Mangum, Karen : Assignments

Mangum, Karen : Assignments

Cudda Wudda Shudda: An Essay on 'Fifth Street'

Fifth Street from Biltmore to Klaus has recently undergone a transformation from narrow sidewalks and little to no pedestrian amenities. The lack of space for pedestrians made the area unattractive to “wander” down and “check out”. The area was in its simplest form a means to separate city blocks and move traffic with the facilitation of an identity and local business as secondary. The transformation has given the area a new feel and energy that is positive for not only the residents but local businesses as well.
Recently, the area has undergone a transformation or revitalization in the layout of the street and to an extent re-defined the area’s purpose for both auto and pedestrian traffic. In reviewing the renewal project of Fifth Street, one needs to approach this study asking the questions what was wrong with the old version and did the transformation achieve the goals of the designers and other stakeholders of the project?
To the extent that the old street functioned as a method of moving vehicles from one part of town to another part the street was serviceable and if that was the overall functional design for the area, then the street was successful. At the time of construction and layout, the planners could not have foreseen the growth and congestion that Atlanta has undergone over the past several decades. Also, one has to remember that for most of the planning in urban design up until recently, has been focused on the efficient movement of vehicles in – out and around city centers. If one keeps this goal and thought in mind when evaluating the old street design then the original design meet its utilitarian purpose.
As urban renewal projects have moved to update and redefine not only streets, but neighborhoods, then the definition of the street and its purpose takes on an entirely different prospective. Today’s planners and stakeholders often try and develop functionality for streets beyond simply the facilitation of vehicles from secondary or feeders streets to primary roadways. Some of the functionality that today’s stakeholders are requesting are:

Transitioning different sections of a city or area together making the separation of the areas as seamless as possible
Enhancing pedestrian foot traffic to increase social connections as well as commerce for merchants
Giving an area a personality or identity (example – the historic district or the night club district)
Producing an area that promotes “ownership” by residents and merchants

The planners and stakeholders of this type of renewal or re-engineering are attempting to move back to a time of nostalgia for small town or neighborhoods that promoted the development of social interaction and a feeling of belonging. These engineered “Traditional Neighborhoods” are more wishful thinking that actual occurrence. The small town “feel” is simply a way of engineering an area to produce foot traffic along a section of blocks or streets that promote parking a car and walking. Those small towns and neighborhoods that are reached for were simply not big enough to make driving 50 yards to the next merchant worth it, so one parked a car at one end of the street and walked to the several stores that they needed to in order to complete their purchases. As an example of this type of Neighborhood, I recommend a visit to Helen or Dahlonega Georgia. These two examples are not unique to the layout of small towns. Small towns use streets just like every other larger city or town, but because of the size there are only a fixed number of stores. After all, in a town of 2,000 or so residents how many hardware or furniture stores can that town support?
Engineered “Traditional Neighborhoods” attempt to capture the “feel” of a small town or area by looking to both nostalgia and holistic functional design as a basis of creating areas that support some or all of the goals list above. The re-engineering of Fifth Street has made the transition from the campus environment to downtown Atlanta much less noticeable, alleviating the tendency of viewing the other side of the divide as an “Us and Them” and in its place a more developed sense of “we” or community where one section may go to the university and the other citizens work in the nearby businesses. One of the ways that one can see this example of oneness is by watching the people move up and down the street shopping or simply traveling by foot to one of a hundred destinations. The distinction between college student and urban dweller is blurred with the largest distinction being made by the dress or other personal style and not simply by were that person may be located along Fifth Street.
The goal of “traditional neighborhoods” is to create a sense and feeling of community, family and ownership and not creating a sense of segregation based on economic, educational or other identifiers. The wide sidewalks are usually strewn with seating areas. If people begin to congregate in public spaces it creates a sense of community. This sense of community can be best observed by the tailgating activities held in and around the Fifth Street Bridge on the Saturdays before home football games. At this time, not only do the college students and alumni gather together to celebrate their school, but also residents and business owners participate further creating a sense of oneness and ownership of the community around Fifth Street. Research has shown that if this begins to happen on a regular basis, the community feels like family and strong family ties create a feeling of ownership. A result of this feeling of family and ownership is responsibility. Responsibility helps to ensure the integrity and upkeep or care of the space. These results are good for business and for the residence. Traditional neighborhoods who exhibit this group ownership have lower crime rates, and car accidents. The streets are cleaner, there are more community events, people know more of their neighbors, and property values are stronger.
One of the positives from creating larger sidewalks and limiting parking around the neighborhood or in this case Fifth Street is that it forces the pedestrian to engage in window shopping and social interaction. The window shopping is encouraged by the more pedestrian friendly shopping experience through updated larger window displays, variety in shops that appeal to the local demographic and the encouragement of the business owners to not only operate a business in that particular location, but to become a stakeholder in the community. The original goals and ideas of the first shopping malls and centers was to allow for the growing suburban consumer a chance to interact and participate in an egalitarian way with each other and the merchants who until the advent of the shopping mall were somewhat restricted to down town urban locations. Much in the same way shopping malls have anchor stores and primary tenets, the downtown shopping districts had developed large department stores with other stores or services surrounding them giving the consumer or passer by the chance to walk around and intermingle with other shoppers, workers or people simply out for a walk.
The growth of the re-engineered down town urban areas are taking advantage of the old and making it new again. For an example, on Fifth Street, the Barnes and Noble bookstore acts as a kind of anchor or focal point for the students. There are a variety of stores and businesses that the students and other residents may walk pass each time they need to go the bookstore for supplies or other items that they feel they need. As the student and resident population of the neighborhood grow to accept and rely on these businesses for entertainment, products and services and other economic means the students and the stores create a symbiotic relationship relaying on each other and further creating a sense of familiarity that can become emotional when ended. An example of this is when a person returns to their home and finds their favorite ice-cream or pizza parlor closed down. The connection is not simply based on ice-cream or pizza, but on a sense of continuity that is created based on the concept that businesses, streets and neighborhoods help to define a person’s relationship with an area and place in time.
Smaller businesses may not be able to be viable if it were not for the larger anchor stores. At the same time, the smaller businesses become the coffee shop or music store that passersby stop at to “check things out” while on the way to or from the larger anchor stores in the neighborhood soon become the stores that the residents could not picture the area being without. An example of this, from the other side of the country, is a street in Portland, OR called Hawthorne Street. This street has several large stores at either end of a multi-block street and many small eclectic stores in between that would not be able to survive without the larger stores pulling in return business. While Fifth Street may not have a music store dealing in only classic records or a shop that sales only organic pet supplies and a shop that deals in clothing best described as Neo-Greatful Dead this Street does have shops that are reliant on the neighborhood for their identity and economic wellbeing. What do these stores and areas provide in return besides providing goods and services? I suggest that they help to provide a sense of identity that takes what the planners and stakeholders envisioned to another level. A developer can only create the physical space that is the skeletal structure for a desired “feeling”. It is the businesses, the residents and the citizens in general that provide the final say as to form or type of “feel” an area, neighborhood or building will have.
The businesses and housing in and around Fifth Street are producing an atmosphere and impression of a youthful professional district. Without knowing what the planners and stakeholders were aiming for, it is hard to say on this issue if they were successful. The changes that have been made have left the area feeling like extension of the University as well as a separate urban environment that a younger part of the city. Although labels can limit and sometimes be inaccurate, in trying to find a word that best describes this section of the city one word comes to mind…YUPPIE. That may not be a word that the students or residents of the area would choose, but this area’s energy and collection of businesses are geared to support the young urban professional and college students nearby. I am not trying to make a value judgment either way with this description, but there are not a lot of stores and businesses that cater to the baby-boomer or established families in the area. A part of the value of having an area like this close to a college campus is that students and residents get a feeling of transition in their personal and professional lives.
This transition from academic to professional life occurs at multiple points on the street and at different times. The football tailgating rituals encourage the teaching and indoctrination of what it means to be a college student, an alumni and a supporter in general of the school. Each one of these phases has its own set of rules and expectations that go with the point and station a person is in their life. The ritual of tailgating acts as a common bond between the oldest and newest members of the group at the time. The wider spaces along the bridge allow for the transfer of formal and informal knowledge and experience to take place in a public setting. While I have chosen to focus on the tailgating activities, the wider space that the street now affords the pedestrians to gather and socialize for a variety of reasons. The interaction of the students at the various cafés with their street side seating encourage the socialization away from the formal school setting and puts in at the informal personal level. This type of socialization is also useful for the various professionals that live and work in the area. Many times, informal settings allow for the transfer of important formal knowledge in a work place. A junior executive may get advice or council from a mentor over a casual lunch at one of the cafés offering outside sitting. All of this interaction and youthful energy is based on the engineering of the public space that is Fifth Street.
One of the final steps or goals in the development of the engineered street is a sense of ownership by the community. If there is not the “buy in” by the people who actually use the space, then the planning and engineering is likely to fail. This is something like putting lipstick on a pig, it might look better, but it is still a pig. An example that one can tell that the community is feeling like owners of the space is that the Georgia Tech class of 1956 raised and donated money for the arbor at the Southside of the bridge. Ownership is also visible from the fact that the students and residents are using the space as intended and developing their own informal meeting places and culture along the street. As the businesses succeed, they have a stake not only in the present condition of the street, but of the community of both college and non-college residents as well. The businesses that are established have a stake in the “livability” and the general well being of the area. This stake means that changes to the area are less likely to be dramatic without facing resistance by both the business and resident community.
Fifth Street is used as a place to not only purchase goods and services, move vehicles from one side of the area to the other, but serve as a focal point for socialization. This socialization takes the form of not only providing the community an identity for those who walk it’s sidewalks, shop in it’s stores, drive it’s street, but it also serves as a meeting place of diverse people with the common thread that they are on and part of Fifth Street either as a resident or a temporary visitor. I would suggest that the re-engineering of Fifth Street is one of the more successful urban projects.

Architecture

Part One
The two concepts I found most important were: ”Architecture uses both sides of the brain” and “We shape our buildings, and then they shape us” (Churchill). The two concepts work together. The analytical side of out brain builds the buildings, and the creative side gives them the power to shape us. Nothing is created in a complete vacuum and therefore is influence by everything around it in the present as well as the past. Some of the influences are on a conscious level some are subliminal. When an architect is in the design process he must keep this in mind. Analytically does the building work the way it is suppose to Creatively does it say, feel, and influence the way it is suppose to?
Part Two

adaptive re-use - new use for old building: a use of a building that is different from its original or previous use, often involving conversion work (Encarta ® World English Dictionary ©). The concept I am familiar with, but the term I wasn’t. I was use to the terms “retrofit” or “remodeled” when the idea was spoken of. There are almost as many different reasons for doing as there are examples. The architecture and history of a barn may be preserved when it is turned into a home. Time and money are saved when an old factory becomes an office building.
nested hierarchies - nested hierarchies involve levels which consist of, and contain, lower levels. For example, an army consists of a collection of soldiers and is made up of them. Thus an army is a nested hierarchy. On the other hand, the general at the top of a military command does not consist of his soldiers and so the military command is a non-nested hierarchy with regard to the soldiers in the army. (Timothy F. Allen, Professor of Botany, University of Wisconsin Madison)
treatise of architecture - a treatise is the detailed written account of subject: a formal written work that deals with a subject systematically and usually extensively (Encarta ® World English Dictionary ©). The word treatise was new to me. While researching I found an almost infinite amount of scholarly writings on every facet of architecture originating from almost every time period.

Part Three

One of the Principle owners of the Architecture firm I work for said “…every mark you put on a drawing will be there longer than you.” The lecture brought out the importance and effects of architectural design. Why then the disparage in compensation? I sincerely doubt the work of an individual athlete leaves the same mark on the world a signal architect has the ability to, however the athlete is highly and overly compensated.
Technological advancements are happening at an astounding rate, and most fields are racing to keep up. Why does the architectural field seem to hesitate to use and have a fear of new technology?

Building Construction

Part One
This lecture was divided into two parts. The issues in the building construction field and what the BC Program will do for you. It seemed the bases of all the issues stemmed from a lack of integration or communication between the parties involved. This same concern has been discussed in several previous lectures. Several scenarios of integration were outlined. One I notice has never been mentioned. Owner hires the architect. Architect hires the engineers and contractor. Contractor hires the sub-contractors. I have seen this process work successfully eliminating the problem of communication many times at the firm I work for. This process also made use of the second important concept; have a basic understanding of the components around yours and that those you affect. The BC Program will create a renaissance man, or “a jack of all trades and a master of none”. The put to use the technological advances to help reduce and/or eliminate the current issues of cost, time, and communication.
Part Two

developer –vs. – owner/investor - buyer of land for building: a person or company that buys land in order to build on it or sell it to others who want to build on it (Encarta ® World English Dictionary ©) A car dealership would be somewhat analogous to a land/building developer. Both purchase something for the purpose of temporary ownership for profit. The object is than improved by building or licensing (in the example of a vehicle) and then sold for profit. The owner/investor is in it for the long haul. He is willing to pay the extra cost for the developers service and risk of improvement to elevate the hassle/work it would cause him.
automated design, procurement , construction - I was unable to find a definition for design or one for construction that related to buildings and not fabrication and manufacturing. Automated procurement is when a computer system controls the ordering of supplies based on current inventory and projected need. Wal-Mart was one of the major innovators of this system.
“master builder” - Architect - 1563, from M.Fr. architecte, from L. architectus, from Gk. arkhitekton "master builder," from arkhi- "chief" + tekton "builder, carpenter". (Online Etymology Dictionary) A master builder was the precursor to the hands on architect. A title held by a man who had studied and apprenticed for years with master designers, carpenter, masons and the like. This was before the formal organization and education of the field of architecture.

Part Three

Many schools are starting to develop the common year program in the effort to integrate the building field. Has the program been around long enough to see if it is making progress toward the goal? If so, will the changes still be slow in coming or has it speeded up the processes?
It seems as though all the position trained for in the BC Program are constantly being pulled in a million directions at once and all equally important. Does “burn out” become a problem?
Is the “Vision” of :a fully integrated and highly automated project processes coupled with radically advanced technologies across all phases and functions of the project/facility lifecycle; a realistic and achievable goal or purely a utopian idea?

Industrial Design

Part One
Professor Mullick stressed two points. First that industrial design is all around us and is part of every area of our lives. Second that the designer is a repetitive of the user with the knowledge of the manufacturing process. He says the goal of the designer as a representative is to add value, increase usability and simplify life through improved human-product interaction. The knowledge of the manufacturing process facilitates the simplification of the process and the adoption of technology. ID is one of the driving factors of technological advancement. The human demonstrates a concern for the environment, and builds community.
Part Two

branding - Professor Mullick said this was design elements that are unique to a particular Band or Manufacturer. It use to be almost anyone could pick out a Volvo from any other car because of the boxy shape. The boxy design was their branding. Kirby Vacuum is know by their antique looking styling.
XXX - this presentation was presented in such a complete manor that was accessible to everyone, that I can’t even pretend there were other terms or concepts that were previously unknow.

Part Three

If the main part of the design revolves around the user why did “anthropometrics and task analysis” rank so low on the recommended skills list for graduates?
Branding is a major concern for many manufacturers. Products are built and paid for by the users. Does a branding element and users design improvement ever conflict? If so, who usually wins, brand or user?
In the building field there is the issue of fragmentation and poor communication. Is there the same issue in the ID field, for example between design and development of material?

Bibliography

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Brinkley, Douglas. "The great deluge: Hurrican Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast." New York: Morrow, 2006. 716.
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Bustillo, Migel. "THE NATION; Exodus after storm quantified; New Orleans' black population dropped 57% a year after Hurricane Katrina, analysis shows." Los Angeles Times 12 Sep 2007, Main News ed.: 13.
Campanella, Richard. "Analyzing New Orleans' new footprint." Time - Picayune 29 Aug 2007: B07.
Clark, Joshua. "Heart like water: surviving Katrina and life in its disater zone." New York: Free Press, 2007. 356.
Comfort, L. K. "Cities at Risk: Hurricane Katrina and the Drowning of New Orleans." Urban Affairs Review 41.4 (2006): 501-516.
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Dyson, Michael Eric. "Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the color of disaster." New York: Basic Civitas Books, 2006. 258.
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"Hurricane Karina: Empower Black People to Rebuild New Orleans." Black Scholar Winter 2006: 1-1.
Krane, N. K., et al. "Surviving Hurricane Katrina: Reconstructing the Educational Enterprise of Tulane University School of Medicine." Academic Medicine 82.8 (2007): 757-762.
Lewis, Michael. "Wading Toward Home." New York Times Magazine 9 Oct 2005: 44.
Lipsitz, George. "Learning from New Orleans: The Social Warrant of Hostile Privatism and Competitive Consumer Citizenship." Cultural Anthropology 21.3 (2006): 451-468.
Lyman, Rick. "Among Elderly Evacuees, a Strong Desire to Return Home, but Nowhere to Go." The New York Times 24 Jul 2006, Section A ed.: 12.
Manuel, John. "In Katrina's Wake." Environmental Health Perspectives 114.1 (2006): A32-A39.
Ourossoff, Nicolai. "In New orleans, Each Resident Is Master of Plan to Rebuild." New York Times 8 Aug 2006: E1-E7.
Pompilio, Natalie. "Rescued, now trapped." The Philadelphia Inquirer 24 Aug 2006, National ed.: A01.
Powers, Michael R. "From hunter to prisoner: Hurricane Katrina and the social contact." Journal of Risk Finance (15265943) 7.1 (2006): 5-8.
Rose, Hilary. "After the flood." The Times 19 Aug 2006, Features ed.: 27.
Schwarz, David A and William J. II Martin. "HEALing in New Orleans." Environmental Health Perspectives 114.10 (2006): A570.
Stewart, Helen. "Prisoners of Katrina." Sunday Times 13 Aug 2006, Features ed.: 52.
Torres, John Alber. "Hurricane Katrina and the devastation of New Orleans." Monumental Milestones. Hockessin, Del.: Mitchell Lane, 2005. 48.
"Voices from the Storm: The People of New Orleans on Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath." Voice of Witness. Ed. Lola Vollen, Chris Ying and Dave Eggers. Trans. Stacy Parker Aab, et al. Comps. Sharon Ferranti, et al. San Francisco: McSweeney's Books, 2006. 287.
Woods, Clyde Adrian. "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?:Katrina Trap Economics, and the Rebirth of the Blues." American Quarterly 57.4 (2005): 1005-1018.

Architecture, Culture & Behavior

Part One
Dr. Zimring covered the relationship between architectural design and physical/emotional wellbeing. This is done by the comparison of wellbeing statistics before and after the redesign. Then he reviewed the various parts of the architectural changes and how it related to the change in wellbeing. This change in design increased the wellbeing of individuals which in turn reduced the financial burdens on businesses and individuals through fewer litigations and reducing the duration of illness.
Part Two

Space Syntax - The Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary defines syntax as the way words are put together to form sentences or phrases. Wikipedia says that John Peponis (and his collaborators at GT), define space syntax as a space where all points within the polygon are visible to all other points within the polygon. I think in the context of this lecture it would be how a person divides up and designates the parts of the space they see. As in the hospital room there is the visiters area, the patient area, and the medical staff area.
Evidence-based design - This would be designs based on the conclusions found in the research studies Dr. Zimring talked about. Again as in the hospital room, patients heal quick and are more positive when the is a window. There are less injuries when there is a lift on the bed and when the bath room is on the same wall as the bed, that wall has a hand rail and the door is 4 ft wide.
Environmental psychology/sociology - Wikipedia says that environmental psychology is a general term to describe environmental design research in many fields such as: anthropology, geography, ekistics, sociology, psychology, history, political science, etc.. Environmental sociology is the research of societal effects on the environment. In the context of this lecture I believe it to be the research on the affects our immediate environment has on a single person and on a group of people’s behavior and wellbeing.

Part Three

Is there a list of studies that have been done and are they readily available to the public or designers?
Are hospitals willing to spend the extra money for the redesign of patent rooms, when the area is not essential to the medical care?
Are these studies used and integrated into the curriculum when teaching design.
Architecture is an industry resistant to technological change, are most designers open to these studies and willing to integrate into their designs and really sell them to the clients?

Atlantic Station

Part One
While the images and some of the information was interesting it was difficult to find a main point of this lecture. It started with ‘I’m interested in utopian architecture’, a brief definition and background, then ‘here’s the demolition of the steel mill and the building of Atlantic Station’. The two were not tied together effectively.
Part Two

Utopian Architecture - Ms. Dusseault defined this as “the modernist approach involved a fully conceived vision built on a clean slate, a place with no pre-existing features or memories.” This is in direct contradiction to Jeremy Sommer’s statement of the importance on using local vernacular when designing. I believe this utopian architecture to be nearly impossible. Even Atlantic station, which I felt she considered to be utopian, had reminders and actual artifacts of the past in its design.
commercial mixed use - Wikipedia defined this as a single building or a set of buildings having more than one type of use, such as residential, industrial, commercial, office, etc. This would refer to the parts of Atlantic station that have the shops on the main or street level and condos or apartments above them.
high-tech macro engineering - Wikipedia definition is “the implementation of extremely large-scale design projects. In particular, macroengineering is the process of marshaling and managing of resources, technology, and public opinion on a large scale to carry out complex tasks that last over a long period of time.” This would negate three of the typical charitoristics of the building industry from Brian Bowen’s lecture: #3 Little Vertical Integration #4 Low Levels of Capitalization and #9 Separation of Design from Construction

Part Three

“By photographing all stages of the change, I hoped to avoid the history of the site being a before and after picture.” What did you hope the site to become?
What was the point as an architecture student we were suppose to take from the lecture.
Would society accept pure utopian architecture, or are we too attached to our own history to completely disregard it?

Palladio

Part One
This was the most frustration lecture thus far. Unfortunately I have to agree with some of what was said on “Soapbox”. I was close enough to hear the words and familiar enough with the topic that it wouldn’t be completely foreign, but I was unable to over come the language (accent) barrier. Between the notes of a few around me and my own we were able to piece together a few phrases and facts. Many were those I already knew. Though some seemed disjointed from the slide that was shown at the time.
Because of this situation I am unable to properly finish this paper. I will instead review the information I was able to obtain:
Palladio was a renaissance man and one of the most influential architects in history and most researched. The landscape was important to his designs. Most of is work is around Venice, where he is from. He was born in the early 16th century. During this time people began to invest in the land, and landowners were involved in farming.
Palladio was very analytical with the way he laid out his plans. This made them fixed and the movement of an element would disrupt everything else. The proportions had to be in harmony. The facades of his building were plain compared with the architecture his was based off of. He wrote a book about design and proportions which became very popular for very long time.

Disability Research

Part One
Stephen Sprigle, PhD, said that assistive devices are more integrated into the main stream than we notice. Technology, research and continuous re-design to make the products more esthetically pleasing assist the integration. Main streamed or universally designed products result in a better and cheap product for those who truly need it. The integrated designs also make it easier for business to not only meet, but exceed the ADA requirements. He reviewed the type of R&D done in the CATEA department and how the advancement in technology is helping.
Part Two

STEM education - I thought this was a type of learning or teaching style, similar to learn by doing or seeing or hearing. I found that “STEM” stands for “Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics”. So this is a kin to the Magnet Programs that are prevalent in public schools today.
Accessible Environments - My guess was that this meant a physical area that can be reached by those with physical handicaps through the means of ramps, elevators and the like.
Anthropometry-based layout - My guess was that this meant that original or antique products were the basis of design. I found that it is using precise body measurements and how that body part moves to design a product. An example would be the insoles for shoes that are made using a mold for your own foot, not a generic one.

Part Three

Other than as test/research subjects how involved are those with that particular handicap in the development and design of products?
Is most R&D in the Assistive Technology area done in the educational arena or are manufactures helping?
Are social barriers/limitations being removed at the same rate that technology is removing the physical ones?
Is there ever argument as to who’s part (which discipline) of the research supercedes the others or who’s is most important?

AEC Integration

Part One
Construction
Part Two

Ephemeral Project Teams - In the context in which this phrase was used I assumed that this was a team that was assembled for one particular project and then disbanded permanently after the project was completed. After looking up the word ephemeral in the Encarta ® World English Dictionary and found that definition is: “short-lived: lasting for only a short period of time and leaving no permanent trace; the ephemeral nature of slang” I now know my assumption was correct.
3XPT - I took a wild guess that this is either a type of CAD program or proposed law/regulation, because the speaker only said that the AIA was really pushing this and he did not know what it was. I was unable to find good or defining information, but what I did find came from the AIA, AGC and CURT websites. 3XPT is the name of a study group who “joined together to work with the industry as a whole to help shape the future as it relates to using available technology, collaborating to the fullest extent, and maximizing project productivity,”( http://www.curt.org/press_room/pr_10-2006.pdf)
Lean construction - I think this means building at the lowest possible cost with a skeletal crew.

Part Three

Other than the R&D done regarding the materials, what else should be looked at?
What is the feasibility of having more studio projects be team oriented with multiple disciplines?
Now that schools are starting to integrate the architecture and construction programs, is the social atmosphere improving between the disciplines in the working world?
In the firm I work where in 90% of the projects the only contract with the owner is with us, the architect. We work the same group of engineers and contractors for most of our projects. Is this method truly the exception and not rule?

GIS

Part One
Graphic Information System
Part Two

Attribute Database - This is some type of organized list of information, I get that from “database” other than that I had no clue.
Remote Sensing - I believed this to be tools like laser tape measurers and thermometers, and police radar guns. Something that can retrieve information from a distance with out wire connections.
IR, Lidar -

Part Three

Can GIS help to create a better planed community that is built faster and cheaper?
Is GIS not so much field/industry, but a tool used by many different types of industries?
With the exception of civil planning how can GIS help individual building projects?

Classical Design

Part One
A new one year non-professional MS degree is available at GA Tech. It focuses on “Classical Design” with regards to architecture and civil planning. Seven of the trail blazing students reviewed how they integrate this type of design in their current and varied positions. The importance of esthetic details, well planned proportions, and studying abroad were reoccurring themes. Every speaker hit on the idea of its timeless beauty.
Part Two
1. “Walkable Communities” – planned communities were the pedestrian is given first priority. The streets are narrower then typical and have wide sidewalks. There are more public and green areas and continuity to their design.
2. Study Abroad – Program in which a student can take classes and receive credit in a different country. GT has 80 different programs in 29 countries, 24 of the programs revolve around architecture majors.
Part Three
1. If “Classical” is a study in proportion and details that span the centuries, why is it not studied more in-depth as part of required curriculum?
2. One of the hallmarks of classical design is the intricate and custom detail work. Custom detailing is too expensive for the “general public”. Are technological advances bringing the cost of these details to a more reasonable level?
3. Will classically designed communities become more typical/mainstream over time, or will they remain unique?

Solar Decathlon

Part One
Chris Vansley reviewed the Solar Decathlon Program in which students from variety of majors work together on a single project. The students studying marketing or graphic design would design the webpage and varied types of advertising, engineers develop the MEP systems, architecture majors would create the overall design of the house, etc. He said that this type of group project was very different from the work groups the students were use to. This has been and eye opener for the students as to the differences between how projects run in the “real world” and in the “school world”.
Part Two
1. Design Parameters – The Solar Decathlon Building Code is adapted from the 2006 International Residential Code of the International Code Council and the 2005 National Electric Code of the National Fire Protection Agency to fit their needs and goals. All the teams are required to meet these codes and conditions.
2. Building Integrated Photovoltaic – solar power storing cells that are used to create the building envelope. These cells are used instead to the typical roof or façade materials. Part Three
1. What is the turn over rate during the project, and does this turn over create a problem for continuity of design?
2. One of the judging criteria is market viability, are any of the entries sold and/or produced after the competition?
3. Being in the work force I have seen that this group dynamic is how almost all projects are handled. What is the feasibility of having more 1st and 2nd year studio projects be team oriented, then 3rd and 4th year work with multiple disciplines?

Digital Design and Fabrication

Part One
Computers have changed the way many things are designed and manufactured. Many designers use parametric programs to help with their designs. These designs have become more mathematically intricate and precise, such as Frank Gehry’s “Horse Head”. The computers have also help the fabrication process become environmentally friendly with the reduction of waste product. The “smarter designs” have made the Schedule the most important part of the construction documents.
Part Two
1. CNC machine – “computer numerical control”, a drill/carving machine who’s movements are controlled by a computer that reads G-code. Most use a 3 axis system (X,Y,Z), where it is able to carve a surface simular to a landscape. 5 axis system are able to create sherical shapes.
2. Parametric Design- “a method of linking dimensions and variables to geometry in such a way that when the values change, the part changes as well. A parameter is a variable to which other variables are related, and these other variables can be obtained by means of parametric equations. In this manner, design modifications and creation of a family of parts can be performed in remarkably quick time compared with the redrawing required by traditional CAD.” (as defined by: Design Community Architecture Discussion)
Part Three
1. “Dumb” or simplistic designs also mean simplistic assembly done by uneducated and cheap labor. Will the more advanced and intricate designs and fabrication increase the cost of assembly because of the need for educated, and therefore more expensive, labor?
2. With the exception of Frank Gehry’s building, all of your examples have been of art or furniture. Do you see this free form or calculus-based style ever be widely used in building design?
3. How has the experience with fabrication and assembly, changed your approach to design?

Interior Wood Installation

The interior installation is made of thin plywood slats. The smaller slats are lapped with others and attached with wood glue, philips head screws, and small gusset plates to create one three-story slat. There are two additional groups of shorter slats that create the seating at the base and the top of the structure. All the slats stand vertically on end stacked together alternating three short and one tall. This stacking gives the illusion of transparence and soil at the same time. When standing in a single spot, each slat is view from a different angle. The section directly in front may almost disappear, while each side is still very solid. A steel rod runs horizontally through all the slats at several points for structural integrity and for anchor points at each balcony. Shorter rods run at various heights and sections to maintain form against normal expansion, contraction, and gravitational settling. Above the bench and below the second floor balcony small rods are use to pull or push slats to create irregular oblong opening. There have been no finishing touches added to hide the assembly or anchoring. The silver/grey color and the thin or small size of the hardware helps it to blend and almost vanish when viewed as a whole. While all the slats are flat, they are not all straight. Some were cut as a curve to create the wave effect. Unless a high grade of plywood was used, the top and bottom of the slats have been sanded smooth. The cut edges were left raw, however over time the edges that make the seating have been worn smooth.

On a more esthetic or emotional, level it is a single moving element. It is a single source of life surrounded by dead building. The installation is warm in color and to the touch, with its own ambient light source. The contours flow together with out segmenting. The sound absorbing qualities and very faint aroma of wood give and an aura of rest, peace and connection with nature. The visual shape brings to mind a tree or vine. Well anchored at the bottom, but continuously reaching upward. Objects that would try to stop this growth are gone around, and used to continue upward. The physical flaw of growing around has become distinguishing characteristic in the mature tree or vine. This also becomes a subliminal message of endurance and continuous growth despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles to the students who are exposed to it. This installation is the antithesis to the cold, hard and unchanging building, which surrounds it.

Now to answer the question of its secret life. He is a recent college graduate with long blond hair backpacking through the world. Overflowing with ideas of how thing are and should be, but seriously lacking in reality and experience. He wants to go with the flow and let nature provide for all his needs. Unfortunately, his addiction to video games and O.C.D. get in the way.

Exterior Plastic Installation

The exterior installation is made of clear plastic strips. The smaller strips are attached together with metal rivets to create a very long strip. These long strips are stacked slightly off center and horizontally at one end and secured with vertical rod to the concrete edged of the Architecture West Building’s patio. The opposite ends are then lifted separated and wrapped behind the nearest concrete column. Once past the column the sheets twist, separate even farther to look as if they are braided. This mass of organized chaos rises up to the beam of second floor and begin to straight out again. As a whole it looks like water exploding from the end of a hose frozen in time. Like water this installation is both translucent and reflective depending on the angle of the like.

I would say that this installation’s secret life was written about in Bowling for Soup’s song “1985”

"The Learning Tree" and "Fire Hose" I feel would be good names for each of the installations respectively.

The beginning motivation for both of these installations could have been getting a good grade on a class assignment. Others would stem from here such as experimentation and research. Two sets of questions could have been asked. The first with regard to material: durability, sustainability, ease to work with, cost factor, etc. The second would encompass the design. What are the structural limits? What will the public response be?

Most likely the process followed the basic outline of a project and would have been as follows: Set parameters (needs/wants) > pick a site > basic design > select material type > hard design based on material > mock up > select specific materials> produce a pattern > fabricate > layout > assembly > bask in the adoration and praise.

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

gone home.