Studio Blog Update

Hey!

So, there really hasn't been anything to post in this past week. We had another group project but drawings weren't really involved. It was more of an analysis and the pictures are there for a guide and there wasn't any process in making them. Here's the final version (I took out of our last names):

It analyzed the various circulation routes around our site and in Indy and we showed ways that we could improve them (IE continuing the sidewalk). I worked on the bottom 2 and another person in the group and I worked on the board layout.

I think our next board is a group project as well so there probably won't be another process update. Once I actually look through my pictures, I'll post some photos from the site (it is a real place after all).

:D

Week 1

Okay, here's the first post in this series. I kept on forgetting my camera so some of the pictures are small and not that great of quality.

The first part of the project is the site analysis. We were separated into groups of four so I don't have the full board or all of the diagrams, but here are the ones I did.

Once I start the final portion of the project I should have more pictures since they take longer and there are more details.

Enjoy!















My first diagram is a land use map. It's pretty self explanatory, each color represents a land use (for example, blue is special use (schools, libraries, etc), red is mixed use, yellow is residential). First, I traced all of the streets from the site map.
















Using the streets as a guide, I started coloring.
















This is what the final product looks like. I then scanned the two images (roads and color) onto my computer. It's messy, I know--that's where Photoshop comes into play.

























This is the real final after Photoshop editing. I inverted the roads and cleaned up the color.





















I realized I don't have a process of my circulation diagrams =p It's not as noticeable as the land use anyway. I basically outlined the roads--the thicker the line, the busier the road.



















This is a circulation diagram too--but shows the sidewalks (red) and the Indianapolis Cultural Trail (green).










































Here's the final Photoshop products.



















This is my final diagram and I actually did a pretty good job showing the process :D
This one combines adjacent influences, landmarks, and nodes. Adjacent influences are things that would directly impact the site. Some things I pointed out was downtown, Mass Ave, the highway, and the surrounding residental. Landmarks are self explanatory. I included the Murat, the Monet Trail, and a few others. Nodes are points of interest, or where a lot of activity takes place...it's hard to explain. The ones I showed was the I-70 and I-65 exchange and the 6-way intersection close to the site.





















Here's the diagram with color. Every color represents something, similar to the land use map.




















Now to add some architect/planner flair to it. Basically, I outlined the outline. I have no clue how it works, but it always seems to look a hundred times better...




















Then I added some shading with color pencil. Truthfully, this isn't my favorite diagram, I've drawn better ones =p

















Here's the final Photoshop version.


And that was week 1. I think in total that took me around 15 hours....and that was a small project. Jeez, it seems like a long time if I put it that way...but really that was throughout the week so it wasn't that bad.

Any comments on how I presented it? That's what I had in mind, but I don't know what you guys thought. And feel free to ask any questions about the project--what I wrote here and the last post only skims the surface. I'm not sure what the next part of the project is...I haven't really studied the schedule yet...

Thanks for reading!

Urban Planning Studio

Studio takes up a lot of my time. Class meets for 12 hours a week--I'm working the full 12 hours. Add on however much extra time outside of class to finish the project (25, 50 hours a week?) I'm so caught up trying to reach the final project that I rarely look back and see what I've accomplished. My process of reaching the goal is obsolete in my grade. As long as it's on my final board and looks good, it's fine. I could have drawn it all the night before and the professors wouldn't care. But I think it's important. The journey is the reason for the end result--I can't ignore it.

So, I'm going to keep a 'diary' of sorts of the process of this (my last) studio project. You guys are invited to watch :)

I guess some background is in order. In my urban planning studio we are given 'sites' in downtown Indianapolis that we have to improve. There's usually a noticeable problem or opportunity (ie large, unused, open space in prime location).

Our site sizes have grown progressively larger. From approximately 500 x 100 square feet to (now) 1 million square feet. This main portion has an empty Coca Cola Bottling Center and is headquarters for the Indianapolis Public School bus parking lot. We're to pretend the IPS have relocated their buses elsewhere, having full control of the site (it would be 1,000% harder to work around them, fyi).

My professor has given us a set of guidelines and buildings to place in the final plan. Here is the list: live/work loft units, mix of market rate and affordable housing, ground floor retail, public open space, parking solution, public and support services of your choice (ie community center, health center, senior center...a draw to the space). More details on the requirements in another blog (if I remember).

We have now until the end of the school year to finish the project. We're in the first phase of the project. In team of four, we have to have an analysis of the site (about a 2-3 block radius from our site). This includes demographics, circulation diagrams, neighborhood analysis...basically a bunch of diagrams.

Our professor makes us do everything by hand (for the final) so I'll take pictures of my drawings in process and the final drawing. I just started these today but didn't have my camera. I'll work in studio all day tomorrow so hopefully I can post pictures soon.

Because of the schedule and unknown amount of time for me to upload and type a entry, these will probably be delayed. For example, what I do this week might be posted next week, then a new post 3 days later. They won't be regular intervals.

Here's the site satellite map of the site:



Closer, the 'main' site:





And, just as a reference, here is how my last project turned out:



My goals are to improve, not freak out, finish everything, and not fail this blog

Any thoughts, ideas?

Thanks!