Brainstorm!

After posting my floor plans last night (see post below) I woke up this morning with a new outlook on my project and a (what I think is) great idea! I got out of bed, drank my coffee and drove to the office (where I left my trace and markers) and sketched this idea.

I was trying to think of how to combine the 3 levels of space (1st - retail, 2nd - fitness, 3rd - green space). I was also trying to figure out to implement the concept of "fitness" into the design of the building and tie that in with my element of water.

Essentially, I would like to carry the element of water through the building (2nd floor). I would like to implement a ramp on the west (right) side to have outdoor access to the green space on the rooftop. I would also like to incorporate a stairway (inside the pool area) to a balcony above the pool for diving. (I loved Ennos early comment on "falling bodies in front of a tall skyscraper." )

Although these sketches are not well developed, I wanted to share and express my ideas on paper while I was still excited about them!

Looking forward to developing this plan this week!















These are just schematic designs - Please see the post below for the original floor plans ( I posted on Wednesday 1/30). Thanks!

Schematic Street & Mezzanine Plan

Goals for first floor plan:
-Design exterior ramp/stair to coordinate with outdoor fitness area (tie climbing wall into stair)
- Plan outdoor fitness area and climbing wall
- Examine lobby space and transition from waterfall canopy entry to fitness area/apple store entry
- Develop interior pool wall (aka human aquarium)
- Develop Apple Retail space (tables, cash wrap, etc.)
-Fitness entry on first level
- Apple Retail on first level
- Outdoor Fitness Park (tie in to second level park via climbing wall)
- Detail waterfall/overhang entry














Goals for Mezzanine Plan:

-Incorporate Ramp with Climbing Wall
- Focus on making a correlation between the pool and the Pru Tower
(perhaps pool continues through building)
- Complete Fitness Area plan (stations, locker rooms)
- Incorporate Pru Food Court exit with Plaza Park area
(tie in with pool perhaps?)
- Look at waterfall/pool cantilevered entryway
- Materials? Glass? Concrete?
- Sustainable Design
- Green Roof

STRIVE: Site Analysis & Conceptual Ideas

STRIVE:

1.	to exert oneself vigorously; try hard: He strove to make himself understood.

2.	to make strenuous efforts toward any goal: to strive for success.

3.	to contend in opposition, battle, or any conflict; compete.

4.	to struggle vigorously, as in opposition or resistance: to strive against fate.

5.	to rival; vie.

Tiny URL

Just wanted to pass on some information to you all - when posting, I've found that occasionally, because the address is so long, that the URL name does not fit into the post. Theres a site called Tiny URL, which converts long addresses into short ones - great for blogs! Heres the site:

http://tinyurl.com/

Happy Posting & looking forward to seeing you all this weekend!

Meaning in Architecture

Please see description below before clicking on images. Thanks!

Meaning in Architecture

Captains Log: Stardate - January 5, 2008: I think I have been sitting at my desk for several hours now...with my stack of photos, trying to make sense of the mess I have created. I was getting frustrated when I couldn't put my elements into "collections" or categories because they all had so many emotional aspects I could not separate them from one another. I kept asking myself "What makes each of these places meaningful to me? How can something have meaning for you, if you haven't experienced and dont have an emotional connection to it?" And then I realized...it was the emotions that I experienced at each of these places that created meaning for me. But how would I make "collections" of emotions? The answer came to me when I realized that I experienced different kinds of emotions - and that is how I grouped my collections. I grouped the photos together, then selected the overwhelming emotion I felt when I observed the photos - the birth of the categories: LOVE, PRIDE, CONNECTIVITY. (Now I know "connectivity is not really an "emotion" per say, but that is why this is called the preliminary posting - and I'm asking all of my fellow students to please comment and help me be a bit more eloquent!) Looking forward to your comments!

White Bird Reading

I don't know if any of you have read it yet, but I thought the selected reading was eloquently written and captivating. I especially took interest in the section on nature. "Nature is energy and struggle." The sentimental view, on the part of the observer, is one I can associate with.

Living near the ocean I have seen the sun rise while sitting on my surfboard during a morning surf session, the skies pink and blue, seagulls sweetly flying overhead - the absolute calm of the ocean -its my perfect moment of zen. And on the contrast, I have seen that same ocean during a storm, the black-gray waters churning, tearing at the dunes, destroying everything in its path.

The article was an expressive way of telling the reader that different perspectives from different observers can produce a much different effect in terms of the emotional experience that one might have.