as a gallery for temporary exhibits (sponsored by SFMOMA) focusing on emerging movements in art, architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture: 5,000 gsf each; 10,000 gsf total • Café and Shop: dedicated to locally produced organic foods and slow life lifestyles; an managed by Bon Appétit Management Company (BAMCO); open beyond museum hours 7 days a week: 10,000 gsf • Restrooms, Mechanical Spaces (HVAC), and Circulation: provide space but you will not be designing the layout of these spaces. o Women’s: 1,000 gsf; Men’s: 800 gsf
uchronian gardens at mission bay final project brief
o Mechanical equipment that serves the complex is housed in component spaces of 200 gsf each with one component serving approximately 10,000 gsf of inhabitable area. As such, there are four of these 200 gsf mechanical spaces distributed evenly within the complex. o Interior circulation for the complex is assessed at 15 to 25 percent of the total interior activity spaces. Plan on accommodating 6,270 to 10,450 gsf for total circulation including lobbies and corridors. • Outdoor dining area: adjacent to Café and Shop: 100 seats at 15 sf per person: 1,500 total • Outdoor Gallery: Investigate forces shaping the City, Bay, and region. Watch shifting winds and tides,reveal hidden life, observe human behavior, and find new ways to notice the place we inhabit: Approx. 90,000 gsf. • Amphitheater: an outdoor theater with 1,500 seats with good hearing and good sightlines from every seat to every part of the performance areas. o Lower seating closest to stage is sloped at 12-degrees (1:7 rise to run) o Upper seating furthest away from stage is sloped at 24-degrees (1:3.5 rise to run) o Five aisles, two down the center, two down the outside, one cross aisle at the break between the two slopes. o All areas for seating are similar to the amphitheater outside the CCSF Wellness Center and are 21-inches wide with 3 ft of distance between rows of seating. o Open stage without proscenium is 3 ft above the base of the lowest row of seats; 70 ft wide x 40 ft deep o Backstage area close to stage houses offices, storage for stage properties, an restrooms for employees and entertainers: 1,000 gsf • The MarketPlace of Earthly Delights at Mission Bay: Part bazaar, part mini central business district, this potpourri of everything related to retail, dining, entertainment, and a sundry of essential everyday services is the seed of vitality to this currently dead homogeneous neighborhood. It is envisioned that this component of the Uchronian Gardens is the first phase of an expanding market complex and is similar to approximately one-fifth of Nishiki Market in Kyoto, Japan with a center-shopping aisle feeding shops on both sides. Before and after hours, the merchant areas are service by this very same pedestrian aisle. Total MarketPlace indoor area is approximately 47,000 gsf. o Leasable spaces for shops and stalls are based on 20 ft. wide storefronts x 90 ft. deep modules. Each module is equipped with rooftop mechanical equipment; and kitchen, and toilet plug-ins on premises, ready for tenant improvement. There are 25 of these first phase basic modules for a total of 45,000 gsf of leasable spaces. o Urban organic garden: the center piece of The MarketPlace of Earthly Delights where restaurant and café owners farm cooperatively; similar to the produce garden of Yountville’s French Lau dry, and sponsored by Thomas Keller and Alice Waters. This garden is only visually accessible to the public. o Public Restrooms: provide space but you will not be designing the layout of these spaces. Men: 800 gsf. Women: 1,000 gsf. MODEL Model at 1/16” = 1’-0” placed into larger Site Model: o Use to present your design responses to Program and the urban context
mission bay south: design proposals highseat by prechteck
s.deer headquarters in nanjing by prechteck
MODULAR
modular pavilion by prechteck
LANDFORM
jeju world heritage center by poly.m.ur
ewha womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s university by dominique perrault architecture
olympic sculpture park by weiss manfredi
mission bay south: design proposals washington union station by hok
habitat itesm leon by shine architecture + taarquitectura
infrastructure
transbay transit center by pelli clarke pelli architects
I find these three types of design proposals to work well with the final project. Modular, to distinguish two of the main program areas - Exploratorium South Complex and the Market Place, as two different areas; and orthogonal forms respond to the surrounding context. Landform, to create an artificial landscape of the barren and flat site. Infrastructure, to maximize sunlight into structures and enhance the clients views of the surrounding site from different levels and angles.
/ e n d o f midt e rm
site analysis AT&T PARK
TERRY A FRANCOIS BLVD
CHANNEL ST
SITE VEGETATION HEAVY CIRCULATION DENSITY MODERATE CIRCULATION DENSITY LIGHT CIRCULATION DENSITY
PIER 48
location The site is located in an area where the railyard of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company once was. The rapidly developing area is now home to the UCSF Mission Bay medical campus of biotechnology and cancer research, and soon-to-be luxury high-rise condominiums. Its close proximity to the San Francisco Bay waterfront,
MISSION ROCK ST
4RD ST
6T
H
ER PI
MISSION BAY BLVD NORTH
52
CHINA BASIN ST
MISSION BAY BLVD SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO BAY
ST
PIERPOINT LN
NELSON RISING LN
GENE FRIEND WAY
SOUTH ST
vegetation Mission Bay is currently quite barren and flat. In the development plan, approximately four acres of parks/public space is to be made. Currently there are very little -- Koret Quad in the UCSF Mission Bay campus, Agua Vista Park (northeast of site), a small corner at Pierpoint Lane & Bridgeview Way, and a strip between residential areas at Mission Bay Blvd.
PIER 54
O
0
ST
28
3RD ST
Y
S EN
W
HW
16TH ST
SUN PATH: SOUTHEAST TO SOUTHWEST
vehicular circulation As pedestrian circulation is almost unseen due to the only clients of this area being those who live in the already built condominiums and students and professionals attending to the UCSF Mission Bay campus, vehicular circulation was easier to analyze. 3rd Street acts as a main road travelling north-south, connecting Downtown/SOMA and Dogpatch/Bayview; the T light-rail train also runs along 3rd Street. 16th Street travells east-west, connecting Dogpatch/Potrero Hill and the Mission; it also grants access to Hwy 280. 4th Street & Terry A. Francois Blvd have moderate densities as it acts as another option for those travelling north-south. Several streets running perpendicular to 3rd Street have a much lighter density where there are still developing those streets, or they are a residential/office area.
sun path The sun path of San Francisco runs southeast to southwest. The site being flat and barren makes it ideal to maximal sunlight. NORTH
program analysis PROGRAM AREAS AMPHITHEATER
OUTDOOR GALLERY
OUTDOOR DINING
WC
CAFE & SHOP
EXHIBIT 2
EXHIBIT 1
MAIN GALLERY
MATRIX OF ADJACENCIES
MAIN GALLERY EXHIBIT 1 EXHIBIT 2 CAFE & SHOP
desirable not required
EXPLORATORIUM SOUTH COMPLEX
INDOOR: main museum gallery 20000 gsf exhibit space i 5000 gsf exhibit space ii 5000 gsf cafe & museum shop 10000 gsf restrooms (men & women) 1800 gsf mechanical (5 cores at 200 gsf each) 1000 gsf circulation (at 20% gsf programmed space) 8560gsf OUTDOOR dining (100 seats at 15 sf/seat) 1500 gsf gallery 50000 gsf amphitheater 20000 gsf
I created a chart of the program areas by color-coding and sizing the width relative to its gross square footage. I ordered these program areas by attractions, importance, and projected density of clients. By creating these charts, it helped me visually analyze how much space each progam area would occupy, what my design should to focus on, and organize my design objectives and vision.
MARKETPLACE OF EARTHLY DELIGHTS WC
direct
After analyzing the site, analyzing the program becamethe next logial thing to do. I first created a matrix of adjacencies of program areas to see how they relate to each other and how logically it makes sense to place program areas.
OUTDOOR DINING OUTDOOR GALLERY AMPHITHEATER
DESIGN OBJECTIVES AND CONCEPTS + create an interactive environment to promote science, life, art, & the history of Mission Bay to a larger audience + bringing vitality to Mission Bay + social interactions integrated into design + form a balance between natural and built environments through landform building approach + response to surrounding context of biotechnology, railroads, & nautical themes + concentrate retail & dining areas closer to transportation hubs & major street paths + verticallity of program areas should not exceed past the parking lot adjacent to south street; ~60 ft. + continuous circulation for clients to explore entire site + main entrances at street corners + alternative entrances into more tranquil areas to promote more circulatory options; at south & bridgeview way, on terry a francios blvd + utlization of roof to create viewpoints + promoting the “slow life movement” + connect visually to waterfront
shops & stalls 45000 gsf circulation (at 20%) 9360 gsf restrooms (men & women) 1800 gsf urban organic garden 32670 gsf (3/4 acre)
[next page] The bubble diagrams also visually show how much gross square footage the programatic areas would take, and how its relates to the surrounding context.
PUBLIC GARDENS 56935 gsf
AVAILABLE SPACE
The massing studies gave me additional help in how I should organize these program areas by visually layering them, how much space it would take if it was all flat, etc.
268, 625 GSF
program areas
ATTRACTIONS
main attractions
importance
projected density
supporting attractions
accessible attractions
program analysis bubble diagrams relationship between SPACES
relationship between existing context
approximate distribution of program areas
south street
residential & office spaces
parking garage
exhibit i
ucsf
muni
g
outdoor dining
office space
backstage
cafe and museum shop urban organic garden
shipyard repair
massing studies option i
option ii
amphitheater
vd bl
56935 GSF TOTAL
M
os
PUBLIC GARDENS
waterfront
third street
88830 GSF TOTAL
ci an fr
E
MARKETPLACE
outdoor gallery
a
shops and stalls
122860 GSF TOTAL
main museum exhibit ii gallery
y rr
EXPLORATORIUM
te
muni
case studies: landform building - Analyze & conclude SUPSI
new national museum
Olympic Sculpture Park
The utilization of the sloping roof as a walkway can create frame views for the surrounding site. The usage of curtain walls can maximize sun light penetrating indoors.
The “hill“-like structure of Zaha Hadid’s New National Museum of Tokyo can be a landform approach to the project to create an artificial landscape in contrast to Mission Bay’s flat characteristic. Circulation is clearly seen throughout the site; “ramps“ to the top of the project are integrated into the design, allowing clients to have easy access to the top.
Olympic Structure Park is a great example of my three design proposals of modular, landform, and infrastructure. The modular form can continue the orthogonal forms of the surrounding context, where the landform approach can be found in another area of the projected site, and the infrastructure is seen throughout the massings to create maximal sunlight.
keng o ku m a & a s s oc i at e s m end r i si o , s w i t z e r la nd
z ah a h adid tok yo, j apan
wei ss & ma n fredi seat t le, wa shi n gt on
VISION The Uchronian Gardens at Mission Bay is a place for everyone -- locals, UCSF students and professionals, and tourists. The Market Place of Earthly Delights is to mainly to serve the neighborhood; whereas both the Exploratorium South Complex and the Public Gardens are to attract locals and visitors. Highly inspired by the “slowmovement” and the ever-changing history of the site, my design symbolizes both the physical and analogous expansion of Mission Bay. I created formsto be spaced out to promote the slow movement of life -- for visitors to discover walking through a vast area can be meditating and peaceful as well as soak in the beauty of the natural and built enviornment of the Uchronian Gardens, The Market Place resembles a train station, with the layering of floors influenced by ship decks, which responds to the maritime theme of the surrounding context. The Market Place is split into two; at 3rd Street and at Terry A. Francois Blvd, to even out density of the site and to promote circulation at Terry A. Francois Blvd. The Exploratorium South Complex is designed in a horizontal form to respond to the urban context. The Public Gardens occupies mainly the southern half of the site, responding to the southwest to southeast sunpath of San Francisco. The Public Gardens has the most gross square footage due to the promoting of the “slow life“ theory and to create an extensive lush area in a barren district.
uchronian gardens at mission bay
floor plans underground level
level two
ampitheather: lower level access
museum cafe & shop
ampitheather: lower level BACKSTAGE
ampitheather: upper level
stage
marketplace
outdoor dining
ground level
level three main museum gallery
marketplace
marketplace
organic garden ampitheather: upper level
marketplace
reflection This semester has probably been the most challenging design studio so far and I know it will become more challenging in the future. Although it was challenging, I did enjoy it, especially applying urban planning and designing for an urban environment. With the urban design principles learned, I hope to apply it in all projects to be done in the future. The strength of my final project was it response to the site and the urban conditions and the design was simple and straight-forward. I noticed that in these past three design studios, my designs are simple, yet straight-forward. I really did hope to break away from that with this final project, but I guess old habits die hard and it does take extra courage to break away from your personal design principles and style. I found learning to use digital tools in a timely manner to be a bit challenging because sometimes programs donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do what you want it to do and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d want it to be perfect. But what I learned is--forget perfection, give what you already have. In conclusion, ARCH 103 has given me new techniques, principles, and persepectives that will help me succeed in my future education and future career.
Tips for future ARCH 103 students: - take digital courses to strengthen your digital skills; InDesign, Photoshop, AutoCAD, & Sketchup will be your best friends. - stay inspired and motivated! look at architecture/design websites for inspiration. - always update your portfolio!