Author Archives: jonochshorn

About jonochshorn

Jonathan Ochshorn is a singer-songwriter, registered architect, and Phius Passive House Consultant with an academic background in structural engineering and urban design as well as architecture. He has taught at Cornell University since 1988, and before that at the City College of New York while working with community groups in New York City. He is the author of OMA's Milstein Hall: A Case Study of Architectural Failure; Building Bad: How Architectural Utility is Constrained by Politics and Damaged by Expression (Lund Humphries, 2021); three editions of the textbook, Structural Elements for Architects and Builders; and numerous essays and chapters on building technology in relation to design.

Christmas rap

Brother Kurt wrote and recorded this Silent Night Christmas rap on New Year’s eve, probably in 1984 (the exact date remains shrouded in mystery). I helped out with some keyboards and vocals on the chorus (“Have yourself a very funky Christmas…”). A new video based on the original recording was made on Christmas day, 2007, by the children of Rollo: see the YouTube description for more information (linked above).