Project #1 Observations

→Green Library Humanities Area on Stanford

I wandered around the Green Library on campus finding a place to sit. I went up to the New Deal Museum and turned right. I happened to stumble across this large room full of natural light which attracted me to sit for 30 minutes observing the area.

Observations:

• a lot of natural light coming in from above and from the large windows covering the entire wall
• warm tones in the wood tables and shelves. pale yellow wall color draw in people's eyes. It is a very inviting atmosphere, I’d say the best room in the entire library→ appreciation of the sustainability of the room
• a lot of added light from lamps all around, however are not necessary to turn on in the big open space
• open layout of the couches and tables help make the room feel very spacious
• very quiet, carpets mask footsteps, noise canceling of construction happening outside
• people coming in individually, not a lot of groups, don’t really look around. Immediately finding a seat when sitting down to work
• people choose to go to the furthest corner of the entire room, devoid of people, I think it is to give space for new people to come in, and not have to walk there
• does not smell musty like old books however is a bit stuffy from no air circulation
• no air conditioning, lending to the quiet environment however made it quite hot
• portraits of important men (art) on the walls bring a interesting factor to look at when tired

Observation of people:

• straight back→ hunched in the matter of 5 minutes of sitting down for the first time→ begin to move their legs to a more comfortable position
• constantly looking down, not looking up even after I stare at them for a good minute straight (means my presence is blocked by the distance we have from each other)
• the people in the room only move about to their seats or the restroom careful to not disturb others, never wandering around the room
• one person per table that seats 4. come in individually
• stay in their cubicle, not taking up much space
• everyone is wearing long sleeves in 80 degree weather

Problems:

• Noise & Comfort. I sat on an old wooden chair, which squeaked everytime I moved slightly. People were uncomfortable in the chairs, which I understood from the amount of noise generated from them when moving. For those sitting on the couches, they adjusted their necks, at least for me, looking down a lot would make me feel uncomfortable.
• Alone. since there was so much space, people were spread apart, opting to sit alone on a couch than to share a table with someone else (not necessarily a bad thing, their purpose could be to work alone in the library).
• hot, with so much natural light coming in, there was a lot of heat generated inside
• the desks were placed quite high, not very comfortable for my arms to reach, the people working on the tables had to scrunch up their shoulders which is tiring after a while. My arms started feeling stiff and cramped after awhile.

Project Ideas:

• To deal with the heat, with how libraries are, installing fans, pulling curtains, installing vents might take away from the environment.
• The wooden chairs emit a squeaky sound, which is really easy to notice in the quiet room, so introducing a softer surface cover on top will help ones posture