Bullard, Candice : Assignments

Bullard, Candice : Assignments

Assignment 10/28

Architecture
Part 1: Playback
The Architecture lecture given by Professor Dunham-Jones, Director of Architecture, discussed the interesting and controversial idea of “What distinguishes a work of ‘architecture’ from ‘ordinary building.” The answer to this question lies in determining to what extent the building answers basic questions like “how should we build here and now” and “what kind of world are we shaping?” A building can’t be simply looked at to determine if it’s architecture or an ordinary building. It lies in the planning and design stages driven by influences that can be discovered if the building is examined close enough. Creating a “work of architecture” requires analyzing current issues of the time to produce a product that serves both what people want and what they need while being visually appealing.

Part 2: Look Up
Professor Dunham-Jones briefly touched on Maya Lin, a young architect who has emerged on the scene at an unprecedented scene. According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Lin), Maya Lin was born in 1959, which would make her 48. If this is relatively extremely young for the architecture industry, it makes me wonder how much I’ll be limited when I graduate college with an architecture degree. Reading further in Wikipedia, I now understand why she was considered so young when the emerged on the scene. She was only 21 and still an undergraduate when she won a public competition to design the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Maya has since constructed 2 memorials, been the inspirtation of a movie about herself, written a book, been on the judging committee for the World Trade Center Site Memorial, and been invited by colleges, universities, states, and cities to design and construct pieces of art/architecture for them.

Adaptive Re-use, according to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptive_reuse), is “the process of adapting old structures for new purposes.” When a building loses its purpose or use, architects can change the primary purpose of the structure while keeping its original architectural aspects. One loose example in Atlanta is Atlantic Station. Although none of the original buildings remain, the new buildings were designed in an attempt to preserve architectural details from the former buildings that occupied that site. I’m not too certain about the history of the shopping complex south of Little 5-Points, but I believe that it was once an industrial site that has been updated to retail and residential.

I’ve heard the term “Landsacpe Architect,” but have never known what it truly means. According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landscape_architect), it is a “person involved in the planning, designing, and sometimes oversight of an exterior landscape or space.” This is a relatively new licensed profession.

Part Three: Speculate
One issue with architecture is determining a piece of architecture from a common building. Another is representing the current world’s desires and needs in the design of a building while creating a positively influential environment. Time and again, lecturers continue to bring up Winston Churchill’s quote “We shape our buildings, and then they shape us.” I think this is a primary concern of architects: creating a built environment that positively influences our lives.

Building Construction
Part 1: Playback
A main concept discussed in the Building Construction presentation is the role of organizing various professions within the construction industry and within other industries. People with a building construction degree can fill many positions within the workplace, including working for the owner, construction department, design/build firm, or other similar roles which all require organizing within the industry. Professor Kangari specifically discussed the architect-engineer-contractor integration.

Part 2: Look Up
Speciality Fabricator is a company that has specialized on producing a particular product or working with a particular material. Some examples include silicon, metal, or steel.

Decommissioning is the process of ending the current use of a building. The options discussed in the lecture include selling the building, demolishing the building, or abandoning the building. From an environmental perspective, selling the building is the best option. When the building is sold, it can be renovated into another purpose, possibly a mixed use building with storefronts on the ground floor and residential on the top floor.

A construction robot is a type of industrial robot. According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_robot), an industrial robot is an “automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulator programmable in three or more axes” as defined by the International Organization for Standardization Some uses for construction robots include a fireproofing spray robot or a SMART system, representing first and second generation construction robots respectively.

Part 3: Speculate
A primary responsibility of someone in the field of building construction is understanding and working with many other industries. In order for students to be prepared to do this as they enter the work force, it would be beneficial for them to act as team leaders on multi-disciplinary projects during their years at college. Perhaps it should be mandatory that all students lead teams of architects, industrial designers, and engineers before they graduate in order to show that they can successfully work in the building construction field.

Industrial Design
Part 1: Playback
The industrial designer plays a very important role in designing objects from all aspects of life for various purposes: joy, health, interaction, tactile, efficiency, and numerous others. In order to successfully do this, the industrial designer must involve many senses, be people focused, and embrace the future. In depth, the industrial designer has the opportunity to positively impact the world by helping society, the environment, or simply the layperson in their everyday life by designing objects to accomplish the particular goals listed above. Professor Mullick stated that good design is people focused and enables empowerment; social-economic focused and enables community; environment focused; and is future focused and inventive.

Part 2: Look Up
Professor Mullick briefly discussed the Merit Award, stating that a Georgia Tech student has won it every year for the past five years. The Merit Award, according to IDSA’s website (http://216.169.150.18/webmodules/articles/anmviewer.asp?a=670), is “an effort to better encourage, reward and celebrate excellence in industrial design education.” A jury selects one outstanding graduating senior from each region in order to “connect undergraduate design students with the IDSA's national scope while honoring them in a national arena for academic design achievement.”

Tactile, according to Google definitions (http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=define%3Atactile) pertains to the sense of touch or having the ability to be explored through touch. In the lecture, this referred to anything that was wearable. This makes sense because we touch nothing more often than what we are wearing.

$100 Laptop: These laptops designed, built, and shipped to Africa in February 2007 under the One Laptop Per Child Initiative, a program developed by MIT. Nigeria, Rwanda, and Libya were three countries who received a large shipment of these laptops in attempts to bring laptops to their schools to educate children more than they could in the past. These laptops will only be sold to governments and issued to schools with the goal of decreasing the cost to $50 per laptop by 2010. I think this is an excellent attempt to increase educational possibilities, but I wonder how much this will help unless they have access to the internet. Perhaps they’ll have internet access via satellites?

Part 3: Speculate
Because the profession of industrial design affects so many aspects of the world, it is important that students learn how to apply their minds to these various aspects. Students should be pushed in every direction that they may end up working with after graduation in order to secure their success in the work force. Projects should be multi-faceted and touch on every aspect that a student may work with, from healthcare to computers to transportation to toys. It might be a good idea in the senior year to assign a project that can be defined by the student’s desires as per what field they wish to work in upon graduation, but only after they’ve tested out their minds on all the various fields.

Library 101 Assignment; Bibliography
Bergal, Jenni. City Adrift: New Orleans Before and After Katrina. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2007.

Bowen, Ted Smalley. “Damage Figures Become Clearer, While Officials Grapple With What Can Be Saved.” Architectural Record 11/1/2005: p. 30.

Brown, Lance Jay. “Gulf Coast Update: Rebuilding New Orleans.” Oculus Spring 2006: p. 42-43.

Brown II, M. Christopher and Robinson, Sharon P. The Children Hurricane Katrina Left Behind: Schooling Context, Professional Preparation, and Community Politics. New York: Peter Lang, 2007.

Cartwright, Keith Ryan. “Dirty Dozen Sends Message in Post-Katrina World.” Charleston Post & Courier Preview 10/4/2007. 10/11/2007. < http://www.charleston.net/news/2007/oct/04/dirty_dozen_sends_message_post_katrina_w18022/>.

Deslatte, Melinda. “Katrina Plays Little Role in La. Race.” Associated Press 10/11/2007. 10/11/2007. < http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5htmQaT3r4ES-1IJB0d5GsKnIoEiAD8S77S6O1>.

Deveney, Sean. “NBA’s Return Could Revitalize New Orleans.” SportingNews.com 10/10/2007. 10/11/2007. < http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=288178>.

Dyson, Michael Eric. Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster. New York: Basic Civitas Books, 2006.

Farber, Daniel A. Disasters and the Law: Katrina and Beyond. New York: Aspen Publishers, 2006.

Fausset, Richard. “New Orleans: Two Years Later.” Los Angeles Times 9/18/2007: p. A.9.

“Harry Connick Jr.: Renewing New Orleans.” Telegraph.co.uk 9/30/2007. 10/11/2007. < http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/09/30/sv_harryconnickjr.xml>.

Horne, Jed. Breach of Faith: Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City. New York: Random House, 2006.

Hudnut, William H. “On Finding Balance.” Urban Land April 2006: p. 34-37.

Jervis, Rick. “New Orleans School System Re-educated.” USA Today 9/26/2007. 10/11/2007. < http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-24-neworleansschools_N.htm>.

“Katrina Greatly Changed New Orleans’ Racial Composition.” Los Angeles Times 9/11/2007. 10/11/2007. < http://www.kansascity.com/news/nation/story/271346.html>.

Kuttner, Robert. “An Economic Storm Surge; The Fed, Hiking Rates, Underplays the Economic Cost of Katrina.” Business Week 10/17/2005: p. 126.

Landry, Michael and DeSalvo, Karen. “Opportunity from Tragedy: Patient-Centered Medical Homes in Post-Katrina New Orleans.” JGIM: Journal of General Internal Medicine Sep 2007: p. 10-13.

Lolis, Eric Elie. “Let’s Raise a Big Stink on Recycling.” Times-Picayune May 21, 2007: p. 1.

Morris, Melinda. “Planning Panel Member Learns to Involve Citizens.” Times-Picayune 1/25/2007: p. 1.

Mowbray, Rebecca. “State Starts Reviving its Cultural Economy; Post-9/11 New York has Lessons to Offer.” Times-Picayune 9/21/2005: p. B.07.

“New Orleans Unveils Rebuilding Plan.” Courier News 10/11/2007. 10/11/2007. < http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071011/FRONT01/71011063>.

Perry, James. “Housing Recovery Needs Senator's Help.” Times-Picayune 9/29/2007: p. 7.

Polidori, Robert. After the Flood. Goettingen: Steidl, 2006.

“Post-Katrina New Orleans; Ill Winds Still Blow.” The Philadelphia Inquirer 8/29/2007/: p. A14.

Pyburn, Allison. “Insurance Industry, FEMA Absorb Post Hurricane Katrina Losses.” Asset Securitization Report 5/1/2006.

Reckdahl, Katy. “St. Margaret’s Ready to Come Home: 36 Residents Return to New 9th Ward Spot.” Times-Picayune 9/18/2007: p. 1.

Renne, John. “Evacuation and Equity: a Post-Katrina New Orleans Diary.” Planning May 2006: p. 44-46.

Robinson, Erin. “Dealing with Winds of Change; A Year Later, Some Retailers Struggle.” Automotive News 8/28/2006: p. 6.

Rose, Chris. 1 Dead in Attic. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2007.

Schnoor, Jerald L. “The Lessons of Katrina.” Environmental Science & Technology 11/1/2005: p. 431A.

Shevory, Kristina. “A New Orleans Neighborhood Rebuilds.” New York Times 2/25/2007: p. 11.1.

Sothern, Billy. Down in New Orleans: Reflections From a Drowned City. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2007.

“Tribute Album to Benefit Fats Domino, New Orleans Music Culture.” The Canadian Press 9/27/2007. 10/11/2007. < http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gBE07tZjWbL3aLb-tZ2y2LsqjBKQ>.

Voelker, Rebecca. “In Post-Katrina New Orleans, Efforts Under Way to Build Better Health Care.” JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association 9/20/2006: p1333-1334,

Wheeler, Tim. “Making ‘Dry Bones’ Come Alive in New Orleans.” People’s Weekly World 10/13/2007. 10/11/2007. < http://www.pww.org/article/articleview/11855/1/394/>.

Whorisky, Peter. “New Orleans Repeats Mistakes as it Rebuilds; Many Houses Built in Areas Katrina Flooded are Not on Raised Foundations; [Final Edition].” The Washington Post 1/4/2007: p. A.1.

Wilson, Alex. “An Ecological Vision for Rebuilding New Orleans: Planning for a Greener, Cleaner Crescent City.” Landscape Architecture January 2006: p. 64, 66, 68-69.

9.30

Dr . Zimring discussed the importance of the built design on our behaviors and activities that influence our health. He emphasized that America is becoming more obese because our built environment does not encourage physical exercise. This problem also leads to more patients in hospitals where they acquire infections in poor conditions. Dr. Zimring discussed some features that hospitals should implement in order to better serve their patients and decrease their hospital time. The speech was ordered by discussing the general issue of obesity then moving into designs of built environments in general and finally to discussing hospitals. Some key terms and concepts include space syntax, use predictors, activity programmed zones, obesity, and types of physical exercise.

Obesity: My personal definition of obesity is extreme overweight, specifically above a certain BMI, likely caused by eating habits and lack of exercise.
According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity), “Obesity is a condition in which the natural energy reserve, stored in the fatty tissue of humans and other mammals, is increased to a point where it is associated with certain health conditions or increased mortality.” This correlates to a BMI of over 30.0.

Activity Programmed Zones are building designs that locate physical activity areas in accessible and visible areas in order to increase use based on the idea that if people see the activity area every day, they’ll be more tempted to use it. Some examples include locating a work out room near the elevator waiting area, or including showers and locker rooms at office buildings to encourage people to bike to work. This would help reduce the number of obese people in America and is a good example of how our environment can be designed to positively influence us.

Use Predictors, as defined in the lecture include aethetics, comfort, safety, legibility, availability, and/or convenience. These are factors that would influence someone in making a decision that would increase their physical activity in a day. For example, if stairs are located near the front entrance and are very large, they will be used more often than tiny stairs tucked into a corner.

With all of the healthcare problems and increasing need for hospitalization and construction of hospitals, would it be prudent to include a “hospital design” class for architecture and design students?

At colleges that have both nursing, doctor, architecture, and design programs, it seems like it would be a good idea to have a class where they can integrate and come up with the best solutions for real world scenarios. Are there any colleges that do this?

Are architects, industrial designers, planners, environmental psychologists, environmental sociologists (as listed on the slide) the only professions that deal with designing the world to better encourage exercise?

If healthcare is the largest industry or sector of the economy, it seems that it would affect many people and would be very important to speed up the recovery process of hospital patients because then more patients can be admitted to the hospital. How many R&D organizations are focusing on hospitals and obesity to improve the real world conditions?

Ruth Dusseault discussed her photographic documentation of the demolition and rebuilding of Atlantic Station. She ordered her talk by introducing the idea of utopian constructs, her mission to document Atlanta Steel/Station, the history of Atlantic Steel, and lastly reflected upon the importance of maintaining a southern identity in the urban power of Atlanta. Although Ruth did not say so much, I think I heard in her voice that she is disgusted by Atlantic Station because it took a historic area and turned it into modern mediocrity as a shopping meca and has lost any authenticity it once had. Some important concepts include utopian construction, authenticity, southern identity, substructure, modern.

Authenticity, according to Wikipedia, refers to the truthfulness of origins, attributions, commitments, sincerity, devotion, and intentions. In the context of Ruth's presentation, this refers to the history of Atlantic Steel and the south.

My idea of a substructure is the basement of stucture, or the concrete foundation that touches the ground.

Modern in my opinion is anything newer than World War II. According to wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn, modern is "belonging to the modern era; since the Middle Ages; "modern art"; "modern furniture"; "modern history"; "totem poles are modern rather than prehistoric" mod: relating to a recently developed fashion or style; "their offices are in a modern skyscraper"; "tables in modernistic designs'."

So far, I don’t see that the importance of maintaining historical authenticity and identity is taught in architecture and design classes. Are there obstacles to structuring a class to address this topic?

Is there an opportunity at GA Tech or other colleges to earn an architecture or design degree with an emphasis on historic structures?

Were any historians involved in the reconstruction of Atlantic Steel/Station? Were they given the opportunity to provide suggestions to maintain the site’s historic character?

Did the steel industry take any interest in the reconstruction of Atlantic Steel/Station? It seems that Atlantic Steel was a very integral part of the southern steel identity and in turn influenced the world. It would seem like there’s a larger part of the industry that would want some of the historic characteristics of Atlanta Steel to survive.

The lecture on September 26 discussed Palladio’s architectural influence and his influences. This lecture was difficult to understand because of microphone technology problems and a thick accent. However, what I understood was that the lecture introduced the historical and cultural setting that influenced Palladio’s designs and how these influences show in his buildings. Some main concepts are Palladio, 15th century Venice, harmonious, promenade, and Greek philosophy.

Palladio: From this presentation, I learned that Palladio is a very influential architect and designer from post-classical times and his buildings showed influence of the times of that period. According to Wikipedia, "Andrea Palladio (November 30, 1508 – August 19, 1580), was an Italian architect, widely considered the most influential person in the history of Western architecture. He was born Andrea di Pietro della Gondola in Padua, then part of the Republic of Venice. Apprenticed as a stonecutter in Padua when he was 13, he broke his contract after only 18 months and fled to the nearby town of Vicenza. Here he became an assistant in the leading workshop of stonecutters and masons. He frequented the workshop of Bartolomeo Cavazza, from whom he learned some of his skills."

15th century Venice: I imagine 15th century Venice was very cultured with rich people sitting around in large buildings discussing Greek philosophy and farming in the rural areas.

Harmonious: According to wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn, harmonious means "musically pleasing; exhibiting equivalence or correspondence among constituents of an entity or between different entities
appropriate: suitable and fitting." In reference to this lecture, it refers to how Palladio's buildings were constructed- divided in 3 divisions, in highly mathematical relationships. People often claim that they feel very harmonious when in or near one of Palladio's buildings.

Dr. Kahn stated in the beginning of the lecture that most of us should know who Palladio is. If Palladio is of such importance in architecture and the built environment, is he discussed in greater detail in another class like history of architecture?

It almost seems like Palladio’s buildings were works of art and mathematics. Is Palladio discussed in art and mathematic classes at all?

The lecture stated that Palladio played “numerical games” with the structure of his building. Do we know this because he has said so, or have mathematicians gone to his buildings and found a relation between his structure and mathematic ideas?

Earlier in the year, we learned that there are many people still implementing classical architecture techniques on new buildings. Do they also implement Palladio’s ideas and designs?

Assignment 09.16- Critical Listening: Learning to Ask Good Questions (Part 2)

A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Disability Research
Playback:
Dr. Sprigle began by defining the terms disability, assistive technology (AT), universal design appeal, and specialized AT, then presented statistics on disabilities in the US. The CATEA focuses on research and development, and outreach within four main categories with the goal of furthering equal opportunities for disabled people. These advancements will come in forms of individual devices, such as wheelchairs, to accessibly planned cities. The presentation was structured by summarizing and defining general aspects of the disabled world, then highlighting the CATEAs role and prior projects. Important terms include those listed above in the first sentence.

Look Up:
Disability: The definition provided by Dr. Sprigle stated “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of an individual, including communication, ambulation, and self-care.” According to Harvard University (www.fas.harvard.edu/~sdr/glossary.html), “Federal law defines a ‘Disability’ as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits or restricts the condition, manner, or duration under which an average person in the population can perform a major life activity, such as walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working, or taking care of oneself.” South Bank (www.southbank.tafe.net/site/tools/glossary/A-E.asp) defines disability as “a physical or mental incapacity, either congenital or resulting from an injury or illness etc.”

Assistive Technology: Dr. Sprigle defined assistive technology as “any item, piece of equipment, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities.” Wright University (www.cs.wright.edu/bie/rehabengr/AAC/glossary.htm) defines assistive technology as “a generic term including assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices and the process used in selecting, locating, and using them. Assistive technologies include: mechanical, electronic, and microprocessor based equipment…”

Accessible Environment: My idea of an accessible environment is one in which people with disabilities can access everything that people without disabilities can and that disabilities do not hinder in this environment. The Centre for Accessible Environments (www.cae.org.uk) aims to “help secure a built environment that is usable by everyone, including disabled and older people.” Some key words from Access-Ability (qqq.access-ability.com/index.html), a company devoted to providing accessible environments, include “public and private sector,” “mainstream the physically challenged, implementing access to all,” and “barrier removals.”

Speculate:
1. I went to University of Illinois for a year, a college with a large number of blind and other disabled students. I never took class with a disabled student, but it seems that it would be almost impossible for them to participate in some labs, especially chemistry where potent chemicals could be spilled on them because the lab desks are so high. What has been done to remove barriers like this for disabled students, and what has research shown that might be effective?
2. Dr. Sprigle discussed mainly engineering and industrial design students working with disability research. It seems that marketing and management students would also be interested in this, as there are certainly companies that need marketing and management. Are there any school clubs that would allow students from various disciplines to discuss or help with disability research?
3. Again, it seems that almost any profession could work with people with disabilities, or companies that cater to people with disabilities, from teachers to construction to research and design. Are there any professions that have no possibility to work with disabilities?
4. With 50 million disabled people in the US, I would think that the industry must be somewhat large to satisfy the demand, but yet this is an industry that I haven’t heard much about. Are there enough people working with people with disabilities in various aspects as discussed in question 3?

AEC Integration – A View From the Center
Playback:
This presentation discussed how the building construction process, from design to construction, has traditionally been a slow process dictated by specialized professionals for each component. There is a need to integrate these professionals in order to make this process faster, cheaper, and better, but there are several obstacles to integration. These obstacles include social and academic attitudes, People have been working to overcome these obstacles, in turn revolutionizing the industry by creating an integrated and more efficient industry. The presentation was ordered in a chronological pattern, from the history to current barriers to the current and future. Important terms and concepts include: industry, sector, fragmentation, integration, turnkey, design-build, alliance contracting, and 3XPT.

Look Up:
Fragmentation: Fragmentation to me means a single cluster broken down into several individual pieces. Princeton’s Word Net (wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn) defines fragment as “a piece broken off or cut off of something else; shard, a broken piece of a brittle artifact; an incomplete piece; break up, break, or cause to break into pieces.”

Integration: Integration to me means several individual pieces brought together to form and act as one cluster. The definition that I feel best sums up integration is stated in reference to HIV as “the process by which the different parts of an organism are made a functional and structural whole, especially through the activity of the nervous system and of hormones.” Various definitions were stated in regard to economics, disability, photography, and other subjects, indicating that integration is a world-wide idea.

Alliance Contracting:
As defined by an Australian alliance contracting workshop (http://www.iqpc.co.uk/binary-data/IQPC_CONFEVENT/pdf_file/4355.pdf), “alliance contracting has steadily gained popularity over traditional contract strategies because it provides a framework promoting a non-adversarial, mutually profitable environment for all stakeholders...all parties can achieve innovative and cost-effective outcomes collaboratively.” This is related to integration by describing how integration can be used in the workplace and that it is beneficial for all parties.

Speculate:
1. Even within a major, students usually work on homework by themselves. Do you suggest group homework, or more group projects?
2. I agree with your statement that students have already determined that other majors do not compare with their own and that there is some animosity between majors. How can teachers and colleges change this, with majors having limited overlapping classes?
3. I work with engineers and I have heard them say that they hate architects because architects are stuck up. I also read a newspaper article about “enginerds” and “egotechts”. What brought about such an animosity and almost hatred between the two groups?
4. If most companies formed alliance contracting, wouldn’t the world become one giant “Walmart” and lose all of its “mom and pop” identities? Do you think it’s possible that all buildings would start to look the same?

GIS: Whenever Where Matters
Playback:
Dr. French began his lecture by summarizing what GIS is, various technologies pertinent to GIS, and how they can be used in urban planning by combining geographic data with attribute data. Attribute data is connected to the geographic data to provide more information. GIS can forecast future conditions based on current trends in growth, building, and other constraints. The presentation was structured by summarizing GIS and the Center for GIS at Georgia Tech, then highlighting two projects that are being worked on by the Center. Key terms and concepts include attribute database, GIS, GPS, remote sensing, thermal sensor, infrared sensing, Lidar sensor, ubiquitous data, and automated data.

Look Up:
Remote Sensing: In my experience, remote sensing most commonly refers to gathering data from the earth by recording light reflectivity and temperature, using different colors for each landuse type: forest, wetlands, urban, farm land. The Wildlife Society (fwie.fw.vt.edu/tws-gis/glossary.htm) defines remote sensing as “the science of deriving information about the earth’s land and water areas from images acquired at a distance. It usually relies upon measurement of electromagnetic energy reflected or emitted from the features of interest (Campbell 1987).”

Lidar Sensing: According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (www.csc.noaa.gov/products/sccoasts/html/tutlid.htm), “Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) is a remote sensing system used to collect topographic data…[and] is being used by NOAA and NASA scientists to document topographic changes along shorelines.” This is another type of geographic data that can be incorporated into GIS maps.

GPS: GPS stands for Geographical Positioning System and is used to record geographic data by field personnel. In my work, I’ve collected data using GPS for wetlands, streams, roads, threatened and endangered species, and lakes. GPS data can be recorded as lines, polygons, or points. The top scientific GPS hardware company is Trimble. Wikepedia adds to my definition by stating that “GPS is the only fully functional Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Utilizing a constellation of at least 24 medium Earth orbit satellites that transmit precise microwave signals, the system enables a GPS receiver to determine its location, speed/direction, and time.” In order to collect data using GPS, a minimum of 4 satellites must be providing signals to the GPS receiver to correctly determine your location using triangulation methods.

Speculate:
1. At my old college, I took GIS classes under the Department of Geography. I assume that GIS is under the COA at Georgia Tech because there is no geography department. What departments do other schools hold their GIS programs under? Do you think that certain aspects are lost depending on what department GIS is directed by?
2. In my experiences, mostly geography students work with GIS, but here it’s the COA students. Do students in one discipline have a leg up on students from another discipline due to what triggers their brain when working with GIS?
3. Most professions that work with geographical features at all use GIS. Should GIS be mandatory in various curriculums because it is such a dominant technology used by so many different professions?
4. I would be interested to find out how much money the GIS industry earns each year because it is such a fast growing field. How many students go into jobs where they use GIS? How large could this industry become in the market place?

Assignment 2– Critical Listening: Learning to Ask Good Questions
M.S. Classical Design Curriculum: Classical and Traditional Architecture

Summary:
This lecture highlighted the 7 students in the M.S. Classical Design Curriculum. Each student discussed their prior work experiences in the architecture field, highlighting their implementation of Classical Design techniques. Some of the important concepts in this lecture are: classical design, classical architecture, high-end residential, mixed-use community, self-supporting town, and new urbanism.

Definitions:
New urbanism, according to Wikipedia, is a landuse planning strategy that focuses on creating neighborhoods to contain a range of housing and jobs and to be pedestrian-friendly. New urbanism neighborhoods are designed to allow residents to work, play, and live within walking distance, limiting the use for automobiles.

Classical architecture is a type of architecture that dates back to when formal writing was created and is found throughout continental Europe. Characteristic elements of classical architecture include complex yet elegant foundations and figures, symmetrical design down to details, and is influenced by the ancient Greeks or Romans. Columns are commonly used in classical architecture designs, as well as very ornate details.

Questions:
1. What degrees can be geared towards classical design? Is it just architecture, or do BC and ID also play a part in it?
2. Mike Watkins spoke about city planning and his interest in classical architecture. Does classical architecture/design only play a role in designing the individual buildings, or can the concepts be incorporated into city planning?
3. It seems that classical architecture required bulky columns, and out-of-date building materials. How eco-friendly are classical architecture buildings typically? Are there any LEED classical architecture buildings?

Solar Decathlon

Summary: Chris has worked on the Solar Decathlon project since January and discussed GA Tech’s project that will be displayed during the competition in D.C. on the national mall. This competition hosted 125,000 students from various countries around the world, and rates houses based on 9 different categories with an emphasis on being self-sufficient and environmentally friendly. Chris started his lecture by discussing the competition, and then spoke about GA Tech’s house, describing the process from design to construction. Some of the important concepts Chris discussed include: off-the-grid/zero-energy/free-standing, sustainability, biodegradable, SIP, Duo-guard walls, and AWPL.

Definitions:
Off-the-grid/zero-energy/free-standing buildings do not require any energy inputs. These buildings generate all the energy that they need to function, commonly through solar panels. Technically, these buildings do not need to have electricity or gas hooked up to them as normal buildings do. The electrical grid is the grid that’s referred to in “off-the-grid.”

SIP, or Structural Insulated Panels, according to Tool Base Services (www.toolbase.org/Technology-Inventory/Whole-House-Systems/structural-insulated-panels) are “panels made from a thick layer of foam (polystyrene or polyurethane) sandwiched between two layers of Oriented Strand Board (OSB), plywood, or fiber-cement.” A major benefit of SIPS is that they are environmentally friendly, generally constructed by lumber from fast growing trees, reduced energy use, and environmentally benign core materials.

Questions:
1. Was the 14’ x 70’ house frame a required size? This is extremely small compared to real-life houses. Could the same concepts and techniques from this competition be implemented on larger houses with similar results?
2. Has the DOE started implementing any of the innovative designs from previous years in houses and other structures built today, especially in areas where government buildings are required to be built to LEED standards?
3. How practicable and cost-effective is implementing green building in the real world? What needs to be done to make this more commonplace?

Digital Design and Manufacturing

Summary: Tristan Alhaddad spoke on new-age techniques that were implemented in designing and creating large installations in the Digital Design and Manufacturing workshop. He contrasted the new and traditional design techniques, focusing on the feedback loop that can be performed digitally on the computer. He discussed various projects that have been designed and constructed using digital design that would otherwise be impossible, such as the “Horses Head” that utilized both convex and concave curves. Tristan then discussed several installations that were designed by GA Tech students, including the wood installation inside the Architecture West building, the green installation that was between the Architecture West and Architecture buildings, an oval-shaped flexible “Space Index” that was displayed in the High Museum of Art, the polycarbonate installation in the front of the Architecture West building, and a foam installation that had been constructed. A large emphasis was placed on the importance of digital design in being able to design and construct these installations. Some of the important terms that Tristan discussed include: Rino interface, digital design, computer aided design – computer aided manufacturing, G Code, 3-Axis Router, combinatorics, dynamic, and master builder.

Definitions:
A 3-Axis Router is a router that can cut in x, y, and z dimensions. Having this flexibility enables the router to cut virtually any design or pattern or curve that can be imagined, designed, and drawn into a computer. The router gets its cutting directions from the computer program.

A master builder, according to MBI Corporation (mbi.com/html/mbi_aboutmbi.html), controls the entire process of designing and constructing a building, “from creative concept to the construction management that brings it to completion.” A master builder’s responsibilities include every detail from choosing the building site to budgeting to managing the construction process. In traditional architecture, the architect merely designs the building.

Questions:
1. The installations made by GA Tech students and that were highlighted in this presentation consisted only of wood and some form of plastic/polycarbonate. Can different materials be used with digital design, or is it limited to these materials?
2. How old does this digital design date? It seems like a very recent concept. Is that because specific technology is required, such as a 3-Axis Router, and computer software like Rino Interface?
3. Is digital design limited to relatively smaller installations like those that were discussed in this lecture, or can cubicles or possibly buildings be constructed this way? Is that an option for the future?

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official class list last edited on 15 September 2007 at 5:34 pm by 12.19.35.253

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