deb in environments

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5.2.16 Cleaning

While I was erasing pencil lines and retaping to fill in the gaps, I took a few photos to show how it looks from the inside. 

It fits shoulders pretty well, and it’s comfortable enough to fit the width of someone’s body.

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5.2.16 Building and Polishing

Started building the final model. Bought 21 sheets of Denril paper--a relatively cheap material that architects use--to build the cover portion. I had to tape it all together to create a seamless sheet to begin folding.

After having folded together the structure, I came across a different issue--making it stand upright. 

Unfortunately, I don’t have the photos, but the whole structure was floppy, and there was no way heavy, 6ft dowels would be able to support it. The cheapest, most efficient way to hold it, would be to hang it from one of the pipes on the ceiling. 

With some help from my peers, I put a dowel through the top part, and tied some string on the ends, and raised it. And it worked!

I really liked how the light goes through the paper material. It almost looked like it was glowing.

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4.21.2016

This iteration has its dowels poking inside the structure--just so it doesn’t aesthetically become a distracting point. Furthermore, the shape of the holes were modified in order to make it more comfortable to have the users put their heads through them.

Also, being that the dowels would be four feet, it would be easier for tall people to put through a little of their shoulders as well.

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4.19.16

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4.19.2016

Some sketches about cutting plans. I changed the shape of the bottom so that it’s more intuitive to face each other. Modifying the hole shape to see how that effects the experience was also a potential idea.

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4.12.16

I decided to have an umbrella-like structure, with a cover, where users can poke their heads into a different space. I chose a white/translucent material so that light would be able to go through--also it would seem less ominous. Also, because of its thinness, it would be easier to make it collapsible.

The hole size/distance/position was also something I really had to think about--in my research, people tend to prefer to sit diagonally from each other, so I put the holes in the same relative position.

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Trying some more peculiar ideas to have people interact with each other 

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4.6.16: Still exploring

Brainstorming with a fellow student in the studio.

Inputs and ideas from other students in the class.

An idea for a table for two that includes brownie/cookie mugs for people to bake them on the spot.

Focusing less on aroma and more on portable private spaces. The ones on the right page are foldable.

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Sketching some other places (and an idea) I found oncampus--I like these two because they are slightly isolated from the busier parts of the school. The ambience makes the space to be not too quiet.

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My space in Gates is already pretty ideal, so I only have a few ideas of how I could improve the space.

-Carpet-Although more difficult to clean and maintain, it provides a sense of warmth and a safe coat from the tile floor. Tazza, which is the coffee place also in Gates, would feel much different if the floors had tiles or hardwood. I wonder if the same effect could be applied to mine.

-Lighting-As mentioned before, the dimmer lighting in my space provided a mild (but not immediately noticeable) issue, so brightening it might attract more glances and attention. I wonder if brightening the entire corridor would help, though it could make it too bright for that part outside my space.

My next steps involved looking for similar spaces (where it has one of the attributes that Gates has) and see how I can create a portable one that will carry the positive aspects into it.

I chose Gates’ muffled coffeehouse aromas/sounds to be one of the higher factor that is most difficult to replicate. Therefore, I thought of the on campus spots listed to be potential spots to use my portable space for which have the coffeehouse smells, the distant conversation, or even both. Aromas were important to consider because observations and studies have shown that they enhance not only food tastes, but also the space or an activity. Tea and coffeehouses such as Teavana tends to do this, to my observations.

I made sure to choose spots that aren’t in the middle of these coffeehouses—there is something relaxing about being in a space that overlooks places like this, far enough away to not be a distraction.

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Storyboarding and observational notes.

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3.25.16: deeper analysis

Here, I sketched what the space looks like if I sit down, and face to my left. Beyond the columns is where the Citadel Commons (where CS office hours occur) and where all the conversations and noises are.

After some observation, I think that column blocks a lot of the noise. It would get louder once I walked around it.

I noticed that every person I see there is always alone. This time, it was a student wearing headphones, on his laptop, whose posture became more alert after I sat down with him. There was a sense of wariness, but at the same time, he got up a few times without a word and left all his things on the table, simultaneously trusting me not to take anything.

When I asked him what he liked about the space, and he contemplated and said it was a quiet area, but not too isolated from everyone else. The Citadel Commons, while full of chatter, is easily accessible. 

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Comparing Two Environments: Gates Center and Doherty Hall

Sun. 3/20/2016, 2:12 pm (photos to be uploaded later)

Sitting here, the first thing I asked myself was why a tablecloth and a potted plant was sitting there. Is this supposed to be for romantic purposes? But knowing that this is in the middle of a corridor of a building of lecture halls and right next to the staircase(similar to the one in Gates), I imagine it would make more sense for this to be for a resting spot, or even a small study space.

This wouldn’t be the best spot for the latter, since there are no plugs to charge my laptop or phone—I’m working here right now and I’m on only 2%.

I get a sense of a public space since I’m in a middle of a long and wide hallway, and a personal space since I have my own table, but there is no sense of a private space. Unlike the table in Gates, there’s no boundary or threshold telling me or anyone else when I or they are walking into the private environment. The tiled floors remain the same outside and inside my space, and the staircase feels a little not secured. I didn’t feel safe.

My past observations of this space: I walked down that hallway multiple times, and I usually don’t recall seeing someone sitting there--if I have, it’s usually only one person on their laptop. I’ve personally ate lunch there with a friend, and even though the hallway was empty, it still felt quite uncomfortable.

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Comparing Two Environments: Gates Center and Doherty Hall

Sun. 3/20/2016, 1:30 pm

The weather is a bit chilly and there is some snow falling outside. Going inside, I noticed that in the Citadel Commons, a workspace close to the entrance of the 5th floor, had a few people working in here, mostly spread out to their own tables. 

I walked towards the Helix, and there, the table in one of the spaces I wanted to examine, also had one person working there. They weren’t in these photos, but they left a backpack and a box of cookies, so I assumed that they were going to come back. But there was at least one person. However, there is definitely a preference to be in the previous space, probably because office hours were located in the Citadel Commons.

What is nice about this space is that there is a sense of privacy, although it’s in a public space--in the hallway, right next to the entrance and the ramp (that not many people use).  I think somehow being in that little pocket of space enhances the feeling of it being a personal area, also the wood color of the ramp emits some warmth. Working in this space myself, I also noticed that there is ample lighting--nothing dim, but not glaringly bright. It’s the perfect study space, even since there’s a convenient plug next to the table.

I also noticed that the cement-like columns and the change of floor material also adds to the barrier somehow--an invisible entrance to this space.

Personally as a bias, I came here when I was feeling particularly anxious the other day, and being in this space calmed me down. I got to watch people go by but none of them get too close to my personal space either. 

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Experimenting with Cinema4D with a mango model!

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Size comparisons.