Repeatedly traveling through the corridors to reach every destination, my father observed something new each time and this made the experience memorable. He recalls the materials, context and layout from his photographs, however, he recalls the experience because of the hospitable and impressionable atmosphere. Not only is it relaxing, as a spa is meant to be, it is poetic – a carefully crafted, functional work of art. Craft’s importance serves not only to create something beautiful, but it must also respect process, the act of making and the ultimate outcome of an elevated atmosphere.
Forward 113 From BIM to CNC Milling and 3D printing, to physical models, textures, materials and products, Craft is most definitely a varied topic in our industry. It seems to be both a forgotten and an ever-evolving art form. In this issue of Forward, articles aim to discuss these dichotomies. There are many differing viewpoints on what constitutes craft; whether
there should be a return to a historical tradition of building and detailing, or how new methods and tools of construction are affecting the way we design. How do we teach craft and how is it put into practice? From finding craft to creating craft, articles discuss experience, production and theory. In exploring various facets of the topic, our hope is to stimulate an expanding academic, artistic and practical vocabulary of the importance of craft in the atmospheres we imagine and create.
Perhaps craft is an intuition, an attitude, and a privilege - in the end it just seems right. Please visit our website for all issues of Forward and the Fall 2013 submission guidelines at: www.aia.org/NACForward
Image Credits
All photos by Raoul Graf
Olivia Graf Doyle, FORWARD Director Olivia Graf Doyle, Assoc. AIA, is a Project Designer at Cannon Design in Los Angeles. She graduated with degrees in architecture and advertising from the University of Southern California. Olivia has worked on a variety of projects that range from medical to K-12 and university to interior architecture. Outside of work, Olivia is actively involved with the local design community; she was an Associate Director on the board of AIA Northern Nevada, started chapters of the Young Designer’s Networking Group in Reno and Sacramento, and has been published in several architecture history textbooks.
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