On The Ground

3rd year, 1st Thanksgiving
Tony Salem Musleh
M.Arch I ’26

If drawings only end once manifested in concrete,
PCs run until the render becomes a photograph.
Let me know how Rudolph smelled in late November.
I know only the smell of Lantana’s.

I’ll buy you eyedrops for broken vision.

If drawings only end once manifested in concrete,
then let me tell you—there are no construction workers.
I see only emptied vessels.

Bottomless bottles are nothing but alliteration.

Not Quite Professional
Shreshtha Goyal
M.Arch II ’27

Thanksgiving break gave us a moment to catch our breath. Some travelled, some caught up with work, and some simply remembered what a normal circadian rhythm feels like. Now we’re all back on campus, pretending architecture “isn’t a professional degree,” The irony is hard to ignore. While the degree may not technically confer professional status, it shapes who gets access to the field, what skills are considered legitimate, and whose voices are heard. Despite the fact we’re once again living among buzzing 3D printers and laser cutter fumes, with the next two weeks promising intensity, caffeine, and questionable decisions involving plywood.

Non-Stop
Layna Chen
M.E.D

The M.E.D cohort had its third and final roundtable review the week before Thanksgiving. Class selections, job appointments, guest lecturer selections, and final drafts all hit at once this week. “There is not a moment when I stop working,” realized Vinh. The exact same comment was said to me by a student from the graduating class two years ago.

The M.E.D corner has grown to accommodate a coat rack and a folding mattress.