Erin Marshall

postcard to our theory hour speaker John Linn

2008-09-28T19:32:00.000-07:00

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shelter|bus precis

2008-09-26T04:03:00.000-07:00

bus|shelter precis

2008-09-26T03:51:00.000-07:00

45 degree? that's so 1985!

2008-09-22T22:53:00.000-07:00

For this assignment we had to construct five different perspectives. Each space had to include one window, one door, a column, and a cube table.

using cheap gorillas to get that message out there!

2008-09-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

This charrette dealt with ideas and proposals of how to get the information of our community (aka Community by Design) out to the UNCG community, and Greensboro community by using guerilla marketing. We had to come up with an idea for each path of communication:

People

Places

Products

Print Materials

htt[p]

and one other path that was our choice

To see my group's (Mira, Alex, Heather, and myself) proposals go to our blog.

All work and no sleep makes Erin... an iARC second year!

2008-09-18T22:22:00.000-07:00

My fourth week in iARC is coming to a close and I can't help but feel exhausted and proud! This past month has been extremely challenging, it has challenged my creativity, patience, and dedication. At some points I have felt so overwhelmed that I simply wanted to give up...but I refused to. This is definitely not an easy experience, but then again I don't believe you can grow from something that doesn't push you to your limit. This is exactly what the program is doing and already I can see my growth as a student, designer, and individual. Now if I could only get used to the sleep deprivation I would be all set...

Photo courtesy of: Miles Grover www.thinkin-lincoln.com

Codes +

2008-09-18T15:49:00.001-07:00

Our groups experience throughout this exercise has helped us to analyze the more overlooked details of the ways a person would interact within the space we designed. We needed to take into consideration the personal space that people need for themselves while in public spaces. Throughout our research we discovered that a majority of those waiting for the bus would stand outside of the bus shelter because of the relationship of proxemics and the space, even during inclimate weather. One aspect that we overlooked in the beginning of our design process is the how those with special needs would access and interact with our bus|shelter and shelter|bus. We thought about the space that one would require to walk around, but we did not consider the room that a wheelchair would need to maneuver around the bench inside of the bus|shelter. Handicap accessibility is one part that we explored in the codes+ charrette and we now realize how important it is to plan and design for all possible clients.

We would like to recommend that other designers should take into consideration the varying abilities that different clients may have. All spaces should be easily accessible for those in wheelchairs, visual language such as signs should be used to let the deaf know how to interact within the given space, and certain spacing standards should be used when trying to accommodate for the blind. As design students and professionals we need to put ourselves in the clients position and ask ourselves," Is this space user-friendly to me and my needs?" Then we need to analyze the whys and the why nots and tweak our design to make it universally accessible, whether it is someone who is in a wheelchair or simply someone who might be very short or very tall.

All designers should research codes and design standards as part of their initial design process. The amount of information may be overwhelming at first, but codes can actually be a very helpful starting point. The perimeters they set make the end result a more feasible design. In the future, our group needs to take our designs to the next step past simple aesthetics. The codes and standards that we were able to look up in class gave us some perspective into the more functional side of design that we will definitely put into use in our future projects.

In our Communication shelter|bus we needed to have workstations so volunteers could process the victims information to add them to a central database. We researched standards for the amount of room needed for a workspace. There needs to be adequate room for a computer screen, keyboard, mouse, documents, and various office supplies. We also looked at the amount of clearance needed for for an office chair to maneuver properly.

On our shelter|bus for Counseling we needed to take into consideration proxemics when it came to planning the different spaces. In individual counseling, the relationship between the two individuals would probably be more personal because it is only two people talking to one another. Therefore the amount of space needed between the seating wouldn't have to be more than 4 feet. This gave us a good idea of the size of the rooms we needed.

Our group thought it was important that counseling should be available to all victims. In order for everyone to be seen we thought group therapy would give volunteers the opportunity to reach out to more victims in a shorter amount of time versus individual sessions. We thought that the dynamics of the group would most likely be more social than personal just because it would be more than two people interacting with each other. This led us to the use of social spacing of 4 to 12 feet in between the seating.

For the rest of the diagrams for our bus|shelter and shelter|bus codes, ergonomics, and proxemics click on the different links to my teammates individual blog. Enjoy!

Jennifer Cochran

Jessica Crews

Kurt Huizenga

une table de salle a diner

2008-09-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

This is my latest sketch of a dining room table. This table actually belongs with the chair that I drew a couple weeks back. This assignment was a little challenging for me because I am not used to only using ink. I usually use pens to outline important parts of a drawing because I like a softer look. But I must say that I am pleased with how my table turned out, I like the graphic quality that the ink brings to this piece.

the thing with rubik's cube

2008-09-17T22:54:00.000-07:00

Here are three different drawings of one cube that I had to modify in three particular ways.

no.1 nine subtractions

no.2 nine additions

no.3 combination of 12 subtractions and additions

Container Charrette

2008-09-17T06:38:00.001-07:00

In our suit group, the Jacks, we came up with a list of ten needs that arise in the event of a hurricane.

Food
Water
First Aid/Medical
Shelter
Communication
Hygiene
Pet Accommodations
Salvage Equipment
Counseling
Clothing/Good Will

We decided that we wanted to design a bus that addresses the needs of communication and counseling.

Double-Decker

I thought the form of a double-decker bus would be appropriate for a counseling center.

Closed

In the bus there should be sectioned off areas where a counselor could talk to a victim privately. In order to make the most of the area on the bus, I thought about using pop-out sides that campers typically have. The individual rooms could slide out which would then make room in the main part for a seating room or group therapy area.

Open

Outside View of Expanded Counseling Bus

Private Counseling Room

Waiting Area/Group Counseling

For the rest of the shelter|bus designs visit my team members individual blogs:

Jennifer

Jessica

Kurt

Sacré bleu... une chaise longue!

2008-09-10T09:55:00.000-07:00

Here is my depiction of a long chair. In reality the fabric was beige but I chose to make it purple because I thought it would be a lot more interesting. I was supposed to use watercolors, but I ended up using watercolor pencils because they are my favorite. I like to use them because they give you more control than normal watercolors, but they blend so much easier than colored pencils.

Sustainability at UNCG

2008-09-10T05:37:00.000-07:00

Hi Jenny,

I am currently a second year IARC student that listened to your speech on campus sustainability. I am very impressed with the assessment that the UNCG Committee of Sustainability has created. I was vaguely aware with some of the working groups such as recycling and transportation alternatives, but you showed me that many areas can impact sustainability at our institution. I think the strategies that are being put to use in the Dining Services category interest me the most. This is an important part of college life that I think most schools would just overlook for more obvious problems. Personally, I would have never though that portion control and other food related issues would have such a big impact on sustainability. After listening to you speak, I am now aware how big of a responsibility this is to UNCG and the importance of addressing these issues so we can become an excellent example for other schools in North Carolina to follow. I look forward to seeing future ideas and improvements your committee has in store for UNCG.

Sincerely,

Erin Marshall

Node Project

2008-09-05T06:02:00.000-07:00

After looking up the route 7 schedule on the Greensboro Transportation Authority website I decided that I wanted to catch the 4:28 bus at the corner of Frances King and Friendly Ave since is was closest to my apartment. As I quietly waited near the route 7 bus sign I was joined by another woman who appeared to have finished work for the day. She was older and dressed in a Chick-Fil-A uniform, she gave me a warm smile and proceeded to wait at the corner of the road. In the distance I suddenly heard the roar of the bus approaching. At first sight, I noticed that both the bus and the bus sign I was standing near had coordinating colors and logos. As it came to a screeching halt I quickly looked at the front of the bus and saw the number 7 and the words "Friendly Ave" so I knew this was the bus that I needed to catch.

As I took my seat in the middle of the bus I carefully gauged my surroundings. The bus was well-worn with use, it had faux wood paneling with advertisements in both English and Spanish. The rows of green plastic molded seats were fairly comfortable. On both sides of the bus there were large windows that allowed the afternoon sun to light the entire space. Most of the bus was empty except for five or so passengers that were scattered amongst the multiple rows of seats.

While keeping to myself I noticed that in the back of the bus there were two middle-aged women who appeared to be nurses. Directly in front of me there was a young female student reading a book, and at the very front, near the driver, there was a man who was either a server or a cook. Some passengers chose to interact with others while some chose to maintain their bubbles of isolation through the use of head phones or newspapers.

As bus 7 teetered down Friendly Avenue, I was startled when the bus driver managed a rapid double lane change. I also found it a little unnerving when cars would zoom around us, regardless of the menacing size of the bus. After about ten minutes of holding on tightly and a couple of stops later we arrived at the bus depot in downtown Greensboro. There were many people waiting at these terminals called slips. The depot was quite big with large overhangs that provided much needed shade that afternoon.

On the way home I decided that I wanted to stop by Woolworth's since I was already downtown. Driving down Elm Street, Woolworth's red and gold sign prominently stood out from the other buildings. In the windows there were various enlarged black and white photos displaying different times of the Civil Rights movement, including the sit-ins. It appeared to me that it was supposed to be turned into a museum because there were proposed plans displayed in some of the windows, but I couldn't help but feel sad because it seemed abandoned and empty.

I started this project by reading the excerpt from Civilities and Civil Rights by William H Chafe. I thought this would be the best approach because I wanted to be able to relate the reading to the bus ride while I was on my journey, not afterwards. The reading did influence my perception of the trip, I probably wouldn't have paid close attention to the interactions of the people or the diversity that was on the bus. I noticed a small sign at the front of the bus that was dedicated to Rosa Parks that I would have probably missed because it was so small. Both of these observations were a result of reading the excerpt beforehand. I felt stopping at Woolworth's was an important place to end my journey because of its strong sense of history and because of it's role in Chafe's book. The sit-ins that happened at Woolworth's in 1960 influenced the equality that I witnessed on the bus trip. I saw two women of different ethnic backgrounds and social classes converse with eachother as equals. I got the impression that a lot of the riders were familiar with one another, they seemed very friendly towards each other. They looked at each other as equals rather than an ethnicity, a gender, or a social class. Without the Civil Rights movement of the 1950's and 1960's my bus trip would have been drastically different. People would have been segegrated and there would have been some obvious tension on the bus. Woolworth's most likely would be gone, with some other business occupying the historic landmark. I learned a lot from the reading and the riding, I think today we don't notice the dynamics of our culture anymore. Being reminded that only forty or so years ago, people were discriminated against because of who they were made me appreciate where we are today. No longer do we look at each other with hatred for our differences, but with respect because we realize that the diversity of people is what makes America beautiful.

mapping silence and tracing shadows

2008-09-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

For this assignment I had to do a photographic study of an interior space in my new home away from home aka the Gatewood Building. I really liked this picture because of the strong shadows that the model had and the bold shadow casted on the divider wall.

photograph

In the process of creating this drawing I learned that blending stumps are evil because they blend graphite pencil to a blinding sheen that is very difficult to erase. Tissue paper definitely was a big help because it let me build up the layers of graphite which ultimately led to the success of this project.

drawing

Ooh la la...une chaise

2008-09-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

My First Week

2008-09-03T06:08:00.000-07:00

In my first week in iARC I have already learned many new things. I have been introduced to a different way of thinking. Almost everyone at one point or another has been told to "think outside the box". It is a way of telling us to be more creative. In this past week I have learned that I need to not only ¨think¨ outside the box but eat, sleep, and breathe outside of that box.

The school I went to before I transfered was a very different experience. There was a lot of structure, almost to the point where it was rigid. Creativity was encouraged but it was more about the reinterpretation of the information we were given. In IARC, bending the rules is encouraged in order to succeed but our ideas still need to be relatable, which makes the work difficult and exciting. So over this past week I have tried to "think outside of the box" and it has been hard. It forces me to make some choices that I might not have made before with my work. Yet, I am trying to push myself to come up with ideas whether they are good, bad, safe, or dangerous because sometimes the ideas that are more risky in the beginning are the most desirable in the end.

Rolling the dice

2008-08-29T08:38:00.000-07:00

After our individual wayfinding journeys our group had to get together to create a mental map of where our paths crossed, converged, or diverged. We decided that we would select a node, landmark, or edge from everyone's drawings and create three cubes that represented each element. Our idea is that you could roll the dice and depending on what you rolled an unique path would be created by a certain node, landmark, and edge. The image that I created from my trip to Khmer Buddhist Temple is of an overhead edge. The road and the overpass create two edges that silently tell a person to go in between the two planes to continue along the path of the road.

Journey to Khmer Buddhist Temple via Wayfinding

2008-08-27T06:31:00.001-07:00

For my first assignment in Community by Design I had to take a trip to Khmer Buddhist Temple. It was our task to go to an assigned destination and generate an experience to examine wayfinding in Greensboro.

Wayfinding can be described as a way in which a person orients themselves in a space to navigate from one point to another. Urban planner Kevin A. Lynch coined the term in his book Image of the City, where he described wayfinding as, “a consistent use and organization of definite sensory cues from the external environment”. This means that we take certain information (audio, visual, or verbal) from our surroundings to find our way. Lynch defined urban space in terms of elements such as, paths, edges, nodes, landmarks, and districts.

I knew this was going to be interesting because I am still very unfamiliar with Greensboro. But then I thought to myself, "If I really don't have any idea where I am going, I'll probably notice the wayfinding elements more so than I would have if I knew where the heck I was going." So first thing I had to do was look up where my destination was located then get directions. I was surprised to find out that the Buddhist Temple is only eight or nine miles away from my apartment but it takes about twenty minutes to get there. Armed with my camera, sketchpad, and chauffeur I started out on my journey into the world of wayfinding.

The stairway from my apartment provides a path for me to follow. It tells me how I am supposed to get from the ground level to the second floor.

This boarded up building on Francis King Street acts as a landmark for me. I always notice the strangely beautiful patterns that are stained under the windows.

I consider where Friendly Avenue and Francis King Street a node because the two roads converge into one.

Once I am on Friendly Avenue I can see the Guilford College water tower on my right. It is a very large landmark that is always visible from a far distance.

While driving down Martin Luther King Drive I passed the Degussa factory. It caught my attention because it was bright blue and the various sizes fand heights of the structure. I would consider this a concentration of nodes because all of the different parts of the factory appear to overlap and intersect each other.

After the Degussa factory I spotted this odd arrangement of animal statues on the side of the road. They served as a landmark because it was definitely something that was memorable for me. These statues are for the Greensboro Pet Spa, however, I feel the statues give the place more of a pet cemetery vibe.

This is the path that I took when I was very close to the buddhist temple. I noticed that the trees served as edges because they emphasized the path of the road and created a barrier that forced you to travel in a certain direction.

Finally! I get to my destination and I am surprised by the huge chain link fence. The whole perimeter is surrounded by chain link fences that serve as an edge to the temple. The actual temple is in an old house, nothing memorable. It reminds me of the Buddhist Temple in Ithaca, NY that was in an old Victorian house. It was really interesting to see the clashing of two different cultures and styles.

The last thing that I saw on my journey was the actual gate to the Khmer Buddhist Temple. The large wooden gate serves as a path because it tells you that you need to pass through it to move inside. What especially made the gate noticeable to me was the top was broken and it reminded me of the O.K. Corral, minus the tumbleweeds.