New database “ArkHive” houses decades of student work
June 30, 2021
The Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism is excited to launch an important new resource. ArkHive is a website and database that houses images of student work dating back to the school’s opening in 1968.
Visit it here: https://arkhivecarleton.com
Associate Professor Yvan Cazabon, who retires on July 1, instigated the project of digitizing drawings and models from the archives. “Yvan and his team have spent the past year giving visibility and structure to the long history of our extraordinary school,” says Director Jill Stoner. “He is a big part of this shared legacy, and we are grateful for his initiative and vision.”
The core of the archive comprises images and drawings from all levels of studio. The images demonstrate the diversity of architectural production in the school’s core programs. Included in the database and website are copies of Folio – the precursor to Building 22, which still in production.
Older, physical projects, initially collected for displaying in exhibitions, open-houses, and accreditation, have been scanned or photographed. Projects submitted to faculty in the form of 35mm slides or CD jpegs complement the digital database and will be used to augment the materials displayed on the website.
The site is organized under the following categories: Culture, Folio, Studio, Workshops, Courses, Articles, Accreditation, and Student Life.
“This is an outstanding gift to the school,” says incoming Interim-Director Federica Goffi. “It is crucial to have a historical record of the school and the work produced, and I look forward to supporting the continuation of this work.”
BACKGROUND
Architecture alumnae will recall the mysterious basement room called “The Morgue.”
For years, this secure and dark room held hundreds of files, drawings, photographs, 35mm slides & negatives, and models from past studios and courses. Many projects were collected here for display in exhibitions, open houses, and accreditation. While most were returned to their authors, a few remained in folders or drawers – secure and sheltered from the build-up of dust.
The creation of an exhibition for the school’s 50th-anniversary celebrations in 2018 exhumed projects from the shadows of the morgue. Sorting and documenting their provenance presented an opportunity to have them digitized within a comprehensive database.
The COVID lockdown presented an opportunity to unpack and sort through boxes, slide files, and folders. It also gave Cazabon and Research Assistant Brooke Zacharuk easy access to scanning and digitizing equipment.
Director Jill Stoner enthusiastically supported the project and provided funding. Digital Craft Technician Steve MacLeod. Technical support and assistance in digital archiving and drive configuration were provided by Digital Facilities Administrator. Mike Getz.