-thesis-summer 2008

The design of my thesis is in full swing! I chose the site of my design to be in the new urbanist community of Ivy Hall, located in Chicago, Illinois. Ivy Hall is located adjacent to the University of Illinois, and consists of 152 condominiums, 31 town-homes, 36 single-family homes, commercial/retail/restaurant facilities, and part of the student housing for the university. The location and design of Ivy Hall has an efficient impact within and outside of the community, as transportation is cut down, and community gathering is emphasized. For my thesis, I am focusing on the student housing buildings, which are located in Ivy Hall, but are owned by the university. The buildings are located on the historic Halsted Street, home to the start of the Blues Brothers! When Ivy Hall was designed and constructed, many challenges were taken to preserve the structures and materials that the local community had grown to love throughout the years. The facades of each building were restored to resemble the originals, and the unused bricks of each facade were laid among the streets of the community. Currently, each student building consist of four levels, with retail on the first level and student apartments on the second, third, and fourth levels. I am converting the third and fourth levels of the building into a series of live/work lofts that will facilitate entrepreneurs who have businesses that directly relate to the specific majors offered at University of Illinois. Therefore, each loft owner must offer a mentoring program to accommodate specific field-related students at UIC.

My thesis will focus on the following studies:

Conceptual Elements: stemming from a core

Mobility [macro to micro] in the following parts:

New Urbanism/Mixed-Use Design
Qualities and Successes of live/work lofts
Learning Theory [learning from mentors and education]

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Codes + Ergonomics

Codes and standards are an essential part of designing building interiors, and should become a natural aspect of every project that is designed. Although it sometimes seems as though they get in the way of the conceptual line of thinking, they can be integrated in a thoughtful manner. The bottom line is, the design is for the people who will occupy the space, and your conceptual thinking must be flexible to successfully design a productive and functional environment.

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