"codes +" essay

Our experience with the various requirements to support human activities and needs concerning our shelter:bus was challenging. Although we, as a group, thought that we had designed our buses thoughtfully, the “codes +” charrette proved differently.

What we would recommend to other designers when creating a space in which humans will interact with, is to pay close attention to every detail, large and small, to ensure that the experience one will have with the space will not only be enjoyable, but equally accessible for all. For example, when considering a space for an individual who may be in a wheelchair, you need not only think about the space it will take to enter the room, but also the dimensions for turning around, turning around an object, backing up, and approaching the space horizontally and vertically. These considerations, unfortunately, were not thought of when designing our prototype shelter:bus. The codes that need be applied to most every space are very helpful in further considering your design and its impact on those we will interact with it. For example, when sitting at a desk you must think of how much clearance an average person would need and also how much someone who is not average would need and combine the two. The codes really helped us, as a group, to look at every inch of our space differently.

The overall experience with the “codes +” charrette was difficult at first but was very helpful in the end. The regulations and requirements to support human activities is something that will enhance our designing capabilities because they really taught us to not only look at our space in our shelter:bus completely different, but also that we must always consider who we are designing for in order to have a successful and welcoming design.

shelter:bus:water

For our shelter:bus, we decided that one of the most important and basic needs is water. Therefore, our relief bus is dedicated solely to need. The bus will have a retractable, slanted "rain-roof" that will channel rainwater into collapsible barrels. From there, basic water refinement treatments will be done, such as the addition of iodine to the water, in order to ensure the safety of the water. The bus will also have a "water bladder" on the second floor that will store pre-treated water and can be siphoned into the barrels. Large, re-usable plastic bottles will be given to the victims in need so that they can take water as they please and have it stored safely. If for some reason water is not easily accessible for the shelter:bus, the hose from the bladder can attach to any working fire hydrant.

shelter:bus:medical

For our second shelter:bus, we decided that medical supplies would also be in demand in the case of a natural disaster. This medical bus will have six sleeping quarters on the second floor, a cellular communication center on the first, handicap access, MRE's, and of course, medical supplies. The bus will also be ran off of solar power, to ensure that no additional environmental impact is placed during the, already disastrous, location. Heavy-duty tires will also be utilized to ensure that debris will not interfere with the mission of the shelter:bus.

client charrette

For our client, we chose the people of the Kobeni village in Mauritania, West Africa. The people of this viallge have been suffering from locust infestation, drought, famine, sand storms, and governmental problems for years now. Our proposed ideas to help the Kobeni people were to improve their granary storage, market place, create a waiting room for their local medical unit, and to create a cover for the community well that will help reduce contamination and will keep animals, debris, and even people from falling in. The drawings above are images that are representative of the current issues that are plaguing the people of the Kobeni Village.

final model for proposed bus site

Our final model for the proposed bus site on the corner of Tate St. and Spring Garden St. has a natural, organic, welcoming feel that will be comfortable and familiar for future passengers on the GTA/HEAT Bus. The horizontal band of green on both sides of the shelter represent recycled glass that will be used to tie in the stone on the facade of the Weatherspoon Art Museum that is directly behind our location. The roof will have slats of wood that will also keep with the verticality of Museum as well. Inside the bus stop will be soft music from the Museum, as well as informational sheets concerning the upcoming events at Weatherspoon and a map of the route of the Bus.

postcard to Jenny Paige

Jenny,
My name is Hannah Hall and I am a second year IARC student here at UNCG. I wanted to thank you, first and foremost, for speaking to all of us last Wednesday on behalf of the Environmental and Sustainability Committee at UNCG. Because of your speech, I feel not only relieved that actions are being taken to help protect our environment, but also sincerely hopeful for a future filled with change. Just a few of the topics that you discussed that I am excited about include: portion control and organic produce in the cafeteria; films concerning the environment in the Weatherspoon Museum; $136,578 saved by re-using and recycling; the 34% recycling rate that is the highest so far; and the conversion of vegetable into Bio-Fuel thanks to Piedmont Bio-Fuel. Thank you again for inspiring us all to do our part in the community and to make changes in our world, for our world. Keep up the good work! Hannah Hall

"Landfill". Online Image. 9/10/08. blog.lib.umn.edu/.../architecture/landfill.jpg

pre[c]edent project

For our the precedent part of our project, we visited the bus stop that is currently on campus on Spring Garden St. We were given a list of 15 word pairs to help guide us in what we should be looking for when viewing the bus stop and sketching. My five words that coincide with my pictures, in order from top to bottom, are "circulation + use", "tectonic + mechanic", "symmetry + balance", and "geometry + arrangement".

After we completed our sketches, we began working on study models to express our ideas for the next phase of the project which was to design a bus stop for the GTA Route 2 stop at the corner of Tate St. and Spring Garden.

Bus ride...

After a week of wayfinding, I must admit that when we were first assigned this project I was a bit irritated that we had to, again, use some form of transportation and that it would be foreign to the majority of us this time. Once I started on this “adventure”, however, I soon realized how thankful I am to live on campus and to have a car.
I had heard, the day before, that you could take the HEAT Bus to the actual bus depot downtown and pick your route from there. Because I’m impatient, and apparently not very smart, I got on the first HEAT Bus that I saw on the morning of my riding and hoped that it would take me where I wanted to go. Needless to say, I sat for 30 minutes while the bus driver drove his route on and around campus until I was dropped off in the exact same place I started. After feeling extremely embarrassed and a bit frustrated, I decided just to drive to the depot. Although I felt that getting in my car and driving was completely defeating the entire process, by driving I knew that I would definitely get there and would be able to complete the assignment. The very moment I arrived at the depot and saw the classic wooden benches with people and their luggage that you see in various movies, I felt like I was a child running away. I was disoriented and slightly overwhelmed, but I eventually found the pamphlets that had the bus routes in them and decided to go to Friendly Shopping Center. It was humorous to me, and I’m sure to the other passengers on the bus, how foreign the experience was for me and my classmates. We had no idea where to put our change when we got on or when to pull the yellow rope that requests a stop. Also, because we were taking pictures rapidly, I’m pretty sure the passengers thought we were crazy tourists or snotty, privileged young adults, and that made me feel a bit uncomfortable and almost undeserving or unwelcome to ride the bus. The night before my riding, the 6-o-clock news did a segment on how starting on a certain date, it will become a law that the GTA must have at least six cameras running 24/7 for the safety of its passengers. As I was riding at 11 am, I could definitely see how fights could get started or how women, especially, could feel unsafe.
I, unfortunately, did not read the civil rights reading on blackboard before I began my “Three R’s” project. I have, however, read several informational sources in the past regarding civil rights in Greensboro and have done various projects on historical events such as the famous Sit-In at the Woolsworth downtown so I was not completely unaware of what was in the reading. After I completed the reading, the project came full circle for me. In the end, I can say that I highly respect those that use and work for the public transportation system. Never again will I curse at a GTA Bus when I get stopped one while I’m driving…

First week...

Before the first day of classes actually started, I was a little nervous about my second year as an Interior Architecture student. It seemed that from the very beginning of my first year in the major there was a consensus among 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th year students that your second year in the program is the one that will either make or break you. Although I can't say how I will feel at the end of the spring semester, I can say that I was pleasantly surprised by my first week of studio.

Our first project assigned, on Monday, asked us to make a map of our journey to a certain destination, previously chosen by our teachers, by sketching and recording areas that stood out to us. After we had completed this and shared our individual "paths" with the class as a whole, we broke into our suit groups that consisted of roughly 15 people to work on the second part of the project which was to figure out a way to combine our paths in a legible and cohesive manner. I was worried that working as a group would be incredibly frustrating and that some of us would end up creating something that we didn't fully stand behind. I was very happy, however, when our group was extremely open to other's ideas and willing to hear every voice of the group and that in the end we were able to reach an agreement that we could all be excited about (which definitely helps in regards to the quality of our work). After we presented our work as a group to the rest of the class, the final part of the project was given to us with a time frame attached. We, the entire class, had roughly an hour and a half to decide how to combine four group's work now. Although I expected it to be hectic, I was disappointed in those who did not take the assignment seriously. I'm glad that we were all forced to work together, however, because this was just a small taste of what the real world is going to be like (and we definitely all need that). In the end, the final piece of work was not what everyone agreed on but instead a final attempt at completing something before our time ran out.

This first week flew by and if it's any taste of what the rest of the semester is going to be like, I can say that I am honestly excited for what is to come.

Wayfinding

For our first project in studio this year, we were assigned to take note of landmarks, nodes, edges, and districts along our journey to our destination. My destination for this assignment was the Beth David Synagogue off of Friendly Avenue. Along the way I sketched certain objects and areas that, to me, help identify the path that I am on. At the end of my journey, I realized how many objects you subconsciously see on a daily basis but fail to realize how big of a part they play in your navigation. I really enjoyed this assignment; I will definitely pay more attention to an area's layout now!