etched glass-forest like?

"Banners"...are they to 'market-down town' theme? yes, probably so. Trying to find the balance between forest and down town was hard to come by - so another tweak in the design has occurred. This always tends to happen, especially now that I have senioritis, I tend to stand by and tweak and add small things to the space early on in the design process when theoretically I should lunging myself forward and stepping in all sorts of crazy directions of design and then subtracting. However, I suppose I work backwards....

The 'banners' in my space have now turned into a series of etched glass panels, which allow a more tactile experience for the students and the occupants of the space. I imagined myself in this college forest I have created and how it is lacking the tactile experience. When in a forest you touch leaves, twigs, the dirt on the ground, its a never-ending series of exploring and touching, and those are the qualities I want the occupants in the space to have. 

late night discoveries

So while sitting in studio late night, sipping on a red bull to keep my mojo going, i have made a few realizations about the college area. Where is the horizontal elements? No where. Have I manipulated the ceiling? the floor? NO.
So, I did a few quick perspectives of ideas to help the space become more vibrant and more appealing. I have added a grid like-branching pattern to the ceiling that will serve as in-set lighting to help give a little more life to the space. The grid on the ceiling will be continuations of the systems of way finding and storage as well as the shelving system that span through out the walls and columns.

Another idea I am focusing on, is the desk situation, after sketching desks and trying to force something to work as not only a desk, but rather a table I have decided to have the desk cantilevered off of the column and given support from thin metal poles (like the ones in the systems) to help with the horizontal elements as well as the vertical lines.

So far late nights + red bull + a little cheer leading from peers has helped convert my space into a better interactive experience.

'being excited...coming a lonnng way...'

After discussing + sharing ideas in class on weds, I realized I:
a. had a lot of work ahead of me
b. dont have too much time ahead of me
c. need to get my 'mojo' back (it tends to come and go quickly during this project)
d. get excited about my designs thus far + those of them to come

So, I spent the weekend back home in Ohio, and it was nice to clear my head a little bit of all my tasks and figure out ways to climb myself out of this hole I have somehow dug for myself. I did some sketching over the weekend, and started working on perspectives. I came back on Monday and finally put the pencil to the paper and started to feel as if I was getting something accomplished, and am currently getting excited for the space (or the fact that I am making progress).

The perspectives above need a little touch up on the renderings, however, I believe this is where my final design is going. I want to incorporate more color into the space, and work on lighting techniques to help light the "forest" and make it more visually stimulating. I like how the stands have created an array of 'tree-like' objects and when moving throughout the space you feel as if you are in a forest, but can easily locate where you want to go, by the way finding systems.

The nook in the second image has been fixed to be more useful to the students as well as more engaging. Again, I would like to work on lighting techniques to help aid the students in way finding and make it more visually stimulating. The objects hanging from the ceiling are smaller versions of our LEED signs that will be taking place in the rest of the circulation space. Within the hanging signs will be clips and images of colleges. They will be made out of recycled glass and metal, *more to come on signs later*.

I guess its not so bad working within an institution - I just have to allow my mind to be creative in other ways + I am working on 'designing outside of the box'.

"You should be excited, this is a cool space." + today I can say I actually am excited.

Furthering ideas...

Visit to NGHS

On Friday, April 3rd a group of us ventured over to Northern Guilford High School to begin our collaboration with the art students. We showed the students some of our work from previous projects, mostly 1pt and 2pt perspectives and talked to them about how important art really is in the future, especially in any field in design. After talking to them about career fields and our work, we asked them if they would be willing to participate in our project. As the circulation group and the high school group we feel it is important to have the students impact the space just as much as we as designers are. We gave them the opportunity to create their idea of the perfect space, to let their imagination run wild all while working within the 2pt perspective Wade *the art teacher* has been teaching them. The hopes is, the drawings the students develop will help generate more ideas as well as give the administration a better idea of what their students hope to see in the space and what would really help stimulate their knowledge. 

We are excited to see what ideas they come up with and where their imagination takes them!

NGHS

After visiting the High School and sitting in the college area - I realized there were a lot of opportunities for change- as well as a lot of challenges there were for me to face as a designer. My goals for the college area is to make it a space where juniors and seniors would want to hang out in and learn about their future, I want to provide a better way-finding system (which is drawn below) as well as a better shelving system. As of right now all of the program books from the school are scattered on random shelves and it would be hard for students to utilize the space and the books the corner is offering. 

ATLANTA

NOTE: please read this in an english accent....

It all started with the southern snow storm of 2009, causing build up on the highways, panic in the drivers and well...simply left in the snow. The fourth years trip to "HOT-Lanta" (cough) rather, COLD-Lanta, minus three, spent three days gallivanting around the city visiting design firms and furniture showrooms and tasting the cuisine hot-lanta had to offer.

Day 1: Our morning started off bright and early at 9 am – SHARP. Herman Miller was the first of the day, we enjoyed juices, coffee, pastries and fruit while engaging in casual business conversations with our colleagues. Betteye Russell, the women of the hour(s) started off by giving us a brief tour of the Herman Miller Showroom and had a wonderful speaker who gave us helpful tips, hints and suggestions on life after i.arc – yes, there really is a life after i.arc. 

We then braved the cold, and traveled to our next destination point, while some made it there quickly, others opted to take the scenic route (1201 E. Peachtree St.)  Lord Aeck + Sargent greeted us with warm coffee, tea and a quick tour of their studio space and a brief insight on their historical preservation projects. With tummies growling and faces numb, the fourth years headed off to HOK. Hungry, everyone indulged in yummy cookies and canned soda and had an opportunity to get off their feet and chat for a while. HOK gave us a tour of their space and showed us the multitude of projects in which they had been embarking on. A question session closed the tour, and again, many helpful hints were shared.

Pause- “okay see you @ 11 am tomorrow.”  “ 11..no, try 9…” (everyone growls at Patrick and Betteye) The rest of the evening was up to students to explore the city, relax and enjoy good food and company.

 DAY 2: 9 am came wayyy too fast. Bearing the cold, the heels and a slight “headache” we once again embarked on a long, exciting day of firms and showrooms – this time however, included a lunch break! Knoll was the first stop on the agenda and this gave us an opportunity to finally sit in the chairs we had been drawing on index cards for a full semester, thanks to “P”.

 We left with our brains filled with knowledge on the designers and textiles and headed off to TVS- Designs. TVS- Designs gave us the opportunity to learn about research in design and how crucial it is; from there we were given a brief tour of their space which left us speechless and worked from exploring their four floors of studio space. LUNCH TIME. Excited we had an opportunity to eat this day we all ventured to different locations for lunch and enjoyed a couple hours to get off our feet and relax and ponder everything we have experienced thus far. Last and final trip was to Perkins + Will where like TVS-Design we were greeted with an alum from i.arc…how exciting! Her and her colleague gave us insight on their institutional and healthcare projects and answered our last questions.

 We then ended the trip with one final group shot – and embarked on the long journey home. 

OH- AND THANKS TO P.DIDDY + T.DAWG  FOR PUTTING UP WITH ALL OUR SHANINIGANS!