        Ivester, Sarah : AssignmentsCudda, Wudda, Shudda: An Essay on ‘Fifth Street’Roads are easy to come by. They’re all over the place. Pavement stretches as far as the eye can see. Highways and Interstates run across the countryside to provide an easy way of transportation from “a” to “b”. It is just a road, a way to travel by. Or could there be more? How many good streets are out there? A street is far different from a road or a highway; it’s a place for homes, a place to jog at six o’clock in the morning. It is a place for small stores and restaurants. Streets are made for the public – pedestrians and those driving through. They break areas up into blocks, neighborhoods, and subdivisions. They represent the past, and foreshadow the possibilities of what may come to reside on them in the future. Trees or streams surround some, while buildings surround others. Block parties, yard sales, and food stands all take part in the streets we pass every day. This is a place for children to play a place for students to walk to school on – a place to meet new people without the feeling of danger. There are plenty of streets that fall under this description, but not many in the city of Atlanta. Fifth Street, however, is an exception. Running through the Georgia Tech campus, Fifth Street is a perfect example of what a street should be. It begins near the baseball field and some of the sorority and fraternity houses of the school and crosses Fowler and Techwood. The street doubles as a bridge over Highway 75, and continues on to Tech Square, where restaurants and other outlet stores can be found. Students walk up and down Fifth Street every day to get to classes. Many run up the hill for exercise, listening to their iPods. At the restaurants, people take their lunch break and eat at the outdoor tables. An amazing thing about public areas such as streets is that the public can use them however they like. Streets are a part of everyday life. Walking a dog, contemplating the weather for the day, and stargazing are all parts of life that are worth waking up for. A street allows the public to slow down to smell the flowers and pay attention to the Christmas lights hung on a house’s front porch. The idea of a street gives a passerby a humble feeling, in contrast to that of a highway with a 70 mph speed limit. While it is still dangerous to be out in the streets of Atlanta at night, the Georgia Tech Campus police try to prevent crime on Fifth Street. It is important to keep the public from fearing violence on a street such as this. The street is near the center of campus so that, hopefully, it is separated from the troubles of Downtown Atlanta. In a way, Fifth Street provides a private area for the public, by providing the stores and dining places for them to be around others, without being bothered by those who are considered uncivil outsiders, meaning the beggars that live around and just inside Atlanta. As streets intersect and come together, they break land up into multiple sections. There are sections of houses, restaurants, the bookstore, houses, and space left unoccupied. The streets act as a barrier to separate these from clashing together to become one. In Atlanta, especially near the Georgia Tech campus, streets tend to have a parallel and perpendicular pattern of intersections, forming a grid- type layout. While this may be convenient for transportation navigation, the streets lose the personality of wandering across the landscape. It is sad to say that 5th Street is one of these boring streets – straight without bend or curve. This system of roads, however, makes it easy to have an obvious “block” on which stores or homes can be built. The “blocks” of this kind have been used for centuries, for example when William Penn laid out Philadelphia’s format. This is a wise plan, since there is no wasted space because of disproportion of side lengths of the area. The plan for Atlanta, as well as the Tech campus, was thoroughly thought out and well organized. All designs start out from a dream. Not necessarily the kind of dream a person has while they are sleeping, but the type that a person comes up with to fill a need. The Fifth Street design was once only an idea that became a reality a long time ago. It provided a safe route from the main campus to Tech Square. Today, there are still buildings on the street that date back to when it was new. With the construction that has just gone on, it is clear that there is still more hope for what the street can become. There is not much space left on the Fifth Street part of campus, but if continued on past Peachtree, there would be more room to build, and it would connect campus to the rest of the city. There could be a better route to get from or come on to campus. This connection could however be detrimental to the privacy and seclusion from the crudity of the outside world. There would be an easier way for the traffic of Downtown to sift through, and possibly create a dangerous atmosphere for the many pedestrians in the area. As one walks down the sidewalk of Fifth Street and looks around, huge buildings such as the Coca-Cola Company can be spotted in the distance. Some of the same style buildings are used right on Fifth Street. It is brilliant how the architecture of its strip can be so similar, and yet so different within a small amount of space. The buildings surrounding it are made of mostly glass, metal, or wood, while there remains a sense of nature with the grassy areas on the bridge. It is not hard to have these different aspects in this area though because of the levelness of the ground. Architects did not have to worry about severely steep ground to work on. There is a perfect harmony between the manmade structures of Tech Square, the trees and grass of Fifth and Fowler, and the sidewalk/greenery on the bridge itself. With the bridge passing over such a busy highway and its proximity to the city, there is usually a large amount of traffic coming from or going to the exit ramps. Most of this traffic stays off of Fifth Street, and only crosses it going northbound on Peachtree and southbound on Spring Street. This one corner provides a breath of fresh air on the drive, as compared to the rest of the street corners, on which people stand and ask for money or have a busy and dangerous streetlight. Fifth Street is well designed to have one- way streets separated by a large space so there is a smaller risk of vehicle accidents. Although the street can be seen as a barrier, it is also a connector: it connects shopping to the houses on campus, and connects the one- way streets to make life easier for those who do not know their way around the crazy roads of this city. This small area of land alongside the street is a low- scale representation of what the inner city looks like. Although this is still part of the urban Atlanta, Fifth Street has the appearance of being suburban. It is easygoing and at a slower pace than the rush of 75. Beyond being a route for transportation, the street has multiple functions. The shops on the street not only provide services to people living nearby or passing through, it also gives jobs to some as their main source of income. These people rely on the street to not only get to work every day, but to actually work on them. They also rely on it to bring in customers, as well as their money. Not all of those walking by have an intention of going into a store. Thanks to the wide sidewalks on both sides of the street, people are able to wander around, only looking at the wonderful things inside. The sidewalks also allow a social institution. The social interaction created by heavily used sidewalks may be the greatest accomplishment of a street. Here, people can converse or choose not to converse with the people living in their area. Being social, many couples or groups of friends are seen walking down these sidewalks, laughing and discussing the curiosities of life. They are also found eating together or drinking coffee from the Barnes and Nobel’s Starbucks. They go in and out of the nail salon or the bank, creating an upbeat tempo on what would be a boring street. Strangers meet and talk about the weather or a recent event in the news. Old friends reunite and share hugs while catching up on how life goes as well as classes. There are people of different gender, race, and religion who all have in common the way to travel on by foot or by car. This street is a place for any person; it does not discriminate on who can use it, whether they live near or far away. For the ones who live in the houses on Fifth Street, the road is part of their home. They see it every day, walk onto it, and run through it. It gives them a location – a street address. They bring friends and family through it when they come over to visit. Where a person lives is an important part of their life because they use it as a sense of direction and familiarity. When someone comes up on his or her home street, there is a warmth that floods over that person that says “home, sweet home” before they even arrive at the house. It’s a good feeling to be on the street that is seen every day, on the way to and from home. As for Fifth Street, even those students who do not live in a house right on the street feel a sense of home because it is one of the main streets on the campus that we spend so much time on. There are many events that take place on Fifth Street. Many of them are college- sponsored events, such as the Homecoming races and “Flicks on Fifth”. During the summer, when there are less students on campus, the school puts together activities to welcome new students and provide some fun for the returning students. Fifth Street is completely closed down to show a movie on a big screen and have a small bazaar of its own, selling popcorn and other snacks. Every day can be viewed as dramatic, though, if someone stopped and just watched all the people walking by. Fifth Street is a crowded place with hundreds of people that go along every day. A street is not just pavement put down to drive over. It has a life and a personality. The architecture of the street and its surrounding buildings give it life by drawing in travelers and shoppers. It is a place for the public to gather and converse. It breaks apart areas to become more organized. It is an example of a city, in smaller form. The past and the future can be assumed just by the look of the street and its surroundings. Fifth Street is what a street should be. It has all of the good qualities of a street, while it still leaves room to improve. It brings together the people working in Atlanta and the students of Georgia Tech. This street is one that gives the appearance of a solitude while it is surrounded by one of the busiest cities in America. It is a sense of home, while it is actually on the campus of a school. Fifth street lives up to everything that it could be, would be, and what it should be. 11.18 Assignment 10.29 Douglas Allen spoke about how the planning of cities differs for the better in today’s society from that of years ago. He focused mainly on the Southwest, and three building types that began there: the pueblo, the mission and the presidio. These three types come from Spanish culture. He also talked about how they came to fit together as a whole. He compared the Southwest to the Northeast building types and showed that the New England cities were build around a center area for the public. There is a more graphical way of laying out a city there. Gunter’s Chain: a geodetic system, formerly popular in Britain and its (former) colonies. It was developed in the 17th century by Edmund Gunter and is still in use today in the United States of America. Presidio: A garrison, especially a fortress of the kind established in the southwest United States by the Spanish to protect their holdings and missions. Pueblo: A type of architecture used by the Pueblos in the Southwest. Their adobe houses are made of clay. Is there any kind of architecture that combines both the southwestern and northeastern buildings? Is there a more modern type of pueblo buildings made today or are they mostly from earlier times? Does it help to use the Southwestern landscape to build that type of architecture or can it be used anywhere? 10.28 Assignment Part 1 In this lecture, Dr. Roozbeh Kangari described how building construction integrates the jobs of the different systems of the regulator, developer, owner or investor, contractor or builder, urban planner, the architect, operator, and engineer. He talks about how a project comes out as a whole, or holistic thinking. Part 2 Stakeholders – the people or groups that are investing in the project. These are the owners, architects, engineers, general contractors, building operators, and the building managers. Holistic thinking – paying attention to how a system works as a whole, and not so much to the individual parts. Traditional Project Communication – the contractor is the main person, acting as a center point of communications between the different systems of the project. Part 3 Dr. Kangari asks us to think about how integrating the construction and management of a project could help the project to be more efficient. Building construction already has such a wide range of knowledge, it would be better if it could all be wrapped up into one big job. Industril Design Part 1 The main focus of this lecture was to show how a person’s need for a product affects the value of the product. What the consumer needs also affects how a product is built and how it is used. It is based on the functions of an object also and what is the most efficient way to get a job done. Part 2 Sensual objects – they are designed mostly to attract the attention of a person Retail designer – a person who combines an architecture degree and an ID degree to study the way an object defines spaces. Conceptualization – coming up with an idea for a product and making a design that will make the product work most efficiently for its need. Part 3 Industrial design is used to solve problems and make life easier. For people in ID there must be a problem to solve. They work with factors such as materials, technology, availability of the product, the cost, and the efficiency of the product. They solve problems while looking at the market to make the balance in its economic values. 10.12 Baade, Robert A., Robert Baumann, and Victor Matheson. “Estimating the Economic Impact of Natural and Social Disasters, with an Application to Hurricane Katrina.” Urban Studies Vol. 44 Issue 11 (Oct. 2007): 2061-2076. Gill, Duane A. “Disaster Research and Hurricane Katrina: Guest Editor’s Introduction.” Sociological Spectrum Vol. 27 Issue 6 (Nov 2007): 609-612. Heath, Brad. “Katrina Evacuees Feel Money Pinch.” USA Today, Oct. 8, 2007, News Section. Becker, Christine. “New Orleans Students Design Playground to be Built During Congress of Cities.” Nation’s Cities Weekly Vol. 30 Issue 39 (Oct. 1, 2007): 1-12. Picou, J. Steven. “Social Impacts of Hurricane Katrina on Displaced K-12 Students and Educational Institutions in Coastal Alabama Counties: Some Preliminary Observations.” Sociological Spectrum Vol. 27 Issue 6 (Nov 2007): 767-780. The United States Government Accountability Office. Hurricane Katrina : EPA’s Current and Future Environmental Protection Efforts Could be Enhanced by Addressing Issues and Challenges Faced on the Gulf Coast. : Report to Congressional Committees. Washington D.C.: U.S. Govt. Accountability Office, 2007. United States Congress, House, and Committee on Energy and Commerce. Hurricane Katrina’s Effect on Gasoline Supply and Prices: Hearing Before the Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, One Hundred Ninth Congress, First Session, September 7, 2005. Washington D.C.: U.S. G.P.O., 2005. Rozario, Kevin. The Culture of Calamity: Disaster and the Making of Modern America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007. United States Dept. of Energy, Office of Audit Services. The Department of Energy’s use of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in Response to Hurricane Katrina and Rita. Washington D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Audit Services, 2006. United States Congress, Senate, and Committee on Finance. The Future of the Gulf Coast: Using Tax Policy to Help Rebuild Businesses and Communities and Support Families After Disasters: Hearing Before he Committee of Finance, United States Senate, One Hundred Ninth Congress, First Session, October 6, 2005. Washington D.C.: U.S. G.P.O., 2006 Ettlinger, Nancy. “Bringing Democracy Home: Post-Katrina New Orleans,” Antipode Vol. 39 Issue 1 (2007): 8-16. Lukensmeyer, Carolyn J. “Large-scale citizen engagement and the rebuilding of New Orleans,” National Civic Review Vol. 96 Issue 3 (2007): 3-15. Dugan, Bridget. “Loss of Identity in Disaster: How Do You Say Goodbye to Home?” Perspectives in Psychiatric Care Vol. 43 Issue 1 (2007) 41-46. Krane, N. Kevin. “Medical Education in Post-Katrina New Orleans,”. Journal of the American Medical Association Vol. 298 Issue 9 (2007) 1052-1055. Dunham, Kemba J. “Most Affordable Housing in New Orleans Is in Jeopardy,” Wall Street Journal Vol. 249 Issue 84 (2007). Zuckerman, Mortimer B. “Uncalm After the Storm,” U.S. News & World Report Vol. 139, Issue 9 (2005): 60. Anonymous. “After the Flood,” The Nation Vol. 285, Issue 7 (2007): 3. Carson, Wendy. “After Katrina: The Depopulation of New Orleans,” Objector (2006): 3. Littlefield, Robert S. “Crisis Leadership and Hurricane Katrina: The Portrayal of Authority by the Media in Natural Disasters,” Journal of Applied Communication Research Vol. 35, Issue 1 (2007): 26. Ilel. Neille. “A Healthy Dose of Anarchy I,” Reason Vol. 38, Issue 7 (2006): 49. Ward, Jon. “Democrats to push Steele-Katrina link; Party aims to secure black vote,” The Washington Times (2006): A01. Pyburn, Allison. “Insurance industry, FEMA absorb post Hurricane Katrina losses,” Asset Securitization Report (2006). Penick, George. “Katrina: A Year Later; Mississippi Comeback,” Los Angeles Times (2006): Part M, 3. Eaton, Leslie. “Katrina Victims Find a Solution: Modular House,” The New York Times (2007): 1. Katz, Bruce “The State of New Orleans,” The New York Times (2005) Wednesday, Section A; Column 1; Editorial Desk; Op-Chart; 33. Hart, Philip S. “Minority Developers and New Orleans.” Urban Land Vol.65 Issue 10 (2006): 155-159. Bergeron, Angelle. “Morphosis Unveils Plan for Downtown New Orleans.” Architectural Record Vol.194 Issue 7 (2006) 25. Simpson, Jeffery. “New Day in New Orleans: Post-Katrina, The City's Antiques Dealers exhibit resiliency seasoned with Uncertainty.” Architectural Digest Vol.64 Issue 3 (2007): 40,44,46,50,52. Gordon, Susan H. “New Orleans Musicians get Sound new Housing.” Architectural Record Vol.195, Issue 6 (2007): 42. McKee, Bradford. “New Orleans Recovery Plan Released.” Architect Washington, D.C. Vol. 96, Issue 6 (2007) : 20. Lewis, Pierce F., et.al “New Orleans: The Making of an Urban Landscape.” Arris: Journal of the Southeast Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians Vol.17 (2006): 67. Olshansky, Robert B. “Planning after Hurricane Katrina.” Journal of the American Planning Association Spring, Vol.72 Issue 2 (2006): 147-153. Maret, Isabelle. “The New Orleans Experience: Can we Rebuild a Fair Education System?” Archithese Vol.37 Issue 2 (2007): 58-61. Curtis, Wayne. “Urban Renewal: The Demand for Low-income Housing is Soaring in New Orleans - So Why are Historic Housing Projects Facing the Wrecking Ball?” Preservation: The Magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation Vol.59 Issue 2 (2007): 13-15. Zell, Jennifer. “Visions of Green: What Role Will Parks and Open Space Play in a Rebuilt New Orleans?” Landscape Architecture Volume 97, Issue 3 (2007): 100-103. 9.17 This lecture was about how architecture impacts Americans. The main topic of the lecture was about the health of these people and how the architecture affects their daily exercise. He discussed a study on how many people would use stairs over an elevator, and what differences can be made to increase the number of people using the stairs. There are different factors that can help this problem, like the color of the walls and the type of music played in the stairwell. He mentioned ways that could save many people’s lives and be less costly that can be used soon in the future. Layout and Configuration: Order that impacts walking behavior at the building level. By making buildings longer or by eliminating “shortcuts,” people would be force to exert more physical activity. Obesity— 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. Family zone—area for family to stay with patient within the patient’s hospital room. This area may include a desk, TV, couch to sleep on, and wireless access on the internet so the family can have small comforts while staying with a patient. How would you be able to prove that the expenses would be less with this new technology than the expenses of people’s medications? What more can there be that can be beneficial to everyone in the community? Is your research being used by other architects to make this problem better, or do they not take this idea not taken into serious consideration? 9.19 In this lecture, Ruth Dusseault shows pictures she had taken of the construction of the new Atlantic Station area. She presented her pictures from the beginning of the deconstruction all the way through to the end after people had already moved into the apartments in the area. She also gave her opinion on what she thought the design of the new buildings should look like and what should be done with the old buildings. Utopian – In short, Paradise. Greek for “a place that does not exist.” Designers want everything to be a perfect paradise. Substructure – A structure which is a component and contained within and larger Structure. On the context of Atlantic Station, this could be applied to the underground parking garage which supports everything on the street level. Modernism – Taking away the old and turning into new. Such as demolishing the old Steel Mill and creating the modern Atlantic Station. How can the view of a photographer help out with the construction or architectural point of view? Is there a specific job for people who want to take pictures of construction sites? How do you think that Atlantic Station could have been built better so that it would be more appealing to live by? 9.26 This lecture was about Palladio and his many famous buildings. He came up with many ideas that are commonly used today. He uses a Roman style for most of his buildings. The main point was about how Palladio effects the style of architecture today. Music Theory- the analyzing, classifying, and composing of music Plan- drawings which have a specific scale and are drawn as if viewing from above Composition in planes- the designing of a building in layers How much dos Palladio effect architecture today? Did Palladio have any influences on his style? Did Palladio do any other type of art that is well known? 8.29.07 Lecture: This lecture was a collection of seven lectures, each given by different people from different firms. A similarity among them, however, was their work with classical design. Mostly, the guest speakers informed us that their work was done on high-end residential and commercial buildings. There is some construction of neighborhoods that is being built with a classical theme. The speakers also went into different style types such as “new”, “classical”, and “traditional”, and different architecture inspirations, like locations such as Italy and artists like Michealangelo. Definitions: Classical design: (of an architectural design) simple, reposeful, well-proportioned, or symmetrical in a manner suggesting the architecture of ancient Greece and Rome. Traditional design: a body of knowledge and design technique, created by the experience of our predecessors, and given to us as a guide. It is there for us to use and modify for our contemporary needs and to hand on, hopefully enriched, to our successors. Speculations: Classical architecture can be very expensive. Is there a more affordable substitution for this type? If classical architecture is so important in design today, why do we not study it more closely in school? Is there another type of architecture that can be used with classical that would complement it? 8.31.07 Lecture: This lecture was about the Solar Decathlon. Georgia Tech is entering in the international Solar Decathlon by building a house run completely on solar power. It saves energy and recycles water so they do not harm nature. The speaker talked about the design of the house and how they were going to build it. He explained how the house would go up, and about what they would do to try to beat the competition. There were many words that I did not know the meaning; descriptive of the house or types of materials that I had never heard of. Definitions: Decathlon - an athletic contest consisting of ten different events Photovoltaic - Capable of producing a voltage when exposed to radiant energy, especially light. Speculations: If everyone started relying off solar energy, would the prices go down on solar equipment, or would it rise? How much difference does it make in which the panels are pointed on how well they receive light? Is there any way that an average sized house could run completely on solar energy? 9.5.07 Lecture: This lecture was about CADCAM, which stands for Computer Aided Design Computer Aided Manufacturing. Our speaker mainly focused on the way that computer design can help in making models and turning them into the real thing. This is a newer and easier way to design quickly and efficiently. Some things that I learned from the speech were about different fabrications, prototyping, master builder, and modular design. Definitions: Fabrications - To construct by combining or assembling diverse, typically standardized parts Prototyping - The creation of a model and the simulation of all aspects of a product Speculations: Is this something that will be taught to all students going through the architecture program, since it is so important? Does this technology make it easy enough that any person could learn to design a major piece, or is it still specified for those working in an architecture field? Are there any aspects of the program that are not as good as the “old fashioned” way of design? Installation One: Description: Installation one is located in front of the West Architecture Building. The polycarbonate structure is like a mess of plastic coke-can packaging. It rests just on the concrete edge of the patio, and expands out onto brick. Although it looks as if the structure rests on the edge of the wall, there are support wires that hold the heaviest area from above. Multiple weavings of the polycarbonate are attached together by nuts, bolts, and rivets. One end comes together and is flattened out to bring the piece together. As it progresses, it spreads upward and wraps halfway around the nearby column. The once-translucent art is now still smooth, but brown with age and dirt. It reflects light, but also allows it to filter through the openings between the strips of polycarbonate. Since the piece is located outside, it was made to withstand different types of weather, including rain and sunshine. Speculation: The motivation of the making of these installations was to design something that would be appealing to people passing by, and to attract their attentions. It also seems that the constructors of the installation were experimenting with computer software and with the different ways that they could make the polycarbonate move and take shape. Because the piece was most likely too heavy to rest on the ground and on part of the building, they added cables to help keep it up. Installation Two: Description: Installation two is located inside the West Architecture Building. At first glance, it looks like a stylish bench right inside the side doors. Looking closer, however, it actually continues upward to the third floor. It is a flowing piece of woodwork that bends and curves like a ribbon. Even as it falls from the ceiling and hits the floor, there is a bulge from this contact. This puzzle of boards was put together with screws and lap joints, and labeled with a letter and number system. From one view, the installation is translucent because, like a fence, light can shine right through it. From the other side, it cannot be looked through. At some places it looks like a fan because of the way that the boards bend in front or behind it. The wide, side edges of the planks are smooth while the edges are rough. Speculation: While this installation is creative, it is also useful. Many students and faculty members use it as a bench and it also has an interesting attachment to the second floor. On the first and third floors the piece rests on the floor. It is a good way to express the designers’ creativity. It gives an example of the vertical and horizontal aspects of architecture. It flows over the edges of the different floors and sways as it does so. Link to this Page
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