Final Project Blog Post: THE END OF ARCH 199 AS WE KNOW IT

    For our final Arch 199 project, we designed the city of Octavia, a fictional place imagined by Italo Calvino in his text Invisible Cities. This city is described as “the spider-web city” and is held up solely by ropes and chains between two mountains. All buildings hang below the support system. Those who live in Octavia cannot be certain of their fate from day to day because, as Calvino points out, “they know the net will only last so long” (Calvino, 75). We took these ideas and transformed the fictional place into a real structure with a twist: the whole thing was made out of candy. (Margaret)

    Using Lifesavers, Twizzlers, Fruit Roll-Ups, Starburst, Gummy Bears, dental floss, Hershey’s Kisses, and some rope, we created Octavia on a scale that spanned the size of a room. Below our city, marshmallow clouds rested upon a bedsheet that represented the void into which the city would inevitably fall. There were three main support ropes, with floss, Twizzlers, and Fruit Roll-Ups creating the rest of the spider web. Everything else hung from these supports, with nothing rising up. (Samantha)

    Our construction of our masterpiece was most definitely on the fly, but it turned out much better than we initially thought. Our original idea was to have a dozen or so skewers with a pineapple on each side with some fruit on the skewers and some rock candy hanging as well; we were quickly told that this was too small scale and we had to shoot for the stars! When we finally secured our exhibition locale, the famous “Eagle’s Nest” room in Temple Hoyne Buell Hall, we really took a big step forward. We constructed the city in phases and different waves of volunteers. The structure went up Sunday, the houses and city elements early Monday, the clouds below on Monday night, and the great finishing touches before the unveiling on Tuesday. (Patrick)

With candy, we tried to recreate a lot of the elements from the description, keeping the principle that everything ‘hung below’ instead of rising. So our city, concentrated at the centre with clusters of ‘ground-scrapers and houses’ hung below. We also included elements such as people who inhabited the city. Ultimately ,we were able to create an edible model of a city that the inhabitants know will last so long, by making it out of substances that we wanted our audience to interact with and tear down. (Rajasi )
    This project provided an interesting experience, particularly with our choice of city, as it required us to pour all the knowledge we had accumulated over the course of the semester into a delicious model.  I’ll be the first to admit that I swiped a few starbursts and hershey kisses during the construction phase, but it was, nonetheless, an engaging project to have to assemble a city based solely upon a one page description provided by Italo Calvino.  Some features were deliberate and some features were unintended, but in the end I think we did a bang up job assembling Octavia for the class, not to mention it was incredibly delicious.  (Charles

Week 13 Observations

Week Thirteen: The Grand Finale, the Big Shebang, the Last Hurrah, the Final Throes, the Encore, the Homecoming, The Reckoning, the Return, the Revelations, whatever name you wish to apply, this tour lived up to the hype.  In the biggest showdown of 2015, Professor Hinders' ARCH 199 class took on the daunting task of touring small town America.  We all hopped on the big white bus and ventured off campus into the vast corn desert that envelopes the oasis that is UIUC.  This tour peered into the essence of the soul a fledgling architecture student seeking to spread their wings and sour amongst the of the Frank Lloyd Wrights and the Thomas Wrens and the Howard Roarks of the world.

Base camp was established at the monument to rural America as we know it: Casey's General Store.  The cultural significance of this twenty-four hour shrine to franchised capitalism cannot be understated.  Its pizzas drip with the sweet nectar of triple-pasteurized faux-dairy goodness and provide sweet refuge for the weary travelers beset by the humid realities of the Illinois summer.  Unfortunately this was not our destination, and we set out into the great unknown of Philo, Illinois.

What is beauty?  Philo attempts to answer this question with its neatly organized one mile by one mile grid system.  A wondrous water tower rises above the lower echelons as a beacon of hope in the otherwise lifeless expanse of central Illinois.  It harkens to the wayward soul and from its gullet flows the economic wellbeing of Philo.  The town otherwise consists of neatly organized rows of houses, a somewhat more lively two-block "downtown," and a catholic school for the local population.

It surprised me to learn of the high concentration of Catholics, as I had come to assume that all of Illinois outside of Chicago was populated by German Lutherans, but maybe I adopted this narrow-minded view because I spend so much time around German Lutherans.  We learned that it was more likely that German Catholics found use for the land where others couldn't with their masterful swamp-draining techniques, as the land that Philo now occupies was once nothing but acre upon acre of swamp land.

Those times were now long gone, however.  In its place stood the bustling farming community of Philo, which had grown so prosperous, in fact, that it got its own suburb, shocking as that may be.  For those with the dough to fund it, a small offshoot from Philo provided the stereotypical four-bedroom, two-bath one-acre plots of land and curvy roads that have come to represent the suburbs.  This was more up my alley, as it is houses like this that I have called home for most of my life.  I was just a bit surprised to find them all here.

Returning to Philo's cemetery, we were able to come to a rest atop a slight hill.  It was from this hill that we could see the simplistic yet beautiful landscape of Farmtown, USA.  The various other farming communities of the area were visible from here as well, and it was quite interesting to see the delicate framework that laced through rural Illinois.

To close out our final tour and our time in Philo, we stopped by the local watering hole and got to feast on finger foods while we reminisced on the glorious semester that was Spring 2015.  I'm not sure if I've completed this too late or not, but if you see this, I want to thank you for making such a fun and informative class, Professor Hinders.

Week Twelve Observations

Week Twelve featured a tour of the Education building and what should have been a student-led tour that devolved into a casual stroll through the Krannert Art Museum.  It was still a blast, though, as Architecture 199 with on Professor Hinders always is, as we departed once more on our incredible architectural journey.

The Education Building is an interesting building, and I feel that this tour allowed me to gain a greater appreciation for it or to see it in a light that I hadn't previously considered.  Simply from the outside, its shape and the angle from which you view it create illusions that obscure its true size and depth.  For instance, if one were to exit the architecture building through the south door, the major axis and the minor axis of the building would appear to be similar in length.  Subtle details like this are things I would never have picked up on before taking this class.  If we were to "simply" look at its appearance and size, we would notice that the exterior mirrors that of the undergraduate library.  Though the UGL may not rise very far above the ground, the styles of the two buildings are clearly similar.  Perhaps the most interesting tid bit I learned about the education building and the surrounding trees is that it was meant to "float" in a forest that spanned UIUC's campus, with the roof lying amongst the canopy.  I recently saw a YouTube video featuring various aerial views of campus, and it was awesome to see that idea at play.

Leading up to the north entrance of the education building, the attention to detail even in the choice of material for the pathway was visible.  Much like with the Erlanger House, there was continuity from the outside to the inside with a large glass face the only barrier between the outside and the inside.  As we progressed inward, we traversed the two long hallways that span either side of the building.  The hallways are lined with ribbed surfaces to influence the acoustics of the hallway and absorb the sound, giving each corridor a very confined feeling.

As we progressed to the second floor, the building began to take on a more open design, at least in my opinion.  Located in the center of the second floor are open study/meeting areas, with rows of windows where the walls meet the ceiling to allow for light to flow into these areas.  It seemed much more welcoming to me as a student, which probably makes sense, but I much preferred it to the first floor.  The faculty offices line the perimeter of the second floor, with windows that open up to a balcony, which forms another layer around the top of the Education Building.  It was nice to see the campus from near level with the canopy, and I also thought it was quite neat that the faculty could stroll on out for a breath of fresh air.

One of the most remarkable things about the building was the beautiful garden just outside the east exit.  The consideration and planning that went into the garden were rather evident.  It wasn't disjointed from the building and tacked on as an afterthought.  It was an integral part to the building, and something that I had never truly noticed before.  Through this class, I had seen the campus in a light that I otherwise would not have.

After some moseying around and some indecisiveness, we decided to head over to the Krannert Art Museum.  We got to see the mighty works of Lorado Taft and debated the genders of various humans in various paintings before being escorted from the premises for being too cool for school.  After leaving and returning through the correct entrance, we got to mess around in the modern art exhibit for a bit.  All in all, it was pretty good.  10/10, would visit again.

Week Eleven Observations

On Tuesday, April 7th, we observed how the form that a structure takes can convey meaning, as it pertains to the Main Library, Foreign Language Building, Smith Hall, and the Institute for Genomic Biology.  We did some speculating, we did some theory crafting, but above all else we had a slam-bangin' good time.

First stop on the tour to end all tours was the main library, where we explored one of the largest depositories of knowledge in the United States (maybe) and got our first look at how architects use spaces to convey meaning.  We entered through the eastern entrance and immediately saw the grand scale of the interior.  We ascended large staircases, which contributed to the significance of the location, as we headed for the main stacks.  On the second and first floors are located large studying rooms with tall windows, giving off the air of importance and striking awe in the hearts of many a caffeine-addicted late night studier.  From there, we ventured into the main stacks, which store countless school records and just about any book about anything you could possibly want.  It was interesting to see how the shelves served as structural supports for the rest of the building, or even just how deep the proverbial rabbit hole went with all of the books.

Departing from the library, we headed on over to the foreign language building where we discussed the modern day Tower of Babel.  Professor Hinders theorized--correctly or incorrectly we may never knooooooow--that the building was modeled after an inverted Tower of Babel, whose mythological significance was tied to the languages of the world and their origins.  While that story ended with the tower's destruction and the genesis of the world's languages, our story ends with the tower's completion and the intermingling of said languages.  To reflect a reversal of the story, the tower itself is inverted.  As opposed to shutting out God, who destroyed the original tower, the building opens up to the skies and allows light to cascade through the main lobby.  Open space is used to great effect to invite the passerby to enter and learn what the building has to offer.

After leaving the Foreign Language Building, we made our way to its next door neighbor, Smith Hall.  Home to an incredible auditorium and much of the undergraduate musical facilities, Smith Hall mimics the grandeur of Foellinger.  To convey its purpose of entertaining the community, the entrance faces the east, connecting it to Urbana.  Large pillars and an open threshold greet outsiders before compressing to a human-sized entrance.  Once crossing this threshold, however, it opens once more to the large internal hallways.  Upon entering, there is a large auditorium, whose materials and designs are selected to provide an enjoyable acoustic experience.  Above there is a balcony, and the whole auditorium is adorned with intricate woodworking to provide not only an enjoyable listening experience but also and enjoyable viewing experience.  The same grandeur that was present outside and in the auditorium extends through the hallways and stairways, as the nearly symmetrical building is sure to impress all who enter.

The Institute for Genomic Biology is faced will an issue similar to that of UGL, in that its proximity to the morrow plots prevents it from rising too high above the ground.  Because of this, it retreats into the earth, with only administrative services and an entrance above ground.  The stairs leading to the underground facility give the illusion of a light, "futuristic" framework, as the risers are semi-transparent and the steps themselves bear a metallic sheen.  They lead to a large lobby, fully equipped with a coffee shop and ample seating.  It is from here that long hallways form a network for the various offices and labs, as they conduct their research on genes, and biology, and genomic biology.

All in all, I give this tour two thumbs up, especially with the Tower of Babel idea regarding the foreign language building.  It was quite interesting to see how the organization of space can impart meaning onto those who use the space.

Week 10 Observations

This week featured two tours, breaking the mold of the past few weeks.  One of them was what I would have pictured when thinking of "architecture" before taking this course and the other one was a construction site.  On a more serious note, Tuesday's tour featured the Mt. Hope Cemetery and Mausoleum and Thursday's tour featured the in-progress Center for Wounded Veterans at 908 Nevada St.

Our tour of the cemetery began with an exploration of the mausoleum, which featured the above-ground resting places of many families from the Urbana area.  Apparently, we learned, it is quite common in other countries that families each have their own mausoleums wherein each person has his/her own designated location, and we even discussed the great above-ground mausoleums of Barcelona, Spain.  I found it interesting that this would be the norm, as I would think it would be more costly than burial.

From the mausoleum, we began our walk of the cemetery grounds and learned about the different ways in which burial plots were grouped.  It seemed that religion was the most common grouping for plots, a tradition which also stemmed from Europe and the practices of the Roman Catholic Church.  We saw that Catholics, Jews, and various other religions were often buried nearby, as denoted by symbols on the head stones.  Also present was a large area dedicated only to veterans of the United States Military.  A vast field--with many plots who no longer or never had head stones--was hemmed in by large shrubs and a flag pole flying the flag of the United States.  On each of the headstones that were present, there were notes of which wars each veteran had served in.  Another interesting feature of these headstones is that they were flush with the ground to make the groundskeeper's job a little easier.

As we progressed through the cemetery to the western side, we found the final resting places of many of the prominent families of Champaign-Urbana.  These graves were marked with much larger headstones made of much finer materials, alerting any visitors of that individuals prominence in their life time.  The most interesting one we happened upon was the Atkins family plot, who were perhaps the richest family in the area and whose name the tennis center bears.  A large monument marked the center of their plot, with each of the family members forming a ring around this monument.  Four smaller monuments marked the four corners of the plot, also bearing the Atkins name.  Several similar plots could be found throughout the cemetery, though none were quite as monumental as that of the Atkins family.

The big takeaway from the Tuesday tour was how an area of land that was seemingly devoid of "architecture" could have such planning behind the organization and behind the presentation.

Our tour Thursday took us to the Center for Wounded Veterans, a building that is currently under construction on Nevada St.  We put on our handy dandy hard hats--which spared me from a dinger on one occasion--and stepped into the magical world of construction.  This tour was a bit of a departure from our earlier tours as we discussed more in-depth how the actual building process took place, instead of analyzing the finished product.

Previously in the course we had discussed how form can sometimes follow function, and I think that this structure was rather evident of that.  As its name suggests, the finished building will be serve as a home and a place of support for wounded veterans who have returned or will be returning from active duty.  For this reason, the structure needs to cater towards those individuals to facilitate their transition into society.  The building features two elevators for ease of access, wide hallways and corridors, as well as the framework for railed chairs to allow individuals to navigate their room independently.  From the structure that we saw, it is clear the individuals to whom the building will cater.

This tour also allowed us to see in-depth the framework that supports the various structures around campus, as well all of the "guts" of the building, such as electrical and piping for water flow.  It is not the most glamorous part of the building, but it is necessary to make sure that everything runs correctly, and this is a facet of the buildings that often go unnoticed once they are complete.

In learning about what function the building itself will serve, we also learned about the process of choosing a location for newly-constructed campus buildings.  The University presented the developers with various locations, but the settled upon the Nevada Street location due to its proximity to campus and the main quad in particular, allowing for the veterans to more easily immerse themselves in the University and in civilian life in general.  I found this discussion to be particularly intresting.

So, it was our first two-tour week in a few weeks, but both tours were very informative and provided a little variety in terms of subject matter.

Week 9 Observations

On Tuesday, March 17th, we got a chance to explore Campus Town, and discuss the various changes to the landscape over the years.  Apparently it wasn't always as glorious as it is today, as the city was largely unwilling to spruce up the area, as the students who lived there didn't pay taxes to the city and by and large didn't vote in any of the local elections, creating a vicious cycle.  We discussed the "mexican standoff" between the university, the city, and the city's residents, and whole process of revamping the area didn't begin until one snooty Chancellor had the AUDACITY to call out the city of Champaign.  After lots of political tomfoolery, a UIUC professor and students took it upon themselves to conduct a survey and kick the overhaul into high gear.

The first order of business was trying to correct the drainage issues, as many buildings north of green and on green experienced flooding in the lower levels.  To solve this, new infrastructure was put in place to facilitate the flow of water away from these buildings and to a large depository west of Champaign.  The boneyard is part of this, as it runs west underneath many of the buildings in Campus Town.

With the flooding mitigated, it was determined that Green Street should be more conducive to walking, as it was once a four-lane through way with narrow side walks, and a major buzz kill to anyone trying to get their morning Starbucks.  Furthermore, when the snowy winters came around, the narrow sidewalks coupled with the four lane road proved to be quite hazardous for pedestrians and drivers alike.  Though the changes didn't go quite as far as were originally requested, the sidewalks on both sides of the street were widened significantly and the road was reduced to two lanes with a turning lane in the middle.  Going along with the safety factor, many buildings and businesses whose drive throughs emptied directly onto Green Street vacated or moved, such as the former bank that is now home to Geo--I mean Papa D's.

With phase two rolled out and a changing landscape on Green Street, many developers saw the opportunities unfolding in Champaign and decided to ride the gravy train of premier apartment spaces.  All down the street, high rise apartment buildings are going up, looking to capitalize on the students who want luxury apartments without the ten minute walk to campus.  Where once there were few buildings more than two stories high, these highrises--such as green street towers and those by JSM development and Bankier apartments--are now giving Campus Town somewhat of a sky line as the city gradually shifts towards a more urban environment.

I don't know exactly what Green Street and Campus Town used to look like before, but I can't imagine it was very pleasant relative to what we have now.  Plus now we have Panda Express, which is awesome.

Week 8 Observations

On Tuesday, March 10th, we hopped on Professor Hinders' magic school bus and headed out on a magical journey to the City Formerly Known as West Urbana.  We got an entertaining bus ride, an entertaining walk, and even some of the things that we learned were pretty interesting that day.

On the bus ride to the transportation depot, we learned of the origins of Urbana-Champaign and the westward expansion of the United States in general.  As new settlers chased the dream of manifest destiny and headed Californ-I-ways, they gradually settled along the way.  Professor Hinders explained that the names Urbana and Champaign were present where he previously lived in Ohio, and that the people who settled that area also most likely settled this area, due to similar names appearing in the graveyards in both Ohio and here on campus.  I find it fascinating how something like the names of towns can tell the story of the gradual process of westward expansion and the development of the United States as we know it.

When we arrived at the train station, we discussed how the landscape of Champaign itself began to change.  Ordinances designed to facilitate the westward expansion by US settlers had divided the western United States into a large grid system, but the presence of a train track that cut diagonally through this grid necessitated a shift and caused some problems where the traditional grid and the train track grid collided.  Because of this, there are many streets that don't line up quite right and numerous diagonal streets that flow parallel to the train tracks.

One of the most interesting things from this tour for me was how much it related to my previous CHP course.  Last semester I took CMN 220, and one of the topics that we dealt with was the transformation of the city.  It was there that we learned about the shift towards an automobile-centric society, part of which was the purchasing of trolleys and light rail by automobile manufacturers to eliminate competition.  I also wrote a paper on urban renewal for that class, in which I discussed the reclamation and repurposing of old manufacturing property into loft apartments and storefronts, which was present in Champaign.

Throughout the rest of the tour, we discussed the organization of Champaign and the organization of many towns in the United States in general, namely the three main tenets of faith, knowledge, and health, as churches, libraries, and parks were frequently located in close proximity and often at the center of the town.  We saw many of Champaign's churches were located conveniently on church street, as its name would suggest, and adjacent to a large park that encompassed several city blocks.  At the city's center was the city hall, where the train track grid met the continental grid, providing a symbol of authority and pride for the city of Champaign.  Though things have shifted around through the years, the structure and ideals envisioned by the "forefathers," if you will, remain apparent.