Charles B. Aycock District

College Park district

Fisher Park district

David Wharton – Vice Chair of the Historic Preservation Commission

The City of Greensboro has a Historic Preservation Commission that oversees the historic district program and advises the City Council on historic preservation matters. David Wharton, Vice Chair of the HPC and I have been in contact over the last few days about what exactly it is they do for the city. He explained to me that the HPC oversees the three locally-designated historic districts in Greensboro – College Hill, Fisher Park, and Charles B. Aycock. They review, approve/deny applications when owners in these districts want to make changes or additions to their properties. Each change is governed by Greensboro’s historic Preservation Design Guidelines and Manual.
What’s so important about these structures is that each individual one has a story to tell, it’s a living record of the people who lived in and/or used it – the way they lived, their sense of style. Once these structures are lost, they are gone forever: unrecoverable. In this way, the buildings are a living and real connection to Greensboro’s past, and can tell present residents stories about where their city came from.
David Wharton’s job at the HPC impacts the city of Greensboro in many ways. Economical studies have shown that historic districts help neighborhoods retain and increase their property values, and can provide stability to neighborhoods in transition and decline. This is certainly true of all three Greensboro neighborhoods. They were either beginning to decline, or in deep decline when they were designated as historic districts and all have since become active, vital, and stable places to live. These districts are also available for the public at large, either by driving through them or taking the annual walking tours offered by a private group (Preservation Greensboro, Inc). They also provide Greensboro with a sense of place, that is, of being someplace rather than just anyplace. In that way, they help to give Greensboro its distinctive identity.
These districts not only have an impact within the city of Greensboro but also to the design world as a whole. The Greensboro historic districts have functioned as something of a Petri dish for innovative design ideas. Especially, the Charles B. Aycock district that pioneered preservation design by hiring a firm to come up with a neighborhood plan that included a proposal to renovate the 1926 World War Memorial Stadium and integrate its use with the surrounding neighborhood and nearby Farmers’ Curb Market. That plan was submitted in a design competition sponsored by the Congress for the New Urbanism (though it didn’t win). Unfortunately, the plan has never been implemented, but some of its proposals are included in the upcoming transportation bond package.

Shelter/Bus

Programatic diagram:
With my Programatic diagram I wanted to use shapes that I felt would go with my concept. So I chose puzzel peices, every peice fits with the next except for the two larger peices which represent the two races in my concept. The two large peices are so close to being able to become one there just missing one thing.
Longitudinal Section A
Longitudinal Section B
Cross Section C
Cross Section D Cross Section E
Cross Section F
Section key

Prejudice

Imagine trying to save someone on the verge of death, but they refuse your help. These individuals are neither depressed nor insane, their prejudice.
Natural disasters cause devastation all over the world, but in 2005, a hurricane that many of us will never forget hit the American coast and destroyed thousands of homes, businesses, and lives. All types of people came together after this horrific disaster to try and help the victims still trapped in Louisiana. As a nation we showed great compassion and care for the victims, but a small group of relief workers seemed to be ostracized during the mission.
A small documentary was made about Muslim victims and relief workers. Ruben Vaughan one of the Islamic relief workers said he experienced two different reactions from non-Muslims. In one instance some of the workers were helping carry supplies to affected areas when people would turn and ask them what they were doing saying, “We don’t need your help you can just take it back.” While others would load up their cars and help the workers on their way. Even such a small thing as wearing a hijab on their head would cause people to turn away from their help.
Prejudice is real and is still ever so present in our society, even in Greensboro. For instance when approaching the GTA bus ride feeling slightly prejudice against the individuals on the bus seemed to come naturally to most people. Scared, nervous, slightly germ phobic, and resentment for having to ride the bus with a bunch strangers seemed to be a common thread among my peers.
Prejudice can also be explained in terms of a force field that drives people apart, similar to two magnets when you have one negative and one positive charge. It seems that no matter how hard you try to just connect the two and create a whole, there’s always that force, that wall, that keeps the from one another.
A concept revolving around prejudice, interrupted into a bus for 4 relief workers, (two of which are of Islamic decent, and two of American decent) whom have two symmetrical sides on the bus. The symmetrical sides are a symbolic representation of the commonality of the four individuals. That although they may have different backgrounds they are all people just the same. The two communal areas for the four individuals are located in the center of the bus where a series of two pocket doors are located which gives the option to open it up as one major room where they can all become a whole. But like the magnetic force, there seems to be a something in the way that keeps the pocket doors seem from opening up completely. Only a small sliver of the adjacent communal area is able to be seen.
As individuals we need to understand that disasters know no prejudice it happens to everyone.

Bus / Shelter - landmark project

Mockery

When looking closely at Weatherspoon Art Museum I noticed that the entire building is made of nothing but horizontal and vertical lines. Ranging from the mortar lines in the brick walls, to the vertical columns located at the corner of Tate and Spring Garden, to the fence running along side the sculpture garden. Inspired by the simplicity of these two elements, I derived my idea.
Not wanting to contrast with the existing environment in which my bus shelter is to be placed, I choose to compliment it by using the same design elements displayed in the Weatherspoon Art Museum. The basics of my bus shelter consist of four verticals lines and two horizontal lines. The four vertical lines are made up of a simplified, elongated version of the existing columns located at the museum. To add interest to the structure the column heights vary. The two horizontal lines are made up of the roof structure and the seating. Coinciding with the mortar lines and the fencing the roof structure is a solid slab of horizontal wood. To answer functional needs, benches have been incorporated with the options of group seating, private seating or even the option of standing along the outskirts.
Inspired by elements displayed in the Weatherspoon Art Museum, I derived an idea of a coherent shelter by using simple lines to create a functional structure for the people of the Greensboro community.

Post Card - Jay Lennartson

This is my post card to Dr Jay Lennarson

precis

Chair cards 11-19

Tete-a-tete

Tête-à-tête was created by J. H. Belter in New York, New York, America during the years of 1850-60. It is made out of a combination of varies woods such as Rosewood, ash, pine, and walnut. Belter was know and is still known for his laminated and carved Rococo Revival rosewood parlor suites. His method of steaming several layers of wood glued together resulted in thin strong and curved pieces that could be carved. This chair was inspired by eighteenth-century French sources. Tête-à-tête consists of C- and S- curves and scrolls, curved cabriole legs, and carved ornamented flowers. This chair also known as confident was used for one on one discrete conversation.Made during the same time period Étagère is similar to tête-à-tête with its scroll shaped legs and S- and C- shaped scroll carvings. Tête-à-tête holds a high contrast to the Le Corbusier Petit Loveseat which also is for seating two people, but it neither has the intimacy desired in the tête-à-tête, nor the ornamented carvings and intricate detailing of the wood frame.

Community charette

During this charette we focused on how to get the word out to the community at UNCG and also within the community of Greensboro. On of the ideas we came up with is called Shop Drop. Basically it consists of the oppisite of shop lifting. We would buy goods and replace the labels with our own as a way of spreading the word. The labels could be of our different bus shelter ideas to our buses to our studio mission statement. This is just a way of putting our idea out there in places that every one goes. Once we replaced the labels we would place the goods back in the store where customers are free to take the free of charge.

to see the other ideas our group came up with visit Anna, Lauren, and Nacarra's blogs

Code Charette

The Crazy Eights’After researching, decoding, and sorting through the myriad of codes, ergonomic issues, and proxemic issues we were better able to asses our models from both the bus shelter and shelter bus charrette's. It became apparent that our original designs, while creative and inventive, were lacking in several major fundamental areas. As a group we all have varying experience with codes, ergonomic and proxemic considerations, but generally these aspects of design are new, and untaught subjects we are eager to study further. We are all in agreement that the regulations published by ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) and various other sources, are absolutely pertinent to the design process; without these considerations impairment of fine innovative ideas is inevitable. We feel its highly important for designers, architects and even decorators to an extent, to educate themselves about necessary requirements, codes and human interactions within spaces in order to optimize the users overall experience. While ingenuity is at a premium in our industry it is also essential that we understand the how, and why aspects of codes, ergonomics and proxemic particularly as we continue to progress forward with sustainable design, which has its own intricate guide of requirements and regulations. The future of design will never be evident however, it is unmistakable that our responsibility is to our fellow citizens to create, and provide the most comprehensive, and universally acceptable designs possible. The four of us agree that our future as designers will be vastly influenced by the current design standards, and potentially new standards we set forth. The principles we learn now are going to make us all more proficient and competent designers, attributes that we should all be proud of.

Container Charette - Final sketch models

This first model shown is our Kid Bus/Fun Bus. This is for children ranging from ages 3-8. During a disaster we as a group felt it was important to entertain the children. For one sometimes kids don't really understand whats happening, what happened and not to say get in the way of adults but have way more pent up energy that they need to let loose. This way parent can feel comfortable letting their children a few at a time onto the fun bus to blow off some steam. Supervisors will be available on the bus to watch and keep the children safe. We felt that instead of having a bus that the victim stayed on it could be a bus that would go around to the different shelters for a few hours.
The childrens bus will include two coloring tables for smaller children; a building block station; a ball pit complete with 3 punching bag obstacles; a loft area with a slide that conects to the ball pit; and finally a dry erase board located in the hallway/isle for a few signatures from kids or pictures.

This model is of our faith/counseling bus. During/after natural disasters like Katrina you find groups banding together praying hoping for their family, and we felt this bus would be a good way for the victim to come into a safe open soothing environment and have the option to meet with other victims in the community room and talk about the past events or meet one on one in the Therapy room with a counslor. or even upstairs in the Zen room for a soothing experience a quite environment to meditate or lie down.

Crazy 8's: group members: Maiken, Shannon, Lilly

Container Project Shelter/Bus Symbol Group 8

to check out our groups container charette go to lillys blog:

Client Charette - Final Models

Client Charette - Preliminary sketches/ideas