Spine Wall: A Working Prototype

Austin Loman and I had the privilege of working together on our final studio project, we had been examining our proposal and project through different ways. We ultimately decided from that proposal to strive for something realistically feasible within our studio. So we developed a half wall partition, also known as a spine wall to be placed within the current desks that would allow for uniformity across the years and also utilize the existing power grid and didn't make it such a hazard. So we had various deliverables to help people understand this project such as plans with this piece in use on the third and fourth floor, renderings and we built one module which services two desks. 

A Learning Place: Survey Data + Analysis Information

Finally the last 11x17 was turned in today which looked at earlier research we had all gathered as a studio that focused on different things such as electrical deliveries or lighting but this one focused specifically on the surveys that were recorded.

A Learning Place: Universal Design

A Learning Place: Intellectual Works

The next up in 11x17 deliverables is examining other pieces of work that can somehow be connected to ours, I chose to examine the legendary Dieter Rams. Although our design isn't nearly as great as his, I have always been a true admirer of his work and try to bring some of the fundamentals from his philosophy into my own work.

Shopping List

A Learning Place: Brand

The next up on the deliverables for a learning place is relating to the book by Russell Brand, A Learning Place. Austin and I made connections with a chapter titled Function Melts Form...

Interim Project Work

So far, me and Austin have began to buy materials to build a full scale working prototype and develop both presentation drawings and construction drawings to go alongside our design.

A Learning Place: IARC Core Values

For studio we've also been given the task and creating 11x17's that deal with different issues relating to our current project. Me and Austin Loman have decided to focus entirely on this half partition wall that taps into the current power grid situation between years. The first deliverable dealt with the four values of the interior architecture department: authenticity, innovation, community, stewardship. 

Project Proposal

I've teamed up with Austin Loman to bring back JIVE for our most current studio project. We together have proposed to create a more uniform space but while still respecting the existing structure. We also designed a partition to go in between the current desk situations to solve some of the issues we as students have faced this year with the new configurations. 

Welcome Back

Studio Proposal

After hearing about all the research gathered during class I decided to propose reconfigurations of the current spaces, increasing and decreasing particular spaces and also introducing new ones. Through my proposal I addressed issues we are all familiar with and tried to figure out ways in which I might solve them...

Electrical Deliveries

This assignment was part of our research within our groups for our current studio project and the group I was involved in examined electrical deliveries. We took this as an opportunity to look for alternative methods of providing energy through solar, wind or other various ways as well.

Studio Research Summary

We have now began our newest and final studio project which is looking inward at our own existing studio space and seeing how we can solve some issues currently. This began by examining the four core values of our department through the visual explorer.  After that we all broke up into groups between Tommy’s studio and our studio to research different things such as built aspects, conduct surveys, examine social and behavioral qualities, existing spaces, lighting, furniture and many other things.

Probably one of the more fascinating groups to present were the individuals that conducted the surveys because in their results they asked questions about whether or not we find the space to be inspirational or not? Which is the most used space between all the years, and what space would they have if they could... It seemed that as time progressed the space wasn’t able to inspire like it once could as a first year. To me personally that does make sense because we as human beings often become tired of certain things after a length of time whether it’s a house, or a car or a room in this case. Also the statistics showed that as our time passed here we spent less time here because our work becomes more digital based and many of us our able to continue our work outside of the classroom and offsite at home. With every year we need different amenities such as the first years need more storage for material and more space for constructing projects. Second year is a period where your work is still hand somewhat but then begins to make its way into the digital realm and by third and fourth year the majority of our work is digital based which ultimately requires less space. 

What I’m considering doing with this project is basically emptying the entire floor and establishing better configurations of the furniture systems. It seems that by finding systems furniture that can be right above the outlets in the floor solves the issues of cables being everywhere and gives everybody their own floor outlet but the desk would ultimately have outlets on the tops of them as well. By doing this I think we can establish a better grid and also ideally a better arrangement. I am thinking I want to space plan the studio area and create an open plan that better fits the needs of the students and also the professors but still allows for those break out sessions to occur and can embrace different situations and easily adapt. I am also interested in what I can do to graphically enhance the space and leave an area for each studio to really do whatever they want with. I plan to introduce color into the space and also new materials to enlighten the overall feeling and just create a space that’s more lively and more rich in work, people, and life in general.

Visual Explorer

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When I hear the word community I think about people first and foremost but then I think about other things that happen with people such as interactions, relationships, life, dialogue, activity and so many more things. We also within our group talked about a community could be a cluster and not involve people but it could just be the parts to the whole and how those things come together. Familiarity is also another idea I believe that is embedded within communities, it's seen as a place of comfort for some, a place where they know people and can engage with other people whether new or old faces.

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Authenticity is one subject that gets very heated because people have different ideas or meanings about what authentic means to them. We yesterday talked about the idea that we as designers appreciate seeing a material in it's raw form and not making it look like something that it's clearly not. This generation within the last few years has became extremely fascinated by nostalgia and how we can use new technology to create something that's old but in a different fashion. I think of authentic as being real, having some sort of story and involving hard work and bringing out the best in whatever you do and staying true to yourself as an individual. 

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People like Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla, Alexander Graham Bell, Gandhi, Steve Jobs and many many more people are what I think of innovators. These are people that are the movers and shakers; they are dedicated and have the strength to achieve something great and know they can and know how to as well. I think of innovation as being a long and hard process that challenges the way we think about things and when discovered is ground breaking and original. I think innovation occurs through countless trial and error situations and being able to presevere and allow for exploring existing things and leaving room for discovery. 

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Doing good and being a responsible human being is what I believe to be stewardship, taking care of what's around already and utilizing what resources we have already. In this day stewardship is an important thing within sustainable practices and realizing that it doesn't mean sacrificing what we need but thinking more consciously about our decisions before acting. I think it also has to deal with the idea of protecting things we have or don't have that are worth the upkeep and it should be an experience for everyone that engages people where ever. 

Feedback Loop Two: Aws

Aws redesigned the Jackson Library at UNCG and his big idea was that by using focal points in three different ways; light, color, and organized distributed spaces that you could provide navigation throughout the space without the users being confused. 

Aws and everyone else that had the chance to work with the Jackson Library had unique issues and worked on specific areas based on what they produced earlier and felt strongest about. That library has so many issues within it such as circulation, space planning, materiality, way finding and many more things. These are all things I felt as if Aws dealt with in a successful manner because navigation is vital and the users really need to know exactly where they are within the space at all times. 

You can see how he incorporated lighting throughout the space which is most noticeable in the signage labeling the rooms, and color is another aspect I think works really well by essentially color coding various rooms and those colors show up at the main circulation desk through a mini map. 

Aws had previously studied the systems within the existing space in which he noticed how the overhead lighting served as a "path of direction" which he tried to incorporate into his current scheme. I think the idea of this is a very good one in which he articulated in a respectful manner without doing anything too over the top. This approach considers the people and workers and allows for everything that the library is currently lacking such as color, life, direction,  and a broader range of materials. 

Overall I would say Aws designed the space while thinking about the current issues and figuring out he could solve them and I think that definitely worked for him. The users seem to be the most important aspect of nearly every design and this is no exception. Everything he decided to do influences the patrons and helps them out by providing overall a better experience to the Jackson Library by taking advantage of lighting, color and organized distributed spaces. 

UNCG Music Library: The Stuff

After presenting our space plan which was our initial proposal where we were allowed to go all out and do whatever we wanted within the space, regardless of practicality or affordability. However, for this assignment we were to take that design and make it more manageable at actually accomplishing and being able to afford. For my design, I stuck to the same idea of silent music by attempting to create a space that basically performed and maintained those musical qualities but it still ultimately needed to remain a library. Our deliverables were that of the original assignment but we also needed to do some scheduling and specifications for furniture, lighting and finishes as well as numerous details and detailed elevations and sections.