group charettes

conceptual models

paula carr came today from tvs designs and was very insightful during our pin ups.

she recommended i look at retro gas stations and their use of concrete in simple curved forms.

i started out very boxy and felt restrained by the site parameters.

i wanted to create a bridging between the community and school, but wasn't sure how to do that within the confinements.

i was able to break out of that and realize i needed to just break the boundaries + the rules!

i became much less programmatic and much more gestural, creating forms that suggested a bridging between parts.

programming

i am excited to finally be past the first step of this project.

i think we have a good grasp and understanding of the site (of course there is always more learning to do) and are ready to move on to the design phase.

i think several of us have different ideas of how this space will be used, but i look forward to seeing how we will bring them all together into three cohesive designs.

i'm excited to present tomorrow, even though it is programming stuff. ;)

...i kinda missed our good ol' iarc crits while i was studying abroad last semester.

site map analysis

i really enjoyed being in the site analysis group.

i haven't had much experience yet with satellite maps and interpreting the different patterns and routes of a district.

below are all of the maps i worked on and some information and conclusions drawn from each:

commercial areas

the majority of the existing businesses are located along lee street as well as tate street.  there is a noticeable pattern of keeping businesses off campus which will be respected in the proposed design later in the semester.

residential areas

residential communities are located on all sides of campus.  aside from student housing, most of these residential areas begin at the perimeter of the campus and extend out further into the site.

educational buildings

the educational buildings are clustered on the southeast corner of UNCG's campus.  the existing campus shows potential as a reference point for possible building footprint locations within our site.

parking

the majority of UNCG's parking is located along Oakland Avenue and the South side of campus. two proposed parking decks are currently in the UNCG Master Plan (identified in orange on the above map).  the addition of new parking areas may be created to accommodate the site, but kept to a minimum.  creative ways, such as using existing parking lots (i.e. the Greensboro Coliseum lot for park+ride) may also be considered.

open area

the east side of campus contains several large, open spaces.  additional open spaces may be considered in the southeast portion of the site to reflect the existing open spaces.  this may also create a more inviting entrance to Greensboro and the UNCG Campus.

recreation and athletic areas

the north-south orientation of the rec+athletic areas were noted.  this provides an opportunity for a recreational corridor along the west side of campus extending outward into the surrounding community.

spartan chariot

a transportation service provided for evening students to travel to and from campus buildings and parking areas.  an extensive route already exists on the south side of campus, which could easily adapt to an extended campus site.

park+ride

route runs parallel to the site with several stops already on the South side of campus.  

HEAT route

HEAT connects area college campuses with the local community and their campuses by providing free transportation for students.  extending UNCG's campus creates the need for a new route to be established, which would strengthen the connection to existing+new areas within the community.

GTA route

the site is surrounded by public bus routes and would fit seamlessly into the existing city transit system, with the addition of recommended new stops.

community connectivity

example building footprints and their relationships to existing services within a half mile radius.

major pedestrian paths

existing side walks ON campus are well planned and maintained.  major sidewalks extending from campus into the communities would potentially create a greater bridge between the two.

bike paths

with the recent initiative of designated bicycle lanes, the site has potential to be located at a major crossroad for area/commuter cyclists.

railroad

major railway is present and is currently proposed in the corridor plan to be used as a commuter light rail system.