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.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
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.
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.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Week 7 Observations
On March 3rd, we toured the LEED Platinum certified, Energy Efficient building for a Green Earth--the Business Instructional Facility--on 6th and Gregory, and we got to take a closer look at what the certifications and gobbledygook actually mean.
We began in the main atrium, an open space flanked on three sides by the multiple levels of the building and on the east side by a wall made entirely of windows. The roof is shaped with a large curve, which overhangs the window wall by twenty feet or so. Our first look into "sustainability" began there, as we learned the large windows are used to bathe the atrium in natural light, and also to use the sun to aid in the heating of the area. In the large, curved roof we also noticed what seemed to be tubes across its entire surface, which we learned aid in the circulation of air throughout the atrium.
As we progressed through the building, we discussed the concept of embedded energy, or the total energy required to extract, transport, and manufacture certain materials. In the context of the building, there were materials with very low embedded energy such as the wood railings or concrete used during construction; however, there were also materials with high embedded energy, such as the exotic wood floors in the atrium or aluminum used throughout the building. We slowly began to learn that LEED certification is less about "going green" and more about marketing.
From the atrium we progressed to BIF's two adjacent wings to get a closer look at the roof top gardens and solar panels. The roof top gardens featured shallow soil and many grassy plants whose roots helped to filter rainwater that made its way to the roof. Unfortunately, due to the size of these gardens, we didn't earn a point towards certification. The solar panels, on the other hand, did earn us the handy dandy LEED point, but proved to be no more useful than the roof top gardens. As we saw them, they were covered in snow, which unfortunately prevented any measurable amount of energy from being delivered to the grid.
So, for all the grandeur of this certification or that certification and the green campaigns, many of the things that supposedly make BIF a sustainable building are all for show. Oh well.
On the 5th of March, we went to XPO, the architecture career fair, and I got a chance to speak to Raths, Raths, and Johnson, which, as I learned was a bit different from most architecture firms. In my brief interview with the recruiters, I learned that they don't actually design the buildings, and deal mainly with forensics and figuring out what went wrong with existing structures. RRJ has experts in a wide variety of areas pertaining to the actual construction of the building, and when there are mishaps with construction, these experts try to pinpoint what the issue it.
Once they have determined what the issues are, RRJ assists and oversees the repair of these issues, so they mainly clean up the mess that the original builders and architects created. I learned that they have a large contingent of engineers in addition to architects, which got me a little excited, but then I also learned that they only take structural engineers, which made me a little sad again. It was still interesting to learn about another realm of architecture that I didn't know existed.
We began in the main atrium, an open space flanked on three sides by the multiple levels of the building and on the east side by a wall made entirely of windows. The roof is shaped with a large curve, which overhangs the window wall by twenty feet or so. Our first look into "sustainability" began there, as we learned the large windows are used to bathe the atrium in natural light, and also to use the sun to aid in the heating of the area. In the large, curved roof we also noticed what seemed to be tubes across its entire surface, which we learned aid in the circulation of air throughout the atrium.
As we progressed through the building, we discussed the concept of embedded energy, or the total energy required to extract, transport, and manufacture certain materials. In the context of the building, there were materials with very low embedded energy such as the wood railings or concrete used during construction; however, there were also materials with high embedded energy, such as the exotic wood floors in the atrium or aluminum used throughout the building. We slowly began to learn that LEED certification is less about "going green" and more about marketing.
From the atrium we progressed to BIF's two adjacent wings to get a closer look at the roof top gardens and solar panels. The roof top gardens featured shallow soil and many grassy plants whose roots helped to filter rainwater that made its way to the roof. Unfortunately, due to the size of these gardens, we didn't earn a point towards certification. The solar panels, on the other hand, did earn us the handy dandy LEED point, but proved to be no more useful than the roof top gardens. As we saw them, they were covered in snow, which unfortunately prevented any measurable amount of energy from being delivered to the grid.
So, for all the grandeur of this certification or that certification and the green campaigns, many of the things that supposedly make BIF a sustainable building are all for show. Oh well.
On the 5th of March, we went to XPO, the architecture career fair, and I got a chance to speak to Raths, Raths, and Johnson, which, as I learned was a bit different from most architecture firms. In my brief interview with the recruiters, I learned that they don't actually design the buildings, and deal mainly with forensics and figuring out what went wrong with existing structures. RRJ has experts in a wide variety of areas pertaining to the actual construction of the building, and when there are mishaps with construction, these experts try to pinpoint what the issue it.
Once they have determined what the issues are, RRJ assists and oversees the repair of these issues, so they mainly clean up the mess that the original builders and architects created. I learned that they have a large contingent of engineers in addition to architects, which got me a little excited, but then I also learned that they only take structural engineers, which made me a little sad again. It was still interesting to learn about another realm of architecture that I didn't know existed.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Week 6 Observations
On Tuesday, February 24th, we visited the Erlanger house, which was designed in 1964 by Jack Baker for UIUC dance professor Margaret Erlanger. Tossing the proverbial book of architectural norms out the window, Baker designed a space that would provide Erlanger with the privacy she desired with a sleek and angular interior.
The walk to the Erlanger house was as interesting as the house itself, as it established the aforementioned architectural norms. The "suburban" post-World War II design featured a large buffer between the street and the sidewalk, followed by a sizeable front lawn and a walkway that led to a porch at the front of the house. On one side or the other there was a driveway that typically led back to a one- or two-car garage. Following this driveway, there was typically a side entrance, as well as a rear entrance accompanied by a deck or porch.
As time progressed, this style of houses began to change, which was made evident by the houses that we saw. The buffer between the road and the sidewalk gradually became smaller, and in almost every other house we could see what had once been a porch was closed off to create another usable indoor room. The idea of having an open space on the front of the house that was seldom used fell out of style to create a more "functional" living space for the owners.
Keeping in mind the post-WWII suburbia, the Erlanger house was a whole different beast entirely. From the outside, it appears to be nothing more than a brick cube. There is no porch, there are no windows, there is no driveway that leads to a one car garage around the back. It must have looked quite strange for the time period and even looks a bit odd today, considering its location. As we traveled through the front entrance, however, it became clear that the Erlanger house was not what it appeared to be.
The first floor of the house had a very open layout, with a large "living room" in the rear of the house and a recessed floor/seating area towards the front. On both the front and rear faces of the house there are large glass windows; the rear window looks out on the neighborhood, while the front window looks out onto an enclosed garden that appears to be a continuation of the seating area due to the similar cobble material with which the flooring is made. Also found on the first floor is a large square fireplace painted black. The flue is a rectangular column that runs vertically to the ceiling. On the right side of the house (when facing the back) is a small kitchen area, with refrigerator and storage integrated into the structure to appear seamless. To the left is a staircase that leads to the second floor.
The second floor has the feeling of "floating" in the house, due to the open space over the living room area and the gap between the second floor and the front window, much like the passerelle of our models. On the second floor was a sleep/study area and other accommodations typically found in a master bedroom.
I think the most interesting parts of the house were the consistent use of angles and the minimal use of different colors and materials. It provided an elegant, yet simple look and made the entire living space seem more fluid. No particular space of the house was truly closed off from the rest and it gave the space a very open feeling.
The walk to the Erlanger house was as interesting as the house itself, as it established the aforementioned architectural norms. The "suburban" post-World War II design featured a large buffer between the street and the sidewalk, followed by a sizeable front lawn and a walkway that led to a porch at the front of the house. On one side or the other there was a driveway that typically led back to a one- or two-car garage. Following this driveway, there was typically a side entrance, as well as a rear entrance accompanied by a deck or porch.
As time progressed, this style of houses began to change, which was made evident by the houses that we saw. The buffer between the road and the sidewalk gradually became smaller, and in almost every other house we could see what had once been a porch was closed off to create another usable indoor room. The idea of having an open space on the front of the house that was seldom used fell out of style to create a more "functional" living space for the owners.
Keeping in mind the post-WWII suburbia, the Erlanger house was a whole different beast entirely. From the outside, it appears to be nothing more than a brick cube. There is no porch, there are no windows, there is no driveway that leads to a one car garage around the back. It must have looked quite strange for the time period and even looks a bit odd today, considering its location. As we traveled through the front entrance, however, it became clear that the Erlanger house was not what it appeared to be.
The first floor of the house had a very open layout, with a large "living room" in the rear of the house and a recessed floor/seating area towards the front. On both the front and rear faces of the house there are large glass windows; the rear window looks out on the neighborhood, while the front window looks out onto an enclosed garden that appears to be a continuation of the seating area due to the similar cobble material with which the flooring is made. Also found on the first floor is a large square fireplace painted black. The flue is a rectangular column that runs vertically to the ceiling. On the right side of the house (when facing the back) is a small kitchen area, with refrigerator and storage integrated into the structure to appear seamless. To the left is a staircase that leads to the second floor.
The second floor has the feeling of "floating" in the house, due to the open space over the living room area and the gap between the second floor and the front window, much like the passerelle of our models. On the second floor was a sleep/study area and other accommodations typically found in a master bedroom.
I think the most interesting parts of the house were the consistent use of angles and the minimal use of different colors and materials. It provided an elegant, yet simple look and made the entire living space seem more fluid. No particular space of the house was truly closed off from the rest and it gave the space a very open feeling.
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