Choosing (a site) Wisely

By Timothy Shotts

The process of choosing a site for my thesis has proven to be much more interesting than I thought initially.  With a fifth emerging transportation method – evacuated tube transport (ET3) – the decision of where a access portal would be located should be made with the people and the future in mind.  

I began with the big idea of planning for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Denver, Colorado.  Only part of the Olympic Games will take place in Denver, the rest will take place in the ski resort towns of Aspen, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Grand Junction, Steamboat Springs , and Vail.  Most of these locations are along Innerstate-70, which causes worries of congestion for the International Olympic Committee.  In response, there has been talk of creating an inter-mountain railroad to shuttle people between Denver and the ski resort towns.  Beyond being a great way to showcase ET3, this is an opportunity to efficiently transport hundreds of thousands of people around Colorado for sixteen days.   

What to do with the billions of dollars of infrastructure after the sixteen days is a huge question as well.  Looking at census information from 2010, I created a composite map of where in Colorado there is the most poverty, highest population density, most number of people living, and travel time to work.  The darker areas are the most effected on the maps.  Leadville, Colorado is my first choice.  It has also been the home of the Leadville 100 ultramarathon for the past 31 years and the Leadville 100 mountain bike race for the past 20 years.  Estes Park, Boulder, and Idaho Springs would be other options, in that order. 

So Leadville…  Here we go!  You are the only municipality in Lake county which has a 21.7% poverty rate, 19.4 people per square mile, 7,310 people, and a 33minute commute time to work.  You have a tiny airport, eight hotels (one of which is a national chain), a lot of residential areas, and Colorado Mountain College (CMC)  (which focuses on educational programs such as ski business, retail management, product development, marketing, ski lift maintenance and operations, culinary arts, veterinary technology, and nursing).  Let’s build you an economy that you already have well established – marathon racing!  Let’s do it by getting people to and from Leadville, keeping it a small town with an adventure tourism business plan.  Let’s put to work the students of CMC and give more people an opportunity to rise out of poverty.

The darker sections represent Colorado counties with a combined higher poverty rate, commute time, population, and population density.  Composite map created from http://www.indexmundi.com/, Google Maps, Amtrak

Progression on the Graduate Thesis Project

By Lani Walker

In the beginning stages of my Thesis work, I have focused on the current situation of elementary education in Southern Illinois.  In many aspects of the local educational programs and facilities, Southern Illinois seems to offer many great schools which produce successful, competitive, and thriving young students.  In general, the Elementary Schools in Southern Illinois teach children in grades Kindergarten through fifth grade, with about 20 students in each classroom managed by one teacher.  When speaking with local teachers, one aspect of education which seemed to be lacking in the daily curriculum is environmental education.  From my conversations with local teachers and students in Southern Illinois, as well as personal knowledge from attending the local schools myself, I am finding evidence that the educational facilities in Southern Illinois have allowed the connection to the natural world to disappear.  Recess has been shortened from one hour twice a day, to half an hour of outdoor time per day.  The local schools are favoring movie clips to actual field trips and excursions.  The educational facility has removed itself and its children from their environment.  Nearby fields of trees and walking paths which once surrounded the schools are cleared for additional parking spaces.  I have personally seen classrooms which have been designed without direct access or even a view to the outside.  Even if a teacher wanted to show their young biology students how the changing seasons affect the nearby vegetation, there would be nothing to see anymore (…so, a movie about seasons is the next best option without leaving the classroom).  It seems that the student’s education is so saturated with technology that their hands-on experiences with their local environment have vanished.

Although much of my research is preliminary, I have read numerous online stories from parents and educators all over the United States observing the same thing; there is no balance between the use of technology for education and the use of the natural environment for education in the public schools.  Currently, the technology is taking over.  However, with the ever-growing need for students to be computer savvy, you may ask, ‘Why are connections with the natural environment important in a child’s life anyway?’  To begin, spending time in nature has been documented to improve a child’s learning abilities in multiple ways (National Outdoor Leadership School NOLS).  Respected national organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children have expressed concern about the present trend of limiting outdoor play during the school day which they believe has restricted children’s access and experience with nature (Ginsburg, 2007).   These organizations are unwavering that hands on learning with the natural environment at a child’s direct access are an enlightened way of learning.  Reading about the way a plant grows in a book cannot compare to digging in the dirt with a spade, planting the seed in the ground, spilling water from a watering spout, and watching the plant’s daily growth.  Hands-on learning experiences can be incorporated into nearly every subject, and this thesis proposes an educational facility which can assist and encourage those experiments.  My goal for this thesis project is to use my own research and the numerous case studies from others to design an Elementary School for Southern Illinois which creates a balance between innovative technology and hands-on outdoor learning.  I hope to create a [hypothetical] educational facility which inspires a child’s sense of wonder, curiosity, and joy of learning, while creating a lasting attachment to the environment.   

Holiday Break

By Randy Thoms

The time has come to begin once again the process of finishing an Architecture Master thesis.  Over the much needed break of the holidays, I spent much of my time playing with my kids and eating too much. Then there was all the present getting and wrapping and giving.  It is great with having two young kids, 10 and 3, the season comes into a different focus and purpose.  Luckily my oldest likes to decorate, so we follow his lead to get the house ready....for Santa Claus!  Yes, we pull NORAD Santa tracker onto the big TV and start watching his progress at 8 in the morning on Christmas Eve as he makes his way from the far east to here is southern Illinois.

After all the excitement and playing with new toys and again eating too much, we move into the New Year.  This is when I spent some time on my thesis.  I went to visit my sites in Knoxville, TN that I want to use.  I have three potential site I chose from using Google maps.  Now I am from Knoxville, so I know the area and what each site has to offer to a degree.  I guess this would be a good a time as any to state what I plan on doing for my thesis, if I have not already done so:  A Senior Housing development in an Urban infill context.

However, when I went to visit the site, my first choice became my last and my second the first and then yet another one came into contention.  This is what a site visitation does for the context of your plan.  One can get lots of images and ideas from Google Maps and Google Earth, but actually walking the site and experiencing the sights and sounds and context firsthand changes your preconceptions of what is there, or not there for that matter.  I was able to feel the scale of some of the buildings not expressed in the Map StreetView, or how large that parking lot really is, or how sloped this lot is compared to the others.  All of these realities inform the way and direction a given project and program will proceed.  Are there views to something or just looking at a parking garage?  Is the sun ever going to hit the site or is it in the shadow of buildings?

Now that the semester has begun, it is time to hammer out the early details and thoughts quickly and with confidence and convection since time will move fast as the weeks pile on towards summer and thesis defense.  There are so many ideas and directions one could go and this will be the real challenge to the process not to mention meeting with committee members and taking other classes.  Nonetheless, I am getting excited to really dive in and get the ball rolling and produce a high quality project and response to the problem of Senior Housing. 

Christmas Break!

Those were the last few posts we did just before the semester ended.  We will resume with new posts when the second half of our Master's program begins in January!

Impact

By Ryan Kinports

The recent death of Paul Walker could cause someone to question their contributions in life. The premature and foolish nature of the accident left a billion dollar franchise without its captain. Now maybe you've never seen any of the Fast and Furious movies, and they are not high art, but the effect on a generation of young people was profound.

When we move out into the world as designers and architects we should aspire to impact as many people as we are able to in a positive way. We sort off lucked out here with our profession. The nature of buildings means that if you create quality work a single structure could see millions of people pass through and by it during its lifespan. Your potential to affect future architects, how people view their environment, or how someone feels should drive innovation in your designs. I can imagine that among architecture students there has always been a drive to create wondrous structures that push boundaries, but modern society has only in recent decades begun to express the same interests through popular culture. Building materials are changing so rapidly that even our most fantastic designs are within reach. The opportunity these conditions afford us means we are in a position students 20 years ago could only dream of.

But then we must come back to reality. We aren't all going to create a Birds Nest. Most of us will design for more necessary infrastructure such as schools or homes. The positive side to this is that people are becoming more conscious of their built environment and are willing to spend slightly more to experience unique features. The other component is the push to lessen our impact on the environment, which is now substantially driving our industry to advance materials and methods at a rapid pace. As we move forward with more tools and ideas the real value we bring is the vision to form a complete structure that incorporates the many complex concepts we have learned in a way that makes sense to the client. This is one of the eternal struggles we must deal with – the balance between the project requirements, what the client thinks looks good, and the vision you want to realize. New materials and processes may remove restrictions and allow you to more accurately define the client’s desires, but the costs involved often place more traditional methods as the preferred. It is important not to get caught up in designing for materials. It’s an arduous process to design within the many restrictions, but if you are able to work your concepts within those limits you will get noticed. Anyone can create a building; your goal should be to create an experience.  Just remember it takes time to get noticed – don’t get discouraged if years go by without recognition. Focus on your work and some day you will be held up by the communities you affect, but more importantly you will see how you have altered their approach to life. It's an exciting time to be an architect.

Examples of Grid Structures

By Sufiyanu Momoh

A good example of grid shell roofing structures would be the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard in the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington dc. In the article “Smithsonian celebrates hip and 'Artragious'” the author Christina describes this structure as “a glass-enclosed engineering marvel it shares with the National Portrait Gallery”. This grid shell gives this courtyard a whole different feel to it. The 63 million dollar glass and steel structure was designed by fosters and partners. It covers over 28000 square feet. This roof structure sits above the court yard space. It is supported by some aluminum clad column so that the weight of the roof does not damage the existing historical buildings. Its structural frame is made out of steel which frames a double glazed glass panel. The roof structure allows day light in but also studded with a cluster of white lights which also gives it an elegant feel in the dark. The yas hotel located in Dubai, designed by asymptote architecture. A grid shell hangs over the structure acting like a skin. During day time this grid shell reflects the sky and the environment and by night it is lit by a color changing LED lighting system that incorporates video feeds that pass through them. The geometry of each unit in the grid shell was designed to mimic the ancient Islamic artistry. In an article describing this structure the author describes one of the effects of this grid shell. He says "the outer “grid shell” breaks the sunlight and generates a stack cooling effect" (gideon 2010). Considering how hot the location of this hotel can get, the effect of this sort of structures would definitely make spaces within this structure to feel better. The author further describes the function of this grid shell as he says "Starting at dusk, the grid shell becomes a light source of its own. LED luminaires—5,800 of them, each containing 144 bulbs—mounted in the vertices of the lattice function in unison as a wraparound screen, turning the Yas Hotel into something of a lava lamp, or a phosphorescent sea creature. Frits in the glass panels reflect the light sources outward, according to Rashid, without compromising transparency from within." (gideon 2010) explaining the elements of this structure when it gets dark. The Grid-Shell visually connects and fuses the entire complex together while producing optical effects and spectral reflections that play against the surrounding sky, sea and desert landscape.In most of this grid structure designs the major variables within them are lights. “Strikingly faceted with tons of holes letting in natural lighting, the pavilion offers a unique place to relax while also heralding a new technique for architects to consider. The pavilion was even outfitted with swinging hammocks for passersby to rest in." (meghan 2012) describing another grid shell structure which reacts with light to produce a well relaxing space within.A lot of these grid shells satisfy their design needs but do need really go deep into solving solutions and in cooperating environmental variables which can better the space. Pushing the boundaries on what these grid shells can be done; one can consider these shells to serve as templates for sustainable solutions such as solar panels thereby having certain parts of the templates orientated in ways they can get full potential of the suns energy. they can also serve as templates for other sustainable solutions such as heliostats. These heliostats can reflect light into darker areas within the region to brighten things up in those areas. Another possible function of this grid shell is to let them function as trellis which can act as a very good design element. The potential of these types of structures can go on and on.

What My Education Has Taught Me

By Kayla Fuller

During this past Thanksgiving, I was discussing with my family about what my plans are after graduation. Although this question is frequently asked, I am never satisfied with my response. I have lived in the Midwest my entire life, so I have been hopeful that upon completing my masters there would be an opportunity to travel west.  Recently I got engaged to my fiancé, as exciting as this is, it is also extremely terrifying. The choices I make not only effect my future by his as well.  My biggest fear is that my lack of experience and will greatly hinder my success.

As students we spend countless hours learning the importance of form and function and how the spaces we create effect those that occupy it. We are also taught the technical side, this has been extremely valuable because we understand how a building must connect and how to create more realistic designs. The one element that I have struggled with during school is renderings. With all the improvements of technology, I am constantly learning new programs but never completely understanding their capabilities. Sometimes my fear of not knowing what to expect and the possibility of failure has caused me to overlook certain programs. As a designer, you cannot let your fear restrict you, because you won’t fail if you try your hardest to succeed.

My classmates are my biggest competitors for a successful future and for a while I never wanted to share my ideas because I knew I could do better or I didn’t want someone to use them. In fact my classmates are the most beneficial part of school because we push each other to strive for our best and lend a helping hand when we are confused. Everyone needs a little influence to spark their design ideas and if no one is willing to share then there will be no improvement.

I will never give up on my dreams and never allow others to tear me down. As long as I have goals and try my hardest to achieve them I will always succeed. We tend to allow others to limit our success by not being ourselves. You can’t find yourself if you allow others to control you.

How do I take everything I have been taught these past five years and use them to become a successful architect?

First you must prove to yourself that you can follow your dreams. Next you must have confidence in your decisions, if you cannot explain why you chose to do something then you haven’t fully considered your options. No firm will employ you if you do not thoroughly think through your actions because the choices we make effect the lives of others.  My goal to be successful in life is to believe in myself and prove my confidence through my designs.