Journal Entry For
Project 2 - Plan for Iterating
Divergent Thinking (How might we…?) + Convergent Thinking (Concept Features)
Divergent Thinking (How might we…?)
How might we provide students with more natural light in their learning environments?
- outdoor shaded personal study spaces
- outdoor “lecture halls” and classroom spaces
- only create interior spaces that have exterior windows for access to natural light
- bring the outside in with indoor gardens, plant walls, and planters designed into all interior building spaces
How might we address both students and professors needs at the same time or separately?
- Social study areas for students can be created outdoors near eateries and other vendors to promote interaction and also provide open space for exploration and exchange of ideas
- Recreational Space
- Brainstorming various creative ideas about gym and sports facilities
- Unconventional recreational concepts
- Aesthetic Designs
- Outdoor Study Areas
- Innovative Sustainable Features
- Dye sensitized solar cells?
- Recycled and Upcycled Materials
- fungus brick as partial wood substitute?
- Green Roof or Living Wall
- Modern Library
- Brainstorm various study area designs
- Integrate nature-friendly elements in new technology
- Other Features
- Unique eco-friendly cafe themes and designs
- Considering flexible layouts that accommodate individual study, group collaboration, and recreational breaks and activities.
- Physical/fun activities in reasonable vicinity of “sedentary” ones
- Skate parks, ping pong
Virtual Brainstorming Exercise (rapid fire ideas in 3-minutes):
Convergent Thinking (Concept Features)
As we scale back our design ambitions, we find ourselves focusing on a single structure/building (imagine a new Sustainable Student Center here on campus or at another University). Our key features we wish to include in our design are:
- Outdoor eatery / coffee shop garden (to promote social exchanges and student nutrition)
- Identifying an ideal location with a good balance of foot traffic and tranquility, Choosing energy-efficient kitchen equipment and appliances, Developing a menu that includes sustainably sourced and locally produced food items
- Recreational spaces / outdoor gym (to support health & wellness)
- recreational ideas to cater diverse interests , Exploring unconventional recreational concepts that promote community building with social engagement.
- Library-style personal study spaces + group study areas (no need to trek across campus to library if you’re already here and want a quiet place to study)
- Selecting a suitable location with sufficient space and accessibility for library visitors, Choosing energy-efficient lighting and ventilation systems to reduce energy consumption.Evaluating sustainable building materials to construct the library and viable access to amenities.
- Outdoor classroom/lecture halls (take advantage of outdoor space with shaded areas for large gatherings — keeping in mind that outdoor eatery could be noisy and interfere with lectures / classroom focus so will integrate some sound absorption concepts in landscaping
- Identifying suitable locations with minimal distractions for focused studying, Selecting appropriate seating and furniture for comfort and functionality, Ensuring access to necessary utilities like Wi-Fi and power outlets for electronic devices which run on renewable energy.
Thomas’s new rendering for main structure which would contain above features via the inner-park area (open atrium style design:
