NJSOA’s Student Edited Publication
Edited by Elizabeth Kowalchuk and Mary Riccio.
Kevin Hoffman, Faculty Advisor.
Copyright © 2020 Transect.
All rights reserved. Authors retain full use of their text and images without restriction.
Transect, its editors, and authors have made their best effort to obtain image rights for images contained herein not produced by the authors. All images are intended for academic use.
Inquiries may be emailed to transect.njit@gmail.com or mailed to Transect Attn: Weston Hall, Hillier College of Architecture and Design; 323 Dr. MLK, Jr. Blvd., New Jersey Institute of Technology, University Heights, Newark, NJ 07102.
The 2019-2020 school year began like any other. Students met their studiomates and claimed their desks, and reviews came and went with many sleepless nights. However, a grinding halt came in March with the growing danger of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and students relocated their computers to their homes to finish their semester quietly in the safety of the digital world. With New Jersey being among the most affected states in the country by late Spring, external stresses culminated with the traditional pressure of Final Review week. As the semester came to a close, reflections with peers determined that the year 2020 was an important inflection point in our society. With calls for racial justice and a demand for discussions on invisible mechanisms that have been at play in our country and world for countless years, 2020 has revealed and uncovered the condition of the state of our world more than any other time in our lives. This year has challenged students and teachers alike to cope with feelings of uncertainty, stress, and discomfort. However, these are important feelings. They remind us that where a problem exists, an opportunity also lives. As contributors of the architecture profession and discourse, we have the opportunity and responsibility to be facilitators of frank discussions on the status of our future. As students, we have an even more opportune position to be opening conversations. The professional building environment is slow; it takes many years to begin to see a wide view of the patterns that are being created. However, as students, we have the empowering brevity of studio projects. Through iterative thinking, we are able to insert our identity and reflections into everything we do, and this year has taught my peers and I to remember that everything is a project. By planting small seeds of honesty and hope into our daily lives, we can make an effort to see every moment of our lives as designers as an opportunity for positive change.
Transect is the student-produced architectural journal of NJIT’s New Jersey School of Architecture. The publication seeks to contribute to and situate the school’s work within broader strands of contemporary architectural discourse by publishing student projects and essays as well as original essays by faculty, scholars, and practitioners.Contact
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