Architecture Through My Eyes

     Online learning is rapidly becoming more prevalent as time passes. Sure, it can be difficult to self-motivate and allows students to stay in their pajamas all day, but there are also many positives to a remote classroom. Online college allows already busy people, such as those with children or who already have careers, to learn. It also helps people learn at their own pace and develop independence.       I've had a good amount of experience with online learning, predominantly because of covid. The spring of my sophomore year and fall of my junior year of high school were both online, which I wasn't the biggest fan of. However, it did prepare me well for online college courses.       In my first three semesters of college, I've only had one online course. It was a philosophy course that I finished last semester. This class was certainly not what I expected. It was far easier, which I, as a busy college s...

  Welcome back! After about 2 weeks of class, here's an update on architecture school: We just finished up our first studio project! Studio is my most time consuming and difficult class, but it's also where I get to be my most creative. This assignment, which incorporated knowledge from our design technology class, was to make a poster for a birdhouse we are creating. My birdhouse was created for the tree swallow and was inspired by Kengo Kuma's Coeda House. We were instructed to make a poster that told the story of the birdhouse, which was fairly vague, but left lots of room for creativity.  Coeda House Tree Swallow Though I know there are things I can improve upon, I am satisfied with what I came up with overall. This project helped me improve my knowledge in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator, all of which I will use moving forward in my career. Using images and limited text to communicate ideas is a key skill for an architect to have, and t...

 This week I began my search to find a story in the news that was related to architecture, so as to learn and share how it effects the world around me. A story written by CNN's Claudia Colliva piqued my interest.   In 2019, Paris' historic and ornate Notre Dame Cathedral was burned down in a catastrophic fire. This event was heavily covered in the news at the time, but I hadn't heard anything about it since then. However, as the article informs me, efforts to restore the cathedral have been in progress since 2021.       Just recently, one of the cathedrals most "emblematic features", a golden rooster atop a spire, was replaced. Those in charge of restoration efforts say they aim to open it to the public in December 2024, and have scaffolding removed and roofing completed in time for the Olympics this summer.      The restoration effort is thanks to the nearly 250 companies and art w...

     Hello and welcome to my blog! My name is Jaycie Clarke, and I am currently in my second year studying architecture at North Dakota State University. Though architecture takes up much of my time here, I like to be involved in other ways, including my sorority Alpha Gamma Delta, intermural sports, and leading welcome week for incoming freshman. I love the connections I get to make with people and the opportunities I'm given to learn and grow through my involvement at NDSU.     In my first 3 semesters here at NDSU, I have been asked one question countless times: "Why did you choose architecture?". Every time I get a little nervous because I don't have a moving, in depth answer for that question. My answer usually is "because it seemed cool, and I like buildings". Groundbreaking, Jaycie. But what's more important to me is why I've stayed  in architecture. In these 3 short semesters, architecture has become my dream career. The...