Paris, France

Already on the second day of the trip. It's been off to a slow start, since I arrived just before a weekend. Today I went to the Louvre in the morning, then to the Latin Quarter for some quick lunch. I've used the last 2 days as a chance to familiarize myself with the city again, as I really want to understand the formula of Paris before I begin my research. Perhaps I will creat a how-to guide on how to build a Paris. It could be an interesting analysis of the urban system and how it came to be. If its anything like my last studio project, that could actually become a cosmic explanation for the creation of a singluar building, sort of Paris all under one roof.

The apartment I've found myself in is a bit lacking. Well, actually I'm just mad at myself for not taking the apartment with wireless internet and telephone included, since I'll be using the internet quite frequently and talking to people would be nice. The toughest part about the trip has been the total solitude, here not being able to talk to many people (my French is horrible if I'm doing anyhting other than reading). Some people I know will be arriving as soon as the 12th, but I don't know how much I'll see them. Still, having a familiar face within 3,000 miles can be a comforting thing.

I've begun the long put-off job of defining my research and hashing out details on how its going to come together. Essentially I am comparing and contrasting the ways in which contemporary architecs are dealing with various issues and their relation to the Parisian context with thise used by early modernists such as Prouve, Corbusier, and Mallet-Stevens.

I've been researching contemporary projects like the housing by Herzog & DeMeuron, the furry apartment building, fondation cartier, and institute du monde arabe, but there are very few contemporary pieces in Paris that arent residential flats or giant civic works. So that will continue. However, with a handful of 7 or 8 I should have enough to pull out some examples of all sites and sizes.