Age Experiences on Floor 2 of Gateway Plaza

72 year old man in a wheelchair:

This man will roll on into the elevator and then come out on the second floor. The rubber-soft flooring will help in getting around more easily since there will be small amounts of carpet. He will decide to eat or buy something at the general store. In the general store everything is reachable for him from the tables. When he has to get his food in the kitchen area, all he has to do is ask for what he wants and his plate will be made for him. Tables are set for wheelchair height as well so it is easy access for him to be able to eat.

6 year old girl:

Alisha is 6 and she is only allowed to go to the second floor of Gateway plaza with one of her parents or older sibling. She likes to sit on the benches and water the plants in all the planters that are against the wall. It is exciting for her since she can also plant her own flowers and water them everyday. The general store is always fun since she can buy some of her favorite candy.

42 year old mother who works in the building:

Monica is 42 and works in the general store occasionally when it is her turn to work. They have a schedule board of who works when. She works during the day when her children are at school. She loves helping people find flowers that they want to plant on the second floor and to help them find what they are looking for in the shop. When on break she likes to sit on the benches and put her feet in the sand for relaxation. When she is not working she likes to sit at the tables facing the windows and check her e-mail. She likes it because she can feel like she is outside.

Blog 6 for Phase Two [Unity Village]

On Friday we felt a sense of ease as Suzanne had pushed our project back to Wednesday instead of Monday, but we still knew we had lots to get done before Monday. So on Friday we laid it all out of who was going to do what and when it was getting done. I was in charge of getting the materials board done with everything chosen. I chose a chair that reflects the curves in the space and a few floor materials that went well together in color but also would be soft on the elderly's feet. I still need to pick out wall colors since we want to finish the sketch-up first to then visualize what colors would look best.

Blog 5 for Unity Village

On Wednesday, we were really focused on getting our floor plan finalized as we had changed so many things about our design in the past few days. The general store is now laid out exactly how we visioned it and there is a wall with circles in the store where you can place things on, like a shelf. I imagine we can place plants and t-shirts or food on them. The big crescent-shaped bench/plant holder is now taken away and where the columns are we are placing 3 benches around them since we are turning the square columns into circular ones. The dining area is now more confined rather than spread out all over the floor. In the dining area we decided to make panels in-between where residents will sit. These panels are neat because you can slide them away or turn them in any direction you wish so that you can create your own space to sit and eat or get on the computer or just chat with a friend.

Blog 4 for Phase Two [Unity Village]

Today our group met with Suzanne and she had brought to our attention that we needed to abstract the elements in the room. We learned it is easy to say we will put planters with plants and herbs in them, but we were not focusing on how we were going to design the platers themselves. We also need to focus on wall dividers for the specific areas of food and dining from the co-op/general store. Today I am now abstracting shapes from different plants and textures to then move on with the design of our floor better.

Community Assignment

Daystar Christian Fellowship is a great way to get to know other people. People are motivated to come to Daystar because of its warm welcoming and how it is not like any other church with a steeple. Walking into Daystar is like walking into a movie theater from the dark lit entrance and the floor lamps that have blue light bulbs in them. The sanctuary is also dark with black ceilings and blue and green lights down the sides leading up to the stage. The stage is set up like a concert. There are stage lights, a drum set, guitars, a keyboard, and microphones. The basement is for the children, youth, and college students. It is filled with a small stage, lights, graffiti walls, several sets of tv’s with xbox’s, pool tables, couches, and even a small café to get snacks from.

All of these design decisions help in making the space feel like a place that is familiar to everyone and not set up like a usual church. It is geared to grab young adults’ attention because of why Daystar is so different from other usual churches. Its location across from Grimsley High School helps attract teenagers. It is for the people who think that church is not for them because of its very different experience.

Daystar is all about relationships. Daystar helps in making a stronger relationship with God and with others. Everyone craves relationships and this is the place to find long-lasting friendships and a life changing relationship with God. Outside of church, Daystar offers small groups that will help you grow in your relationship with God and with others. These small groups meet once a week and are always full of fun, support, and excitement. Daystar also offers opportunities for everyone to serve and become a part of a bigger picture to feel a sense of belonging. Daystar is where ever-lasting friendships grow.

Design Thinking

Design thinking is an organizational thought process when solving a design issue. It involves defining what you are doing, researching, ideas, prototyping, choosing, implementing, and learning. I am currently using design thinking in our project by researching standards, creating ideas, and choosing a floor plan that works for the space being designed. In future projects I will use this organizational thinking because it better helps you to have a clean well thought out design in the end.

Ideation [Shaping Interior Space] Ch.6

Notes from Chapter 6 of Shaping Interior Space by Roberto Rengel:

“The concept of fit in design refers to the appropriate correspondence between a set of requirements or needs and the design solution that addresses them.”

“A successful design possesses a structure that is uniquely derived from the requirements of the project and a character that reflects its nature and personality.”

“The American Heritage Dictionary defines concept as “a general idea or understanding, especially one derived from specific instances or occurrences.”

“A design concept aims to define appropriate responses that help generate a specific approach to solve a design problem.”

“…concept ideas arise out of spontaneous flashes of inspiration.”

“Organizational concepts are those that guide the arrangement of space.”

“Character concepts are those related to style, image, or theme.”

“The scheme you develop from your concept must represent an appropriate response to the project type, its particular programmatic requirements, and the context in which it occurs.”

Stages of concept development:

1. 1. understanding the project

2. 2. identifying dominant issues

3. 3. conceiving workable approaches

4. 4. externalizing the approaches

5. 5. evaluating the approaches

6. 6. consolidating ideas and choosing a direction

Relationships, hierarchy, and movement of space are important when designing a space.

Diagramming will help you to visualize your concept and organize your space

Types of diagrams: parti, functional

“A good public diagram, whether a parti or functional diagram, possesses three basic virtues: clarity of content, clarity of intention, and economy of means.”

[Unity Village] Design Development 1

Design Problem Definition:

Create a social Oasis that combines a General store/restaurant encompassed by atriums.

Concept Statement:

Design a co-op General store that promotes socialization and a sense of community through residential interaction of the Greenhouse/Atrium, and slow foods cookery. Space will be defined by large planters, cobble stone pathways and tranquil garden styled elements.

Sketches:

Collage of Images/Precedents:

Standards:

-Water system- soaker hose... needs to be hooked up to a water line to where it can be turned off and on

-Indoor Gardens(pg. 1334), plants(pg. 1339 & 1330-1332), large pot holders(pg. 1350), drains(pg. 1334), organization(pg. 1335), and soil(pg. 1334) .... refer to book: Interior Design and Space Planning second edition by Joseph De Chiara, Julius Panero, and Martin Zelnik

Blog 2 for Phase Two [Unity Village]

This is a picture of an Embassy Suites inside on the first floor. All Embassy Suites make you feel like you are in a forest and have lots of trees, plants, water features, and pathways. This is how we want our space to feel on the second floor of the Gateway Plaza: open, dining area, store, water features, plants, and trees. All of these factors will help make the short ceiling space feel open and larger than it is. Our next step today is to have our concept statement. The idea of how a flower grows came into consideration because someone has to water a flower in order for it to grow and when a flower opens it is releasing. Releasing is one of our words we are stuck to in having it a part of our concept. A flower has to have enough sunlight and care for it to grow which involves someone to care for it everyday in order to grow properly. These are just some factors which play a role in making a flower grow.

Blog 1 for Phase Two [Unity Village]

Today we got into our groups and discussed what we wanted for our the 2nd floor design in the Gateway Plaza. On this floor we are putting a general store, community garden, and cafe area. The space needs to be transparent in the way that the outdoors and indoors come together with the garden and all the plants. Words that came to mind when coming up with a concept were: pure, transparent, clean, system, symbiosis, and release. The second floor will be an inviting open space where residents can go to feel like they are outdoors and can get a good snack and take care of their plants. The growing food can be sold in the general store along with seeds to where the residents can buy them to plant and grow. Residents can get jobs and volunteer opportunities working in the garden and the general store and preparing food for lunches everyday. Lots of natural lighting will be necessary to make the space feel open and transparent. The next step is to come up with a confined concept and design and research water systems, lighting, plants, drain systems, safety issues, and ventilation.

Unity Village

As a part of our project for Unity Village, we had to make two models, a digital model, and do programming. Go to this link to view the elevation views of our groups digital model: unity village