Rooting the hallway

The connecter hallway is designed to combine all five senses as yous take through your journey into Middle School. There are many tactile surfaces and open areas to connect all community spaces into the hallway. This hallway is the main station for displaying whats going on within the school. Each surface is marked off into sections such as activities, clubs, or achievements. This helps each student begin to feel welcome as he continues his journey and have a basic understanding of whats going on within the school. School spirit es once again established here. I view this hallway as another ring in the tree trunk. It shows the schools growth and is the foundation to stitching the school with the grade level hallways which are the branches of the school. Once again you can also see how lighting is important in the space by the green colored flooring which makes you aware that natural lighting is taking place there. Also, as a thin thread stitching all the tactile surfaces together on the walls, you can view a small accent of color under the top right material. It forms a straight line that even continues through the classroom doors. It has small recessed lighting built into in to create a stronger emphasis on the schools work below it. Finally, you can view the purple band still acting as the feeder root through the school as it carries the knowledge and nutrients into the classrooms.

Into the school

The entry way into the school is to be a general information area for the school's sustainable practices as well as the surrounding communitys interaction with the school. There are to be sliding frames with graphics and text on the right wall to dispay the info. The info wall also proves how this knowledge is tied to the knowledge found in books because of the seamless openess into the library. You are able to view grahics, text, and books all at the same time. The width of this opening relates to the floor because it is the same width of the purple that continues to feed its way through the school. This helps provide a direct connection between the knowledge found in the school as it journeys its way through each grade and hallway. Another important addition to the entry way is the natural lighting. Where to begin with the school was very sterile and being a LEED credited building, it did not show natural lighting in the most important region, the circulation areas. I opened up all sides of the space to allow the lighting to highlight certain areas.

1st : The left wall- lighting into the office, (also highlights seating at the same time to encourage students and others to stop and read info wall.

2nd: Ceiling - Lighting purges through the wood beams and translucent 3Form to highlight standing area to view graphic/info wall. (Floor is painted green where light should shine on it)

3rd: Glass doors- By creating glass doors into entry way as well as main connector hallway, I was able to continue this seamless stitching of spaces and connect the exterior into the interior

4th: Media Center- as explained earlier

Northern Guilford Middle School

The school I have designed to now be a very interactive and stimulating environment that will invoke school spirit and learning. All circulation paths flow as one and are stitched together to the community spaces to create fluidity throughout the entire school.

final

Our last day finally came down to presentations at Northern Guilford High School. There were a few students including Bryan and Wade plus some other teachers. Janel, Shannon, and myself presented the studio's projects and ended with a video showing the process of our own studio's spaces' transition. I never thought I would be so nervous to present until I was standing in front of the students. Whether it was because the abundance of coffee combined with no sleep or the fact we were responsible of presenting others work, I was shaking. Not something I have done since I was in second year presenting. It was an experience however, which made me realize some other important aspects. There was a quote in the book, Home from Nowhere by Howard Kunstler which reminded me of this.

"The outcome of two decades of urban renewal was that almost nothing of enduring value got built"

This relates to my experience because I had studied each persons work so hard and became so focused on presenting each persons project with the intention of showing their whole space, that I lost site of the real challenge. This presentation was not meant for that, it was meant to show the potential each school had. By separating their work out and trying to present it individually I think I failed at this. This is why nothing had ever been built according to Kunstler. So many people tried to go in every direction to show what they believed was best for that time. However, it wasn't and many issues arose and communities were lost. The value of design needs to be looked at from every angle, whether great or small but either way it needs to be looked at as a whole. Something I should have done when presenting.
This project was a great learning experience and helped me achieve many goals which I set out to gain this semester:
1. Balancing school and life
2. Going back to my roots of hand rendering
3. Research
4. Learn a new program

MNS - Process- design

MNS - Process- design

MNS - Process- design

MNS - Process- seating

Studio 4.8.09-understanding

Gained knowledge:

First would have to be the perspective I gained from the importance of communication within groups. This is an obvious importance but one that always seems to be disregarded. The high school and the middle school circulation spaces have been a constant confusion of how much design should relate to both spaces. I think Patrick made it clear that it is important to have this easy transfer of design but you can't force it. If something doesn't work, don't use it. If it makes a bad design then how would either group benefit from the project. I'm glad we talked about this and have settled on some common paths we both wish to take with our designs.

Next Steps:

1) Look up fire codes--very important!
[communicate with group]
2) Determine how the "U" stitches together the spaces and relates back to our concept.
[communicate with group]
3) Sketch out floor plan to understand how the "U" works with each space from aerial view.
[communicate with group]
4) Finalize design
[communicate with group]
5) Start Revit!.....yikes

Holt McLean-NC artist

This image is an oil painting done by a local artist. It reminded me of the discussion we had in studio about the pathways throughout the forest and how these relate to our circulation paths through the school.

Forces of Nature

This is an exhibit showing how the forces of nature can be altered. I was intrigued by this image because I think it is important to have something in the school that will stimulate the brain, especially for students of this age. It may not be important that it serves any other purpose.

Signage Ideas

The signage will ideally be located on the band that becomes the way finding device for the school. It will follow the main hall down toward the connecting hallway between the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. This band then will potentially find its way outside where it connects back around to the front. Following the concept of the circle

Eastern Redbud

This image was inspirational to me because first off the eastern redbud is a native north carolina tree but its colors and shape are very beautiful. Our concept deals with the foundation of branching but also I think it is important to look at the blooming stage.

Graphic Branching Signage

IDEA CONCEPT:
Circles are teh foundation of branching.

This is a notion that should be carried between the high school and middle school. The event displays on the walls simulate that off branching and you learn from these events that seem to jump off the walls.

Clock/Tree Sculpture

Clocks are important and something to not forget when designing around the main entry. This is where students congregate and will be looking at the time for beginning and ending school.

large roots: NC Trees

Trees have two separate types of roots. The smaller ones are the feeding roots which supply the nutrients to the tree and the large wooded tree roots provide the support/foundation. In plan the main entry and transitional hallway are like the large wooded roots and the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade hallways are the smaller feeding roots which the students feed off of the knowledge from the classrooms.

Arching Trees

AMAZING!....how to incorporate?

final 4

final 8

final 16

set of 32 and final 32

set of 8

what i have learned thus far.....

"Work Smarter, Not Harder"-simple commonsense but genius, why did this just begin to make sense now?...

This semester has been more of an eye opener to me. I am more focused on defining myself as a designer.

The first charette taught me the benefits of working in a group and how sometimes collaborative efforts have there ups and downs.

The first project with our group in rm. 204 really helped me to step up and focus on becoming an effective leader and organizer. Something I usually put off because I love being the out of the box, conceptual thinking, and living in my own little world where rules and requirements are up for debate.

The reading, at first, I was not happy about. It wasn't until I looked at the book as something that maybe I wasn't supposed to understand exactly they way it was written. It also, is up for interpretation. It has broadened my outlook and stretched my brain out beyond its container. A poets head may be out there but somehow it all makes sense.

This last charette however, I am still confused by. The most useful aspect I have gained from it is that design can form out of anything. Whether it is a picture or an object. It works really great if you have designer's block. Free drawing can take form and become something interesting because it releases our minds from the square room with no personality.

looking back/5th grade

Favorite teacher:  Miss. Garner-5th grade

Miss. Garner was new to the teaching world when she first entered our 5th grade classroom.  Being that we were her first class, she spoiled us.  This is the reason she stood out to me most throughout my time in school.  She would always begin and end the class with a fun activity such as thumbs down, charades, or storytelling.  She had a great personality and was always compassionate and patient with each student.  She knew how to have fun but be stern when she needed to be.  I remember her throwing a pool party for us at the end of the year at her house.  It was so much fun because it gave all the students a chance to interact together in a different setting without so much pressure.  We became a very tight group throughout middle school because of this.  

I remember another time she took a group of girls, including myself, to the mall.  We just hung out for the afternoon and at the end of the trip she took us to a kiosk that sold jewelry.  She bought us each a small 1 kt. gold bracelet which I still own today.  This was so impressive to me that a teacher put so much  time and effort into her students.  I had so many better memories of elementary school because of her.

Knowledge, intimacy, and freedom

drawers, chest, and wardrobes

drawers-"ready-made garments"

our mind has drawers, these drawers contain knowledge, they are pre-catergorized and ready to be used at any second. Memories are not contained in these drawers. They can not be placed into something so objective, because they float in the subjective world. The organized chaotic world in which we open often but never in the same form as these ready-made garments.

"Wardrobes with their shelves, desks with their drawers, and chests with their false bottoms are veritable organs of the secret psychological life."

"Does there exist a single dreamer of words who does not respond to the word wardrobe?..."

wardrobe-"intimate space"

Each of us has this. We have things in our lives that we don't open up with just anyone. Whether it is feelings or experiences, we lock these spaces up inside of wardrobes.
Whereas the drawers may contain our knowledge, the wardrobe contains our memories.

chests-"may be opened"

These are the objects we contain that we have complete mastery, and have the ability to be opened.

"We shall never reach the bottom of the casket."
-Jean-Pierre Richard

"....the initmacy of man and the intimacy of matter....."
"there is only one place for the superlative element of what is hidden.""To enter into the domain of the superlative, we must leave the positive for imaginary. We must listen to poets'

House and Universe

A house that stands in my heart
My cathedral of silence
Every morning recaptured in dream
Every evening abandoned
A house covered with dawn
Open to the winds of my youth.

The idea I took from this passage in Bachelard is that when you love a space so much, it takes on this form in your mind that continues to shape itself and remain constant throughout your dreams and memory.

"a room that grew buoyant and, little by little, expanded into the vast stretches of travel"
-Jean Laroche

Is a house just an object or something more? It has depth, personality, purpose, strength, compassion, protection, among many other qualities. At what point can an object expand past its form and function to become a part of our being?

"I never saw this strange dwelling again. Indeed, as I see it now, the way it appeared to my child's eye, it is not a building, but is quite dissolved and distributed inside me: here one room, there another, and here a bit of corridor which, however, does not connect the two rooms, but is conserved in me in fragmentary form. Thus the whole thing is scattered about inside me, the rooms, the stairs that descended with such ceremonious slowness, others, narrow cages that mounted in a spiral movement, in the darkness of which we advanced like the blood in our veins."

Another passage I found interesting was the relationship between size and function. According to Bachelard, "to sleep well we do not ned to sleep in a large room, and to work well we do not have to work in a den. But to dream of a poem, then write it, we need both.

Is this true of design? Some of my best work comes from meditating of the space itself. Silently contemplating and moving throughout the space in my mind. Having the ability to mold and shape walls, alter color, and move furniture in one second. I don't need a certain area to do this in, it can happen anywhere. But does this really relate to Bachelard's passage? What was he really try to say here?

The use of louvered doors along the window walls helps the room control lighting and heating while at the same time provide a projection space when closed.

Axon of Rm. 204

This image displays how the classroom would

be set up for presenations by using only the seats.

Calculas Analysis

#2 Proposed Lectern

This model is a podium stand with a built in ILS computer. It will be able to function as the lighting controls/projector/and elmo system. It will also extend a shelf to display models during presentations.

Conceptual Lectern

After viewing different lecterns online, I came across the ILS Intelligent Lectern. This system is a touch screen, which enables the speaker to have complete access to the lighting in the room, the projector, and microphone at the same time. The computer is built in and can also access the speaker to their own notes at the same time they are projector their presentation. This prevents the clutter and stress of note cards. Another important aspect is to have the lectern be adjustable to all different heights so that even those in a wheelchair may access it. A feature that we also need to think about is making a place for models to sit while being presented. This will help make the presentation more cohesive with everything in one spot.