        Pulido, Paola : AssignmentsPaola Pulido11/26/07 5th Street: Cudda Wudda Shudda “The street is human movement institutionalized—and human intercourse institutionalized” (Kostoff 189). Besides the obvious traffic flow and transportation, the purpose of a street also consists of social interaction and the exchange of goods. Fifth Street, the street including the Klaus building, the “new Fifth Street Bridge” and Tech Square has been a hot Topic in the last five years due to its costly renovations. Many questions have been raised as to whether or not the ten million dollar renovation was worth it. Did the Fifth Street Bridge accomplish the unification of Tech Square to the rest of the Georgia Tech campus? Is the bridge maximizing on public use and comfort. Is Fifth Street as a whole a successful street? Through research and careful observation of Fifth Street, from Klaus to the Biltmore, the answers to these questions have begun to unravel. Streets play a huge role in social interaction, they lead the path to it and many also house it (Kostoff 190). All of 5th Street is a place for social interaction—while waiting for the Stinger or Trolley, walking up and down the street. Tech Square is the largest element of social interaction on 5th Street. It houses a multitude of commercial venues including a clothing store, a variety of restaurants, a book store, and a coffee shop. It is the least academic part of campus, thus providing an escape from daily academic struggles. Tech Square was built for social interaction. The sidewalks along Tech Square are divided into three main sectors; the private sector, the public walking sector, and the public waiting sector (1060 lecture 10/24 slides 1-3). The division was made by paving each sector with a different material. The private sector is paved in a light brick, the public walking sector in concrete, and the public walking sector in red brick. Other clues to the divisions are found in the street furniture. The private sector contains tables and chairs, some fenced in, that pertain to the restaurants along Tech Square. The fenced in areas are the most privatized areas of the sector, they imply that unless you are eating at the restaurant you may not sit there. Even the unfenced areas give off that “private” feeling. These areas also seem to contain a time limit, most people did not go to Ray’s and eat, then proceed to sit or study for a couple of hours. The use of this furniture was limited to the length of their meal. The tables and chairs located in front of the Starbucks are the exception. This area is unfenced and more open to free sitting—one does not have to make a purchase to use the furniture. People sat for hours reading, studying, and talking to friends regardless of whether or not they bought something from Starbucks. This “open” environment in the private sector is an extension of the environment inside the Barnes and Nobles, where you can study and meet with friends on the couches without feeling pressured to make a purchase. The public walking sector does not contain any street furniture, as this would obstruct the flow of pedestrian traffic. Rarely does anyone stop in this sector; it is all about keeping the walkway clear and keeping up with the pedestrian flow. There are places where the private sector flows into the public walking sector, diminishing the area by more than half. This is an obstruction in pedestrian traffic flow, but unless the sidewalks are widened, without this overlap there would be no outdoor seating for the restaurants. One would think that this overflow by the private sector would cause an overflow of the public sector into the next sector. This does not happen, because the waiting public sector is lined with trees, benches, trash cans, and signs (1060 lecture 10/24 slides 1-3). This street furniture acts as a barrier against overflow pedestrian traffic from the public walking sector. Thus causing congestion in the areas of the public walking sector that have been overlapped by the private sector, this is especially evident during special events when Tech Square is the most crowded. The last sector, the public waiting sector, suffers from not maximizing public use. Like the private sector, this one contains street furniture—public street furniture. There are no strings attached to this street furniture, yet its use is not maximized. This is most apparent in the areas where there are fenced in dining areas in the private sector of the street, yet another example of how the private sector takes power over the public sector in a “stage of constant struggle between public and private interests” (Kostoff 191). The waiting sector street furniture gets more use in the areas where the private sector does not overlap the public sector. In order to maximize the use of the waiting public sector furniture, it should be placed closer to the trolley stops, so that people can sit and wait for the trolley. Overall Tech Square is an excellent example of how the Tech Campus fits into the city of Atlanta. Tech Square serves as a main entry point for the people of Atlanta into the Georgia Tech campus. It is an example of the innovative and ever changing school that is Georgia Tech. Within campus it is an escape from academic stress and it enriches the Tech experience for students by creating a stress free environment for socialization. This part of 5th Street is very successful in fitting the campus to Midtown, as well as accommodating public use. There is however, some improvement to be made to the plaza in front of the Management building. It is currently being renovated, since the previous design, although well furnished, failed to invite public use. The benches and tables remained empty and therefore lifeless. Perhaps the most significant part of 5th Street is the bridge over the I-75/85 connector to Downtown Atlanta. As an urban form (a bridge) it is a connector. The 5th Street Bridge connects the main campus to Tech Square and therefore the city of Atlanta. Before its ten million dollar renovation, the bridge was horrendous and stuck out like a sore thumb between campus and Tech Square. There seemed to be an abrupt end in campus once the bridge was reached, followed by what could be a continuation (Tech Square) of campus after the bridge was crossed. The wire fence looks like it let in all the noise from the highway and the poor lighting made it a dangerous place at night. The bridge was not at all inviting and if I were to have been at Tech before its renovation, I would hesitate before I crossed it, especially at night. This would in turn limit the amount of times I would go to Tech Square. I would have probably only gone if I caught a trolley. That was the main failure in the old Bridge, minimal public use. That is failure for a street as a public institution. Public safety is a must in a street, but with its tiny sidewalks the separation between pedestrians and traffic on the old 5th Street Bridge appeared to be minimal. Plans for the renovation of the 5th Street Bridge began on September 21, 2004 by the Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia Department of Transportation).The Midtown Alliance, the Tech Square developers, and the campus planners and architects of Georgia Tech were also involved in the development and execution of the new 5th Street Bridge. The main goals of the renovation were to accommodate pedestrians by including the following amenities: larger sidewalks, planter walls, an area with sod grass, park benches, trees, decorative lighting, and brick pavers (Georgia Department of Transportation). Construction took about two years and the new bridge was opened in the fall of 2006. The 5th Street Bridge is unrecognizable, after the renovation. It is much more open and inviting to the public. Its renovation closed the gap between campus and Tech Square. It allows 5th Street to flow beautifully and in one piece as an urban form. It is much more fitting for public use and is on its way to transcending from a simple connection, to a space of multiple uses; a park, study area, a social area. Like Tech Square, the 5th Street Bridge is well on its way to playing a lasting role in students lives at Georgia Tech. On good weathered days, students can be seen chatting along the benches, studying, eating lunch, reading, or simply taking a break and “people watching”. The planter walls drown out a lot of the noise from the highway, thus closing off campus from the city. The view is beautiful and the sense of danger is not present now that the streets are better lit. The wide sidewalks ease the flow of pedestrian traffic, which is especially congested during home games. The 5th Street Bridge has made a remarkable recovery, but it is not done yet. Its public use has yet to be maximized. Not to say that this will never happen, but it will still take some getting used to by the pedestrians. More students need to take the time to sit on the benches and enjoy the green space in the middle of a concrete city. The bridge’s use can only expand with time as the shrubbery grows, and it begins to look even more like a park. What I believe to be most successful about the 5th Street Bridge is its sole devotion to the public. Unlike Tech Square lined with its restaurants and shops, the 5th Street Bridge has no private sector. Where the sidewalk ends, is not where public use ends. Pedestrians can move to and from the grass and sidewalk without a problem. The bridge could also house small events like a couple of booths during homecoming week or be a spectator’s area for a race across 5th Street. The 5th Street Bridge is no longer just a bridge, but rather a location that can continuously morph with endless possibilities. The beginning of 5th Street (from campus), is the section that runs from the Klaus building to the start of the 5th Street Bridge. This section of 5th Street houses, fraternities, a baseball field, and an educational building (Klaus). The fraternities bring the street to life, especially on game days where the sidewalks and neighboring green space is covered with people tailgating. The fraternities and sororities bring the life into this section of the street. Until recently the sidewalks on this section of the street were small in comparison to those on the rest of 5th Street. For the past couple of weeks there has been construction on this section of the street—the sidewalks are being widened. During the first week of construction this section of 5th Street was cut off from vehicular use. This change the Trolley and Stinger stops. The section was only closed for that week, but it completely threw me off track. This is an example of how important streets are in our routine lives. The section was reopened and traffic functioned as usual, but construction remains and the sidewalks are closed off to pedestrians. This posed a strain on the habitual tailgating and it also closed off the front entrances to the fraternities and sororities on that section. Once the construction is complete I believe 5th Street as a whole will look more uniform, at least in its sidewalks. As a whole, Fifth Street is well on its way to becoming a successful street. I believe the past and current renovations are a good example of this. The 5th Street Bridge is the largest success in the 5th Street renovation. It was a masterful transformation and its achieving all of the goals it set out too. It is equipped to maximize public use in a “green” setting and it increased its separation of pedestrian from traffic (through the widened sidewalks), by at lease twice of what it was. The bridge fits in very well with both Tech Square and the rest of campus. It is no longer a break, but rather a smooth transition from one end to the other. Tech Square, although it has its kinks, is an essential part to the life of the street. Once the renovations of the Management Building plaza and the widening of the sidewalks at the beginning of the street are done, 5th Street will run cleanly and smoothly. It will be an excellent entry point for outsiders into the campus and it will unify Tech with Midtown. Things can only improve from here. http://www.dot.state.ga.us/specialsubjects/roadconstruction/5thstreetbridge/index.shtml (Georgia Department of Transportation) The Street. Kostoff. 1060 Lecture from October 24, 2007 Architecture I. Playback The focus for this lecture was the Architecture program at Georgia Tech and how it fits into the professional world of Architecture. The main goal of the program is to “prepare the next generation of architects to be more effective in designing and redesigning the everyday landscape. Two important questions to think about in architecture are; “how should we build here and now?” and “what kind of world are we shaping?”. The lecturer also talked about how architecture shapes social access to power. An example of this, is the Palace at Versailles, where through the use of radial axes everything was built to focus (center) on the King’s areas (bedroom, etc.). II. Look Up Radial Symmetry: Radial symmetry is a type of reflection symmetry in which an object could be divided in half across many different planes, each passing through a central point, yielding two halves which are mirror images of each other. http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=912707 Nested Hierarchies: Complicated systems can be broken up into parts that are called hierarchies, because they all stem from each other, but some are more important than others. http://www.lobue.com/enterprise_evolution/knowledge_hierarchy.html Ecological Literacy: How a structure interacts with an environment in a sustainable manner. Think the solar decathlon house. http://telstar.ote.cmu.edu/environ/m2/s1/envlit.shtml III. Speculate Architecture is important in today’s world because it can shape society in various ways. This can be by defining power, defining how physically active a person can be, and others. How can architecture students use sustainability to tackle today’s environmental problems? How can architecture be used to lower the United State’s obesity rate? What is being done to change the fact that architecture is a predominantly male field, and how is the field attracting more women? Building Construction I. Playback The second lecture focused on Building Construction and the program at Georgia Tech. The lecturer stressed the importance of communication in the design and building process. He showed us that many times communication is lost between the Architect and the Builder. They each speak separately to the Client. II. Look Up: Standardization – process of defining technical specifications in competing entities within a market, while bringing benefits that will not hurt the competition. (wikipedia) Stakeholder – A person that has an interest in a project, they may have money invested in the project. (Wikipedia). Procurement – obtaining goods services at the best cost of ownership, for the direct benefit/ use of corporations, governments, or individuals(Wikipedia). III. Speculate Building Construction is important in maximizing costs and communication in construction. How is the Construction industry responding to the environmental crisis the world is in right now? How is the Construction industry attracting women? How is the Construction industry related to management? What other sectors of economy is it related to? Industrial Design I. Playback This lecture focused on Industrial Design and the many things you can do with it. It also spoke about the program at Georgia Tech. The lecturer described how you could design things from a small scale (cutlery) to a large scale (areas). Industrial Design is basically a combination of Fine Arts, Architecture, and Engineering. II. Look Up: Multi-faceted: Having multiple aspects, various uses. (wikipedia) Iterative: Involving, repetition, reoccurrence, redesigning. (dictionary.com) Anthropometrics: statistical data about the distribution of body dimensions in the population are used to optimize products. (wikipedia) III. Speculate Industrial Design plays a significant role in everyday life, so it pays special attention to human tool interaction and ease of usability of the products designed. How can Industrial Design be used to lower the obesity rate? How much does the field focus on sustainability and designing for a better environment? How does Industrial Design fit into Architecture? Katrina bibliography Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals Campanella, Thomas J. “Urban Resilience and the Recovery of New Orleans”. Journal of the American Planning Association, 2006 Spring, v.72, n.2, p.141-146. http://web.ebscohost.com.www.library.gatech.edu:2048/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=106&sid=9b956a4f-692b-4e8f-9bac-301d1de2de0b%40sessionmgr109 (Accessed October 11, 2007) Holtzman, Anna. “Why are so many displaced residents of New Orleans being left out of the rebuilding process? ” . Architecture, 2006 Mar., v.95, n.3, p.72. http://web.ebscohost.com.www.library.gatech.edu:2048/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=108&sid=677e1785-071d-46de-9668-1d808bf6ec35%40sessionmgr104 (Accessed October 11, 2007) Sorkin, Michael.” After the flood: rebuilding the physical and social fabric”, 1948-. Architectural record, 2005 Oct., v.193, n.10, p.73,[75-76]. http://web.ebscohost.com.www.library.gatech.edu:2048/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=115&sid=d6e7fd4b-6962-4356-806b-660914b1e29a%40sessionmgr106 (Accessed October 11, 2007) Hummer, Tracey “.Post-Katrina, questions loom over housing and hazards” Architecture, 2005 Oct., v.94, n.10, p.13. http://web.ebscohost.com.www.library.gatech.edu:2048/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=107&sid=236543ce-c971-441f-a20f-06a45ade53f3%40sessionmgr107 (Accessed October 11, 2007) Campbell, Robert ” A few questions to ponder in the wake of a hurricane” , 1937-. Architectural record, 2005 Nov., v.193, n.11, p.57-58,[60]. http://web.ebscohost.com.www.library.gatech.edu:2048/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=102&sid=6a54b625-7d9b-420e-a99f-c35da6531edd%40sessionmgr107 (Accessed October 11, 2007) Sorkin, Michael. “Will new plans for the Gulf drown it again, this time in nostalgia?” 1948-. Architectural record, 2006 Feb., v.194, n.2, p.47-[48],[50],[52]. http://web.ebscohost.com.www.library.gatech.edu:2048/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=120&sid=e4303909-1260-4da9-a1dd-e04b2c033621%40sessionmgr108 (Accessed October 11, 2007) Renne, John. Planning. “Evacuation and equity: a post-Katrina New Orleans diary”. Planning, 2006 May, v.72, n.5, p.[44]-46. http://web.ebscohost.com.www.library.gatech.edu:2048/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=116&sid=a9a61c15-15de-4f49-b001-a80f838570d1%40sessionmgr103 (Accessed October 11, 2007) Lubell, Sam.” FEMA releases flood elevation guidelines”. Architectural record, 2006 May, v.194, n.5, p.[32]. http://web.ebscohost.com.www.library.gatech.edu:2048/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=108&sid=4235c21a-1ff3-4702-9673-99d973c1a86c%40sessionmgr106 (Accessed October 11, 2007) ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬EBESCOHOST Block, W. “Katrina: Private enterprise, the dead hand of the past, and weather socialism—An analysis in economic geography”. Ethics, Place & Environment, 6/1/2006, Vol. 9 Issue 2, p231, 11p; http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=3&sid=00b7a033-42d0-4a2b-84d6-6593f59ae73d%40sessionmgr7 (Accessed October 11, 2007) Burns, P.; Thomas, M. O. “.The failure of the nonregime: How Katrina exposed New Orleans as a regimeless city”. Urban Affairs Review, 3/1/2006, Vol. 41 Issue 4, p517, 10p; http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=120&sid=15599d58-428b-421f-8b52-e175ca99d753%40sessionmgr109 (Accessed October 11, 2007) Dreier, P.” Katrina and power in America”. Urban Affairs Review, 3/1/2006, Vol. 41 Issue 4, p528, 21p; http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=102&sid=2f73a8de-0d82-4396-bc29-0adc3bdfe22e%40sessionmgr103 (Accessed October 11, 2007) Postal, Arthur D. “Appeals Court: Insurers Not Liable for Katrina Flood Claims”. Insurance Advocate, 8/13/2007, Vol. 118 Issue 17, p10-20, 2p; http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=116&sid=d42df71b-8837-4fc3-9930-aa2602bd4ef4%40sessionmgr102 (Accessed October 11, 2007) Hofmann, Mark A.; Ceniceros, Roberto.” Insurers face wave of Katrina lawsuits”. Business Insurance, 9/3/2007, Vol. 41 Issue 36, p1-37, 2p, 1c; http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=112&sid=57b67f4b-f5a8-42ed-ba77-9160565f1006%40sessionmgr102 (Accessed October 11, 2007) PROQUEST Rebecca Solnit. “Comment & Debate: The Lower Ninth is rising from Katrina's awful ashes: Two years after the hurricane devastated New Orleans, an influx of volunteers is fortifying an inspirational regeneration” The Guardian. London (UK): Aug 29, 2007. p. 28 Mark Schleifstein. “Corps revises cause of levee failure ; 9th Ward rupture due to seepage, it says”.Times - Picayune. New Orleans, La.: Aug 29, 2007. p. 01 Group gives corps failing grade ; Independent look into levees' failure urged Molly Reid. Times - Picayune. New Orleans, La.: Aug 26, 2007. p. 01 Corps outlines plans to erect surge barriers ; Intracoastal Waterway and MR-GO structures planned Mark Schleifstein. Times - Picayune. New Orleans, La.: Aug 3, 2007. p. 01 New Orleans' recovery relying on our efforts. By: Coccia, Regis. Business Insurance, 5/14/2007, Vol. 41 Issue 20, p6-6, 2/5p; (AN 25153109) GIL United States. Congress. House. Committee on Energy and Commerce. Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection. “The commerce and consumer protection implications of Hurricane Katrina [electronic resource]: hearing before the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, One Hundred Ninth Congress, first session, September 22, 2005.” Washington: U.S. G.P.O.: For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., 2005. http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_house_hearings&docid=f:24249.pdf. Title: Through the eye of Katrina : social justice in the United States / edited by Kristin A. Bates, Richelle S. Swan. Publisher: Durham, N.C. : Carolina Academic Press, c2007. Title: What lies beneath : Katrina, race, and the state of the nation / edited by the South End Press Collective. Publisher: Cambridge, Mass. : South End Press, c2007. LexisNexis Immigration traffic law criticized in Louisiana; Police are accused of profiling the Gulf Coast's Latino population, which has exploded since Katrina. Los Angeles Times, February 2, 2007 Friday, MAIN NEWS; National Desk; Part A; Pg. 16, 1176 words, Ann M. Simmons, Times Staff Writer Also In The Wake: Wage Abuse Business Week, May 1, 2006, Up Front: KATRINA; Pg. 16, 230 words, By Aaron Bernstein Edited by Deborah Stead The Big Uneasy: Locals fear New Orleans hasn't learned from the storm National Post (f/k/a The Financial Post) (Canada), August 28, 2006 Monday, NEWS; Pg. A1 , 1214 words, Allan Woods, CanWest News Service Katrina aid falls short, Blanco says; Grant to give $6.2 billion for La. areas USA TODAY, January 26, 2006 Thursday, NEWS; Pg. 3A, 488 words, Oren Dorell and Anne Rochell Konigsmark Google Scholar The Impact of Katrina: Race and Class in Storm-Damaged Neighborhoods JR Logan - Brown University, 2006 There is No Such Thing as a Natural Disaster: Race, Class, and Hurricane Katrina [0-415-95486-X] Hartman yr:2006 Mental Health and Recovery in the Gulf Coast After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Source: JAMA [0098-7484] Weisler yr:2006 vol:296 iss:5 pg:585 Architecture, Culture, and Behavior I. Playback This presentation focuses on how Architecture influences human culture and behavior. Craig Zimring structured his presentation by talking about the various components of our daily lives that affect our well being. An example was physical activity and how America’s lack of physical activity has led to the population’s high obesity. Zimring’s presentation showed us how Architecture, Industrial Design, and Building Construction can promote physical activity. An example and important concept of how this can be done, is through better designed hospital rooms. Rooms that let in more natural light and provide the patient with a better view and that contain a strategically placed sink to encourage doctor’s to wash their hands immediately after entering the room. II. Look Up Wayfinding: 1) how people find their way. 2) Encompasses all of the ways in which people and animals orient themselves in physical space and navigate from place to place. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayfinding) Design for Maximum Standardization: 1) Designing something in order to make it standard in everyday life. 2) The repetition of building elements and details. (www.oaklandpw.com/Page394.aspx) Evidence Based Design: 1) Design based on some sort of statistical evidence and used to change something negative. 2) Used to create environments that are therapeutic, supportive of family involvement, efficient for staff performance, and restorative for workers under stress. (http://www.healthdesign.org/aboutus/mission/EBD_definition.php) III. Speculate 1. The topics discussed in your presentation seem to have a lot to do with psychology. Considering the design and built environment is for people, should psychology (mainly industrial and organizational) become more apparent in the curriculum for students going into the design and built environment? 2. Are evidence based designers stronger in subjects such as biology and psychology? Or do they have equal knowledge of design and the sciences? 3. Is there and if not should there be, an evidence based designer at every project (residential, commercial, healthcare)? Should there be a psychologist? 4. How much influence does the government have in the design and built environment, when it comes to using design to improve the country’s health? Do they give designers any funds? Photography I. Playback In her presentation Ruth Dusseault, focused on the importance of documenting our changing environment, as well as the effects that industrialization and modernism have on it. She begins her presentation by showing the destruction of the Atlantic Steel Mill. Through photography, she documented the ten year transformation in order to preserve the history of our environment. Some important terms that she brought up were; vernacular, modernism, and utopian constructs in architecture. II. Look Up Vernacular Architecture: 1) I really did not know what this meant, but maybe something to do with fitting the structure to the place where it was built. 2) Methods of construction which use locally available resources, to address local needs. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernacular_architecture) Utopian Constructs in Architecture: 1) made to be perfect, like the perfect society. 2) building and sectors of neighborhoods that are built to provide ideal lifestyles for their users (perfect worlds include all you need to survive) (www.answers.com/topic/utopian-architecture) Modernism: 1) something built in the modern style. 2) series of reforming cultural movements in art and architecture, music, literature and the applied arts which emerged in the three decades before 1914. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modernism) III. Speculate 1. How is photography incorporated in the design and construction curriculum? 2. Can these pictures speak for themselves, or should statistics back them up? 3. How did you get past violation of privacy issues, during the time when you were documenting the start of Atlantic Station? 4. How does the change of our environment from an industrial society to a modern culture affect the economy? What other sector is affected by this? Palladio I. Playback In his presentation, Sonit Bafna, focuses on what makes Palladio’s work so famous and how he is so influential. He begins by asking what makes Palladio so great? The answer is the subject of the presentation. He does this by showing examples of Palladio’s work and discussing and analyzing each of them briefly. Some important terms and concepts were; visual engagement, proportional, and base-middle-top plan. II. Look Up Visual engagement: 1) Drawing the attention of the viewer. 2) The aesthetic beauty of a structure—its flow through symmetry, asymmetry, etc. (definition taken from the lecture) Base-Middle-Top Plan: 1) how a house was structured. 2) Palladian architecture component dealing with a house’s exterior. Very structured, you can easily point out the base, middle, and top when looking at the front of the house (definition taken from the lecture) Proportional: 1) having symmetry and fitting well together. 2) The relationships between elements of a design. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proportion) III. Speculate 1. Would Palladio be considered Classical Design? 2. Should he be taught in the CFY curriculum? 3. Does the change in our society to modernism, make the study of Palladio obsolete? 4. Were Palladio’s buildings designed for the economy of his time? Assignment 3 9.16.07 Disability Design and Research I. Playback This lecture focused on disability research and design through assistive technology. The presenter broke up assistive technology into two categories; universal and specialized. These were two of the most important concepts in the presentation. Two other important concepts presented were barrier free education and improvement of distance learning. II. Look Up GIS: 1. something to do with GPS, but mainly used in construction Geographic Information System. 2. a) Geographic Information Systems: a system for capturing, storing, analyzing, and managing data which is spatially referenced to the earth. b) Computer system with the ability to integrate, store, edit, analyze, share, and display geographically-referenced information. c) Can be used for scientific investigations, resource management, asset management, Environmental Impact Assessment, Urban planning, cartography, criminology, history, sales, marketing, and logistics. Distance Learning: 1. learning that occurs from a distance; from an environment not typical to your everyday learning study abroad. 2. Field of education that focuses on the pedagogy, technology, and instructional systems design that are effectively incorporated to deliver education to students who are not physically “on site”. b) Correspondence conducted through regular mail, broadcasted where content delivered via video or radio, student interacts with computer content stored on CD-ROM, through the internet. Universal Design: 1. a design made for the masses. 2. emerged from “accessible design” and “assistive technology”. It strives to build a broad spectrum solution that helps everyone regardless of disability. It also sees the importance of how things look and makes designs that are effective and appeal to the eye. all definitions were found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki III. Speculate Pedagogical: Are there college/design programs that focus specifically on assistive technology and more so universal design? Discipline: What discipline is most involved with the concept of universal design? Profession: Do professional designers typically strive for a universal design? Are there times when it is impossible to make a design a “universal design”? Systems of Organization and Economic Production: What markets have been the hardest for Universal Design to approach? AEC Integration- A view from the Center I. Playback This lecture focused on the construction industry. The presenter, Brian Bowen, broke down the industry into a thorough presentation which included; history, integration, barriers to integration, current industry initiatives, and what it all means for Tech. Important concepts introduced were; integration, separation of design and construction and the effect the Industrial Revolution had on the industry. II. Look Up Integration: 1. combining industries, something to do with calculus 2. a) Process of combining or accumulating. b) The bringing together of two or more economies, cultures, religions. c) Integration clause; in a contract, term used to declare the contract the final and complete understanding of the parties. d) Digital integration; in computer science allows data from one device/software to be read/manipulated by another, making it easier to use. Vertical Integration: 1.Integrating upward, like in a company. 2. In economics a style of ownership and control. a) the degree to which a firm owns its upstream suppliers and its downstream buyers determines the amount of its vertical integration. b) vertically integrated companies are united through a hierarchy and share common owner. Usually each member of the hierarchy produces different product/service and products combine to satisfy a common need. Fragmentation: 1. breaking something up into small parts like breaking an industry into small parts through specialization. 2. In economics it is a process of globalization.these definitions were found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki III. Speculate Pedagogical: Why should I be encouraged to pursue a career in the construction business? Discipline: What role does industrial design play in the construction business? Is it more involved with marketing? Profession: What can be done about the stereotypes society has come up with about “builders”? Systems of Organization and Economic Production: As the 2nd largest sector of economy what is the construction industry doing to minimize the negative effects urbanization (such as to the Amazon rain forest) causes the environment? Is lean construction a part of this? Center for Geographic Information Systems I. Playback This lecture focused on Geographic Information Systems. Dr. French thoroughly explained GIS and discussed the research done through GIS as well as its role in urban planning. He showed us various images obtained with GIS of cities and their growth through urban sprawl, mainly Atlanta. An important concept introduced in this lecture was the research that can be done through GIS. II. Look Up Impervious Surface: 1. I honestly had no idea what this meant. 2. a)Artificial structures, such as pavements and building roofs, which replace naturally pervious soil with impervious construction materials. b) impervious surfaces seal the soil surface, eliminating rainwater infiltration and natural groundwater recharge. c) an environmental concern because, with their construction, chain of events is initiated that modifies urban air and water resources. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impervious_surface) Lidar Sensor: 1. Some type of sensor 2. Light Detection And Ranging: an active sensor similar to radar, that transmits laser pulses to a target and records the time it takes for the pulse to return to the sensor receiver. It is used for high resolution topographic mapping to determine surface elevations. (http://www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/rs_apps/sensors/lidar.htm) Urban Heat: 1. Excess heat in an urban area due to its high population density. 2. a metropolitan area which is significantly warmer than its surroundings, with the temperature difference being larger at night than the day and in the winter than in the summer. Mainly due to the modification of the land surface by urban development; waste heat generated by energy usage is secondary contributor. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_heat_island) III. Speculate Pedagogical: How is GIS employed in the classroom? Possibly to show the negative effects of construction (impervious surfaces)? Discipline: It is obvious that GIS is pertinent to Architecture and Building Construction, but what role does GIS play in Industrial Design? Profession: In conducting research through GIS, is there a lot of work with environmental scientists? Systems of Organization and Economic Production: Is there a sector of the construction industry that relies on GIS to monitor impervious surfaces, thus regulating the damage done by construction to the environment? Assignment 2 Classical Design- I. Playback This presentation focused on classical design. The presenters discussed their individual backgrounds in classical design and how classical design can be implemented in today’s architecture. The presentation was organized by the individual’s experience with classical design. Each presenter had different experiences and specialties, but they were all unified by their interest in classical design, as well as how they implemented it into their work. An interesting concept brought up by Phillip Schutsey was that of the Congress for the New Urbanism. CNU is an organization that restores communities and promotes walkable neighborhood-based development as an alternative to urban sprawl. II. Look Up Pediment- classical architecture element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure, and supported by columns. It is found in classical Greek temples, neo-classical architecture, and renaissance. Sustainability- to support, hold, bear up from below. Support the weight of a structure. III. Speculate Pedagogical- In a world of modern architecture, why should students study or focus on classical design? Disciplines- How can you incorporate technology into classical design without making it look too modern? For example designing an entirely green home (like the solar decathlon house) in a classical style. Professions- What role does classical design play in the industrial design world? Solar Decathlon I. Playback This presentation focused on the Solar Decathlon competition. The competition is sponsored by the Department of Energy and its goal is to build a completely green house that fits a number of criteria. The process that the Georgia Tech Team went through was the organizational mechanism for the presentation. The presenter delineated every step of the process and the people and professions involved. I thought this presentation was very informative and all of the concepts were interesting. Some of the ones that stuck out the most for me were; grey water, the cross-disciplinary collaboration in the project, and sustainable energy. II. Look Up Grey water- non-industrial waste water generated from domestic processes. Comprises 50%-80% of residential waste water. Structural integrity- measure of the quality of construction and the ability of the structure to function as required. III. Speculate Pedagogical- How can we make things like this competition a part of the everyday occurrences of the design and built environment? Disciplines- What role, if any, did Industrial Design play in the competition? Where would Industrial Design fit in the world of sustainable energy? Professions- Can I make a career out of incorporating Industrial Design with sustainable energy? Digital Design and Fabrication I. Playback This presentation focused on Digital Design and Fabrication. Starting with the design and finishing at the construction level. The presentation was structured around questions. Alhaddad would ask questions that he and his team mates would ask and then he showed the result of the questions i.e. a slide of a structure or a part of a structure. Important terms that were brought up in this presentation were; the use of different materials to design the structure (not need to be the materials in the final product), how to give life to a structure (kids and the structure in HIGH), and algorithmic procedures. II. Look Up Mullion- structural element that divides adjacent window units or other openings. Parametric Modeling- designing objects by using the computer to model their components with real-world behaviors and attributes. III. Speculate Pedagogical: How do we compare the other exhibits in the HIGH museum (that are not allowed to be touched), with the green structure? Does the structure go against the saying that you do not touch things in a museum? Are green materials cost efficient? Discipline: What other methods of modeling are offered, besides parametric, in the computer aided design world? Professional: Should we have specializations in materials and manufacturing separate from design? Are there designers that focus solely on the use of materials and if so do they do less of the designing and more of the fabrication planning? Assignment 1 Installation One: “The Noose” Description The materials used for this installation are polycarbonate, metal wires, and metal fasteners. The metal fasteners obviously (hence the name) fasten the pieces together, while the metal wires hold the installation up by its end. Unlike the installation inside, this one has to withstand the weather. The materials were chosen based on how well they dealt with the elements. The polycarbonate will not expand much with the heat and can withstand acid rain. It is also easier to bend and create shapes with. This installation was put together like a puzzle. There a dot sequences engraved in every plastic panel. These sequences tell how the panels are connected and where in the installation they will be placed. The process seems painstaking and intricate; I can only imagine how the creators got stressed. Every piece seems different from the next and having to build up and around like that had to have been very difficult. The pieces of installation overlap before they are fastened together. At first glance the installation seems to have no specific geometric shape what so ever. It appears to be a tangle of polycarbonate. Looking at it more closely I noticed the section right after the base is a series of long quadrilateral like shapes. This section wraps around the column and apart from the base, is the only part of the installation that has some symmetry. The shape of this section provides support as well as visual flow. This section guides the viewers eyes along a clean line from the base, around the column, and finally to the overwhelming tangle at the end. The way the installation changes with light is incredible. Depending on the time of day the installation can look dull or striking. Light reflects off of every angle created by all the twists and bends in the installation. The base of the structure reflects similarly to that of a puddle of water. Since it is all the panels stacked on top of one another, the base is a bluish color—once again resembling a puddle of water. The tangled section of the installation has musical qualities. Each piece makes a different sound when struck. All of the pieces weather differently. Since there are more spaces in the tangled section of the installation, leaves and debris get stuck there. There are water and dirt marks on the base and the fasteners and screws are rusted. There is even a beehive in one of the top tangles of the installation. Speculation I see more of an artistic motivation for this installation, as well as a sort of “test the elements” challenge for the creators. Picking the right materials was one of the most important aspects of the design process. Questions that were brought up could have been; what materials will allow for sufficient support and malleability? Where do we place the base of this installation? How do we end this installation without making it seem like we cut it off? What materials can withstand the weather? The design process was tedious and precise. One wrong move and the structure could fall on top of someone. Each piece had to be perfectly cut and distinctly marked. This installation is so winding you can almost see it in a 3-D computer program. This was probably where it was designed. This installation brings to mind water, but also wind. The way it wraps around the column and over the building resembles the winds path. You can almost picture a giant head blowing where the base of the installation is. In another life this installation is dedicated to a life of crime. It is responsible for the death of thousands of innocent sea creatures. It also used to hold giant soda cans and can be worn as a necklace (like the penguin in “Happy Feet”. I personally think the tangled part looks like the plastic rings that hold soda cans. It makes me want to get giant scissors and cut it up so I can save the dolphins. For this reason I would name it…”The Noose: Marine Life’s Worst Nightmare”. Installation Two: “Just Around the River Bend” Description The materials and fabrication process of this installation appear to be simple and thought out. The installation is predominantly made of long plywood pieces held together by metal rods. These materials are rather cheap and plywood can be easier to work with than heavier woods. Carpenter’s glue or wood glue was used as well. The glue is visible where pieces were put together. The most obvious trace of fabrication apart from the glue, are the numbers and letters on each piece of plywood. These numbers correspond to one another and were probably used to show were each piece went and what other piece it was connected to. The bottom of the plywood pieces are cut at an angle. These angles should have been reinforced with a piece of plywood that fit into the cut. In certain areas of the installation, the cut on the plywood pieces is not as clean as others. It looks a little shredded. The installation is about three stories high and about 8-10 feet wide. The bench (bottom) part of the installation is symmetrical in its geometry, and the symmetry continues until one gets to the spaces where the plywood seems to bend around something. It is asymmetrical with all of its bends and waves. Symmetry is regained in the top part of the installation, towards the third floor. The installation flows like water, down the buildings three stories. It is similar to a waterfall. This similarity is enforced where the pieces of plywood bend “around” spaces where you would find a rock. The size, mostly the length, of the installation gives it a “wow” factor. Its length draws the eye up or down, depending on the viewpoint, drawing the viewer’s attention to the height of the building. It is not proportional to the building, making the first thing you notice when you walk in. The installation in its shape and material is radically different from anything else in the building. Like a waterfall, it is heaviest at the bottom. The bench is reinforced with more plywood pieces and is not translucent like the rest of the installation. The wood adds warmth and an artsy feel to an otherwise sleek and cold concrete building. The fact that the material is light in comparison to the mostly concrete building, also make the installation stand out. Although the material is opaque the installation is translucent, well except for the bench. In addition to bringing warmth to the building through the wood, the installation’s form plays with the light in the room. Depending on where the light hits it, the structure appears to reflect it back. This mostly happens at the bends of the installation as it bends from the third to second story. The installation is smooth to the touch, except for some rough edges at the ends (bench and third floor). The installation serves a sound barrier in the areas of the building which it touches. This could prove useful to anyone who wishes to study behind the installation. Speculation The motivations for this installation were adding warmth and visual appeal to the building. The creators were inspired by a waterfall, as the installations movement down the building resembles that of water down terraces. The motivation for the choice of material, apart from malleability and low cost, was warmth and weight. The concrete atrium has a cold and heavy feel. The installation breaks this by being light in material and using the light throughout the day and its translucent nature, to bring warmth to the building. The research questions posed throughout the fabrication of the installation go along with the latter. How can we add warmth to the building? How can we create something that adds visual appeal while being useful? What materials will allow us to create the bends we need to simulate the flow of water? Where can we put this installation so as to not create a block in the natural flow of the building? How can we build an installation that conveys all of our ideas without taking up too much space? The creators probably started buy researching the flow of water down cascading flat levels. They then thought about ways to make the piece functional. The bench answers and it also serves to stabilize the installation, as it is the heaviest most reinforced part. As I have said before, the first thing that comes to mind when I see this is a waterfall. I would name this “Just Around the River Bend….the Death Fall”, because I can imagine myself kayaking down a river and turning the bend to find myself with a steep waterfall (installation)…and then I kayak to my death. Disclaimer: I have an overactive imagination. In another life the installation wanted to be a water slide. Since that would not work out, it opted for being a regular slide. You just have to get in a sack and slide down. It works at carnivals on weekends and holidays—it also does birthday parties. It is not to be held liable for any injuries acquired due to its steep drop. Link to this Page
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