        Hogue, Rebekah : AssignmentsRebekah HogueCOA 1060 Professor Khan 26 Nov. 2007 Cudda Wudda Shudda: An Essay on Fifth Street Though they are used every day by people from all walks of life, streets seem to rarely receive much thought. Their basic purpose: to convey people in their automobiles from place to place, is merely the beginning of a myriad of uses. Streets serve as grids, boundaries, meeting places, and living spaces to the people who use them, and are very often taken for granted. Streets are a large part of a person’s surroundings, and a person’s surroundings influence their psyche. The appearance of these surroundings can determine what type of activities take place there, how many and what type of people can be found there, and how those people feel there. The Fifth Street area between the Biltmore Hotel and the Klaus Building is an excellent example of the success possible when various organizations and vested interests collaborate to create an area appealing to the wants, needs, minds, and eyes of individuals. This success can easily be seen when compared to a spot where less attention has been paid, such as the area between the North Avenue Marta Station at Peachtree Street and Cherry Street on North Avenue. These streets are parallel and separated by a few blocks, and the areas mentioned are located roughly across from each other. However, the bridges on these streets that span I-75/85 are vastly different, as well as the sidewalks and roads leading to and from them, which only serves to highlight the achievements made on Fifth Street. In order to clearly determine whether or not the investment into Fifth Street has been a success, the goals developers were trying to reach must be examined. First, the street was to serve as a thoroughfare to be shared by both pedestrians and automobilists. This was accomplished by widening the sidewalks and adding amenities such as benches and crosswalks for walkers. This invites people to walk along the streets and increases potential sales for the various businesses along the streets. By simply increasing the space in which pedestrians move around, both the economy, number of users, and types of activity of the street are improved. In contrast, the sidewalks of North Avenue are narrow, dirty, and barely wide enough for two to walk comfortably abreast. The feeling of being crowded and very close to the road creates an anxious, hurried mindset for those using the sidewalks and consequently fewer people use them. As a result of this, businesses along this street are much less geared toward pedestrians, and more toward drivers. For example, between the Marta Station and Cherry Street, key businesses include a drive in restaurant, a gas station, and a hotel. Each of these is more likely to attract a person in a car than a person on foot. Other places to eat include a Subway and a Kentucky Fried Chicken. These places are more likely to be visited by a business man picking up a quick lunch than someone looking for a sit down meal. On Fifth Street at Technology Square, however, all of the businesses appeal to those on foot. In fact, the lack of convenient parking ensures that they are mainly used by pedestrians. In this relatively small space, at least five sit-down restaurants are located, and three or four shops can be found as well. Even with the flurry of activity for people on Fifth Street, it still remains a fairly busy road. Well placed and timed stop lights help control the flow of both traffic and walkers, and balances the power between users. On North Avenue, though there are lights and crosswalks, there is still a feeling of danger for those on foot. Due to this sense of peril, people walking are less likely to fully respect crossing signals in an effort to reach their destination as quickly as possible. Obviously, this haste preempts any other thoughts a pedestrian might have toward taking in or even enjoying their surroundings, which is the complete opposite of the case on Fifth Street. In this context, it is abundantly clear that the Tech Square Developers and all other parties involved achieved their goal of a harmonious place for both walkers and drivers on Fifth Street. A second and perhaps more specific goal for Fifth Street was that the bridge over the Interstate appeal to pedestrians. The means of reaching this goal was a multi-million dollar facelift that included widening the sidewalks and adding green space and attractive sound barriers. Prior to this remodeling, the Fifth Street Bridge looked much like the North Avenue Bridge does today. It also shared many of the same problems. The narrow sidewalks along the North Avenue Bridge make it uncomfortable and even dangerous to cross during times of heavy traffic. The low concrete barrier and chain-link fence serving as a barrier on the side allow walkers to both see and hear the busy highway below. This unappealing feature also contributes to feelings of anxiety, haste, or fear a person may experience crossing the bridge. The noise from the interstate prevents walkers from using cell phones or carrying on conversations with each other, which could be a major deterrent from using that path. On the whole, the area is just aesthetically unappealing, which causes pedestrians to avoid spending much time there. All of these issues have been addressed in the design and construction of the new bridge on Fifth Street. The sidewalk has been widened to match that of Tech Square and, in doing so, has made it much more comfortable for students and other pedestrians to walk back and forth from campus. Beyond these widened sidewalks a grassy margin has been added and terraced retaining walls have been built and planted with foliage to block noise. Benches along the way add seating and an additional reason for walkers to spend more time in this area. The result of all of this is that it is nearly impossible to hear or see the Interstate running beneath the bridge. This adds to the appeal of the area: students can spend time here talking, reading, or just enjoying their surroundings; it is not uncommon to see families tailgating here before games, and at no point does that sense of fear or hurriedness come into play here. It seems almost a completely different world than North Avenue, although both areas are within seeing distance of one another, and this difference can be seen in the number of people who use each and the number of ways in which they use them. A third goal the developers of this area were trying to accomplish was to make the span between the Biltmore and Klaus a unified, inviting location for both pedestrians and drivers to enjoy. Several factors of the area’s renovation help achieve this goal. Firstly, the wide, decorative walkway that continues for the entire length of the area ensures continuity between the campus, the bridge, and Tech Square. The addition of trees and other plants along the edge of the sidewalk helps create a feeling of separation from the road. These features create a nice ambience for the area that causes people to actually enjoy using the space and encourages them to spend more time here. On North Avenue, however, this is not the case. Once a person crosses the bridge, he has a definite sense of leaving campus and entering Atlanta: not a particularly nice part of Atlanta at that. Although it is mere blocks from Fifth Street, the lack of attractive scenery, functional walking spaces, and other safe, inviting qualities allows one to feel as though he is miles away from the “nice” part of town. Anyone walking or riding along Fifth Street, however, would not feel that the area is in anyway run down or decrepit. The Fifth Street Bridge is meant to serve as a connector between the city and the campus, and it definitely accomplishes this purpose. Georgia Tech is unique in that the school has a traditional styled campus in the middle of a metropolitan area, whereas other schools located in big cities, such as Georgia State, often seem more like random buildings sprinkled amongst a larger urban region. Fifth Street joins the campus and city seamlessly. While at Tech Square, one is reminded of the campus but still open to all that the city has to offer beginning at Peachtree Street. Unfortunately the abrupt division between the campus and city found at the North Avenue Bridge creates no continuation of Georgia Tech into Atlanta. The appearance of a place greatly impacts how people feel about the location, how they use it, and how they treat it. This is clearly evidenced in the comparison between Fifth Street and North Avenue. Fifth Street appeals to not only the eye but also the senses in a very positive way, while North Avenue does not. Fifth Street is an area that members of the Georgia Tech Community can be proud of, and is therefore kept neat and clean and a great effort is made to do so. Trash receptacles are conveniently located all around this area and most people found here are willing to do their part to keep it nice. The same cannot be said, unfortunately, for North Avenue. Here, trash can be seen lining the gutters, and most people are in too big of a hurry or just do not care enough to do anything about it. This area in general is not as well kept up as Fifth Street which probably is caused by and causes the indifference towards it. To revitalize an area takes a great amount of effort, time, and money. It is difficult in some cases to tell whether it is worth the investment to try and revamp places like Fifth Street and North Avenue. In the case for Fifth Street, it is clear that this venture has paid off. Due to its new look, Fifth Street now serves to bring people together for events such as Flicks on Fifth, which would not be the case if the area were less appealing. It is out of the question to try and do anything like that on North Avenue because that street is meant to serve motorists and they would be severely inconveniences if the street were closed for any reason. In addition, because that area is not necessarily considered safe or appealing, very few people would attend such an event, rendering it a waste of money. So, why Fifth Street instead of North Avenue? Several factors make Fifth Street a better candidate for remodeling than North Avenue. First, Fifth Street dead ends into Peachtree, creating a defined start point for the area. Second, it runs into campus, creating a reason for developers to want to make it nice. North Avenue is an extremely long, busy street, which introduces many more factors into a redesign: Where should it start? Stop? What should be focused on? How will any changes affect other areas of this street? Fifth Street, on the other hand, is a well contained area that is adjacent to campus, making it a prime choice for improvement on the whole. Because it adjoins the campus, a fundamental pedestrian base- students- was already established. These pedestrians are also consumers, so the businesses at Tech Square had every reason to want to create and appealing place for them. In the end, Fifth Street is just in a better location to appeal to more people than North Avenue, which is why such a big investment has been made there. Streets are an integral part of everyday life for nearly all people. They have a multitude of uses ranging from gathering places to thoroughfares, and how they appear can affect everything from the mind to the body. In a city like Atlanta, the streets can be as diverse as the people, and perhaps one of the best examples of this is shown in the juxtaposition of Fifth Street and North Avenue. Though these two streets are extremely close together, they are worlds apart as far as appeal and use are concerned. The first serves as a hang-out and a meeting place, as well as a means to facilitate transportation, while the other does only this. One is considered a nice place to spend time at, while the other is a place where one might spend the least amount of time possible. By these comparisons, it is clear that Fifth Street is superior to North Avenue in many ways. In the achievements of Fifth Street illustrated here, it is also clear that all those involved in the redesign and remodeling of Fifth Street reached and possibly surpassed their goal to make it a unifying, useful, and appealing public space. 10-10 Intro to Architecture Playback The lecturer introduced us to the Architecture program at Georgia Tech as well as explained the profession. Some important concepts discussed include The distinction between “architecture” and “ordinary building”. Some important terms mentioned include re-presenting, centers, multiple centers, and nested hierarchies. Look Up Centers – the focal point or nucleus of a building or complex’s design. IN most cases these centers reflect the political or social views of the time. For example, Versailles was designed, with the king’s domain at the center because he was the most important figure of society as well as the government. However, UVA was designed with multiple centers to reflect the democratic views of the time. Nested hierarchies – this is shown in the design of the UVA campus. There is the overall hierarchy shown by the buildings surrounding the lawn with the library at the end; highlighting the importance of knowledge, then there are the classrooms, faculty, and student housing clustered in the surrounding buildings Radial axes- multiple symmetrical axes radiating from a central point Speculate The concept of an ordinary building versus an architectural work is one of the most fundamental issues in the architectural profession. There are many variables to be considered before he begins to design. In order for the design to be a success, the building must be not only structurally sound, but also aesthetically appealing and intriguing to the viewer. 10-15 Intro to Building Construction Playback This lecture introduced the field of building construction and its corresponding program at Georgia Tech. Important concepts covered in the discussion included the curriculum of the program, the integration of the phases of project development, and different fields of construction. Look Up “Master Builder”- A contractor who oversees all phases of project development in order to foster cooperation between builders and designers to ensure the best outcome for the owner. A/E/C- Architectural, Engineering, Construction the act of creating firms which contain all aspects of construction. Procurements- Acquiring or obtaining property, material, or services at an operational level. Speculation A primary professionally issue in the field of building construction is the integration of building phases and the cooperation between different groups involved in a project. As a discipline, is there any was building construction could be made more compatible with other groups (designers, architects, etc). 10-22 Intro to Industrial Design This lecturer defined ID as the creation and development of products/systems that optimize function, value and appearance for the benefits of both the user and manufacturer. Some important concepts explained were the meaning of the word “industrial”, what makes a good design, and how the senses are involved in design. Look Up IDSA- The Industrial Designers Society of America; the governing body of industrial design. Humanization- adding properties to products that make them relevant and useful in everyday life. Catalyst- something that incites an action or change. Speculation The discipline of ID deals with how products are designed and what they are designed for. These issues are also addressed under in the profession of design, only they are more specifically designed for a client. Research Project Bibliography “Anything but 'Easy'; As 2nd Anniversary of Katrina Approaches, New Orleans' Money Woes, Corruption and Other Challenges Complicate Its Recovery”. Newsday. 26 Aug. 2007. NexisLexis Academic. 10 Oct. 2007. “Shelter From the Storm: Repairing the National Emergency Management System after Hurricane Katrina”. Ed. William L. Waugh Jr. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 2006. GIL Universal Catalog. 2007. 11 Oct. 2007. “The New Orleans Hurricane Protection System: What Went Wrong and Why: A Report by the American Society of Civil Engineers Hurricane Katrina External Review Panel”. GIL Universal Catalog. 2007. 11 Oct. 2007. Baade, Robert A. et al. “Estimating the Economic Impact of Natural and Social Disasters, with an Application to Hurricane Katrina”. Urban Studies. Oct .2007. EbscoHost. 11 Oct. 2007. Bennett, W. Lance. When the Press Fails: Political Power and the News Media from Iraq to Katrina. Chicago: U of Chicago Press, 2007. Bernstein, Fred A. “Living Small, but Living Well”. The New York Times. 6 Nov. 2006. LexisNexis Academic. 11 Oct. 2007. Burt, Martha, Susan J. Popkin, and Margery A. Turner. “Rebuilding Affordable Housing in New Orleans: The Challenge of Creating Inclusive Communities”. Urban Institute. Feb. 2006. 11 Oct. 2007. Gerfen, Katie. “Greening New Orleans”. Architecture. Oct 2006. Vol.95. No.10, pp.16. Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals. 2007. 11 Oct. 2007. Harris, Marlys. "You Can't Go Home Again. " Money 1 Sep. 2007: 114. ABI/INFORM Global. ProQuest. 12 Oct. 2007 Heath, Brad. “La. to Buy 19000 Ruined Homes”. USA Today. 18 Sept. 2007. EbscoHost. 10 Oct. 2007. Herman, Ken. “Make New Orleans Better than it Was, City Leaders Urge: Anniversary of Katrina Brings Calls to Tackle Poverty and Racism”. National Post. 30 Aug. 2006. LexisNexis Academic. 10 Oct. 2007. Herrick, Thaddeus. “Katrina Recovery May Aid Factory-Built Homes”. Wall Street Journal Abstracts. 12 July 2006. LexisNexis Academic. 10 Oct. 2007. Holzer, Harry, Robert I. Lerman. “Employment Issues and Challenges in Post-Katrina New Orleans”. Urban Institute. 10 Feb. 2006. 11 Oct. 2007. Jacobs, Karrie. “Drop in the Bucket: The Number of Housing Initiatives Currently Under Way in New Orleans is Impressive, but Without Active Federal Involvement They Fall Well Short of the Urgent Need”. Metropolis. Feb.2007, Vol. 26. No.6, pp.50-52. EbscoHost. 11 Oct. 2007. Kates, R. W. et al. “Reconstruction of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina: A Research Perspective”. PNAS. Vol. 103. No. 40, 14653-60. 3 Oct. 2006. 11 Oct. 2007. Kennedy, Shaun, James Murdock. “Remaking New Orleans, Without Losing Its Past”. Architectural Record. Vol. 195, No. 6 pp. 85-86. Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals. June 2007. 11 Oct. 2007. Kevin Fox Gotham. "(Re)Branding the Big Easy: Tourism Rebuilding in Post-Katrina New Orleans. " Urban Affairs Review 42.6 (2007): 823-850. Research Library. ProQuest. 12 Oct. 2007 Markels, Alex. "Down and Out in New Orleans. " U.S. News & World Report 10 Sep. 2007: 12. Research Library. ProQuest. 12 Oct. 2007 McCann, David. "New Plan for New Orleans. " Meeting News 24 Sep. 2007: 1,56. ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry. ProQuest. 12 Oct. 2007 Monchaux, Thomas de. “Easy Being Green: Post-Katrina, A Resource Center Teaches Eco-friendly Buiding on a Budget”. ID: Magazine of International Design. Mar.-Apr 2007. Vol.54. No.2, pp.30. Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals. 2007. 11 Oct. 2007. Pilkey, Orrin H., Robert S. Young. “Will Hurricane Katrina Impact Shoreline Management? Here's Why It Should”. Journal of Coastal Research. Vol. 21, No. 6 pp. iii–x. BioOne. Sept. 2005. Pratt, Lloyd. “New Orleans and Its Storm: Exception, Example, or Event?”. American Literary History. 2007. EbscoHost. 11 Oct. 2007. Ramroth, William G. Planning for Disaster: How Natural and Manmade Disasters Shape the Built Environment. New York: Kaplan, 2007. Reid, Andy. "Reservoir cost could jump $350 million: Now qualified as a dam, the structure could cost as much as $750 million. " Knight Ridder Tribune Business News 11 October 2007. ABI/INFORM Dateline. ProQuest. 12 Oct. 2007 Schooling and the Politics of Disaster. Ed. Kenneth J. Saltman. New York: Routledge, 2007. GIL Universal Catalog¬.2007. 11 Oct. 2007. Sokol, David. ” New Architecture for Katrina-ravaged Town”. Architectural Record. Sept. 2006. Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals. 11 Oct. 2007. Solnit, Rebecca. “The Lower Ninth Battles Back”. Nation., Vol. 285. Issue 7, pp.13-17. 10 Sept. 2007. EbscoHost. 11 Oct. 2007. Surprenant, Lisa et al. “Rebuilding After the Gulf Coast Hurricane: Sustainable Communities Using Energy Efficiency”. ICF International. 11 Oct. 2007 Wilson, Alex. “An Ecological Vision for Rebuilding New Orleans: Planning for a Cleaner, Greener Crescent City”. Landscape Architecture. Jan. 2006. Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals. 11 Oct. 2007. Yardley, Jonathan. “A Bad Dream Made Real: Nighttime in the City of New Orleans”. The Washington Post. 26 Aug. 2007. LexisNexis Academic. 11 Oct. 2007. 9.17 Architecture, Culture, and Design Part 1 1. The speaker in this presentation discussed design as it applies to cities, sites, and building planning. 2. The speaker began by discussing various population factors that are considered during this type of design (BMI, average exercise, social and physical factors) and then moved into describing how those factors are incorporated. He gave examples of how this type of design is used to make hospitals safer and more user friendly to cut down on accidents and reduce the accidental spread of disease. 3. Some important concepts of this lecture were Activity-Friendly Building, Maximum Standardization, and Acuity-Adaptable Rooms Part 2 1. Activity-Friendly Building- The speaker explained that this is a type of design that takes into account the various population factors in order to create buildings that promote active living. 2. Maximum Standardization- When discussing the different types of design options for increasing safety and convenience in hospitals, he stressed that it was important to choose options that allowed for maximum standardization, or that presented the best opportunities to be adapted into mainstream use. 3. Acuity-Adaptable Rooms.- The speaker used this term when describing the user friendly design for hospital rooms. This type of design accommodates family, physician, and patient needs as well as addresses efficiency, safety, and convenience issues. Part 3 1. What research opportunities are available for further study in this area of design? 2. What area of study would best prepare me for a better understanding of this field? 3. How competitive is the job market for this field? 4. Does acuity-adaptable design fit into any other industries besides healthcare? Classical Architecture In this lecture, the speakers discussed their various professions and interests in the field of Classical Architecture. Each person presented their own experiences and gave examples of work they have done. Some concepts that were present throughout the entire presentation were the idea of using classical architecture to create high-end residential or seemingly high-end residential housing and residential, classic looking neighborhoods. Some terms introduced by this lecture include Katrina Cottage, which is the nickname for the affordable, classically designed homes being built in the gulf coast, and vernacular, which is the application of an areas unique culture to the design process. Questions raised include disciplinary: How does classical architecture fit into the larger field of architecture? professional: Where is the demand for this particular type of design? and pedagogical: What should students be learning to incorporate classical design? Solar Decathlon In his lecture on the Solar Decathlon, the speaker discussed Georgia Tech’s design for a self-powered home. He presented to us the plans the team used to build the house and discussed the design and fabrication processes involved in completing the project. He also explained various challenges and obstacles and how the team dealt with them. Some important concepts the speaker went over were sustainability and the incorporation of solar design principles. Two terms from the lecture were photovoltaic, which simply means solar powered, and off the grid, which means that the home does not use city power. Questions raised by this lecture would be disciplinary: How does one design for an energy efficient and independent home? professional: What kind of market or demand for this type of design is there? and pedagogical: What methods or thought processes must be taught to incorporate this type of design? Digital Design and Manufacturing This lecturer discussed how projects are taken from the design stage to manufacturing and all the processes that takes. He explained how projects like the two installations at the architecture building go from through to fabrication and the people and technology involved. He detailed each person’s responsibility and explained various computer programs and machinery used to complete each project. Some important concepts the speaker discussed were the feedback loop: the process by which designs are simulated, prototyped and then rethought, and the emergent design process: the iterative process that incorporates such feedback loops. Two terms from this lecture were CAD and CAM, which are computer aided design and composition. The questions raised by this lecture were: disciplinary; which fields are most involved in digital design and manufacturing? professional; what jobs involve digital design and manufacturing? pedagogical; what curriculum should be added for students to be familiarized with digital design and manufacturing? Installation 1 On the terrace outside the architecture building is an installation composed of clear plastic and screws. Sheets of polycarbonate are stacked in a dense bench-like pile on the concrete edge of the terrace and from there on they fan out into swirls of plastic that flow around the columns and other structure s of the area outside the building. These swirls look as though they are being blown away from the dense part of the installation by the wind. This piece starts at a relatively small scale and ends up very large; taking up nearly two stories. An interesting quality of this installation is that a viewer looks at it from right to left when most things are viewed in the opposite matter. This tendency is due to it being designed to be densest on the right side. Another thing to note about this structure is its interaction with its surroundings. Being made from clear plastic, the structure reacts to heat, cold, light, and dark. It changes as the environment around it changes, which is something of interest to a viewer. Many things could have motivated this installation: environmental elements such as the amount of light or plants and other materials surrounding the space, or aesthetic elements such as the way it would be viewed from both inside and outside the building, as well as artistic elements such as what would look best in the space and what would make the most creative impact on its viewers. All of these things would have to be considered when researching and designing the installation. In the end, the structure ends up reminding the viewer of leaves, streamers, or papers being blown away by the breeze. However, another good quality about the installation is that it is very unobtrusive. Since it is clear, people inside can see the things behind it, and people outside can see inside the building. This is important since it is outside and it would not be good to have the terrace be very confined. Overall, the structure is very appealing without being too conspicuous. Installation 2 Upon entering the architecture building, a unique artifact immediately catches the eye: it is a plywood installation cascading into a bench in the middle of the atrium. This installation flows from the third floor to the ground level and can be seen from a variety of places throughout the building. It is made of curved wooden planks bolted together with spaces in between. These spaces make the figure seem less dense, but the installation is still a dominating feature in the building. Though the compressed wood and tempered bolts that compose this structure are both synthetic products, the installation itself has very soft, natural qualities. Looking up at the piece from the first floor, the curving wood seems to flow very much like water. Examining it from top to bottom, it is almost as though it transforms from something obscure to concrete. It seems to begin as something faraway, soft, and untouchable, but as the eye moves down towards the ground, this installation rushes downward, quickly becoming something far more tangible and ultimately functional as the piece culminates in a bench. This bench allows people to interact with the installation, which is an additional interesting quality. Another striking characteristic of this piece is its consistency: no matter what is happening in the building, whether there are two people around or twenty, whether it is hot or cold, night or day, it always remains constant. It can almost be seen as an anchor in what can be a very busy, harried place. There are many reason such an artifact may have been designed for this space. Overall, the atrium can seem stark and somewhat dim, but the warm wood and interesting, calming cascades of the piece add a point of attention in what might otherwise be a very plain area. The designers of this installation would have to consider many questions when planning their project: What would best utilize all of the space available? What would be an effective way to make the space more interesting? What materials would best suit this project and also draw the most attention? During their design process, they would have had to consider how the installation would be viewed from all vantages in the building and what would look best. The piece is reminiscent of cascading water, which is a very interesting effect to create using the materials employed in this project. Link to this Page
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