Today was it, folks. The Final Review. After weeks of preparation and angst, the students got about 15 minutes to present their URBANbuild designs to a panel of professionals, not to mention their fidgety, nervous classmates. The anticipation in the final hour before the Review was palpable:

I’ll be honest: A few people got ripped apart. It was a rough day for some, and a victory for others.

Those with good models definitely benefited from solid proof that they had designed a livable space. Reed Kroloff, co-founder of the URBANbuild program, and former Dean of the Tulane School of Architecture, publicly challenged students in ways I suspect they’d never been challenged before, which we all know is almost always a good thing, because it builds confidence and character in those who will soon be heading out into the big, bad world of architecture. They need to be armed with the reality of what it means to stand up and deliver a clear design concept to a client.

At times, it was hard to watch, I mean really watch the Review, without distraction. But filming an event like this – staying on top of presentations, getting your coverage, logging moments big and small, switching out full tapes, etc. – keeps you hyper-focused on the job at hand. You become an objective storyteller, and it’s not until dinnertime, over much-needed Abita Ambers [www.abita.com], that a hungry crew can really process the day’s major event.

Here, Dan, who spent seven hours downloading P2 cards (digital HD media storage cards), started threatening to eat our media. Luckily we made it to dinner before we lost our footage to Dan’s digestive system. And yeah, we were taking bets on who would win!

I hope we were successful in our job as storytellers. It was a long, challenging day, but well worth the effort for everyone involved. Now…. on to the vote!

Rachel Clift
Producer

This isn’t Richardson Hall.

THIS is Richardson Hall.

Or more specifically, Studio 301, where Carter, Adriana, and their classmates are hard at work, making models like the one you see above. With its high ceilings and large, sunny windows, Tulane’s Studio 301 is full of natural light, making it the perfect environment for filming.

What I’ve learned is that each student creates drawings, computer graphics, and a physical scale model to represent their design, which they use as a 3-D visual aid during presentations, or “Reviews.” They can also drop their model right into the empty space on the site model, a small-scale version of the neighborhood, which includes the actual corner plot where the house will be built. This way, students are able to compare their unique design to the immediate area and its adjacent structures.

Byron Mouton is the URBANbuild instructor as well as a practicing architect, so there’s no question his ‘real-life’ experience is a tremendous asset to these students. Click Here [www.sundancechannel.com] to read an article Byron wrote on teaching, working, and living in New Orleans, and on new architectural and urban design in response to Katrina.

As a former architect himself, Michael is used to this level of detail-work, but the rest of us are amazed by these miniatures – and the fact that one of them is going to become a real house! (For all you Zoolander fans, “But how will the people fit in there?”)

The Final Review is still many weeks away. That’s when the winning design gets chosen. It’s making everyone nervous…including the crew. While the students worry about their presentations, we’ll be worrying about how to unobtrusively capture the essence of every design, and every reaction, on camera. And how to do it without getting in anyone’s way. It’s enough to give me butterflies in the stomach. I can’t imagine how the students feel.

Rachel Clift
Producer