Our Journey to begin walking and talking about campus town started at Temple Hoyne, as we moved to Wright Street and ventured up to Green. Looking down Green, I saw the long stretch that we consider "campustown." To be honest, I had never really thought of the Green Street and close surrounding area as Campustown, but I'm glad I got that cleared up.
A lot of people complain about the condition of campus town. Aside from the obvious trash laying around and general grime that comes along with a downtown style area, there are quite a few aesthetic and functional problems with the area specifically. Some have been fixed. Some have not. Hopefully the remaining ones will be better for future Illini, as it is a misrepresentation (in my opinion) of what campus should be and gives it a bad name.
The first thing we talked about was how a lot of the campus town area has been planned to be restructured and rebuilt. A few students and a professor years ago came up with a revitalization plan for the fronts of the buildings and the streets themselves. In recent years since I've been here there was even a plan to make Green Street a pedestrian-only mall. Obviously that didn't pan out. BUT the corner of Green and Wright, as Professor Hinders told us, is considered by most to be the best representation of what campus town should be. As you move further down, past fourth street, Green Street feels a lot more spread out and less condensed, and less like a city or downtown.
I hope that in the future more businesses or apartments fill the space to make the entirety of Green feel like the block from Wright to Sixth or Fifth. It is clear that a lot of new things are going up, like the apartments across the street from 309.
I guess I shouldn't be totally negative about Campustown, as we actually did talk about some things that are gone that used to be there. Papa D's (my favorite campus town late-night eatery) used to be a drive-through bank. As Professor Hinders told us, that caused a lot of problems with traffic and pedestrian safety with the cars trying to move in and out. 309 (nicknamed the "whopper" back in the day) used to be a Burger King with a drive-through. It had similar problems. Luckily those are gone.
The one thing I would love to see improved is the boneyard creek area. There is a great opportunity for a nice walkway or path going between Green and Healey, and I think it would add a nice tough to campus town. Thus far, it really only runs from Wright to Sixth/Fifith area. That would be a great improvement for campus if it were to change.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Downtown Champaign (West Urbana??)
As the title suggests, the first thing I learned today was that Champaign used to be called "West Urbana." I'm glad they changed the name.
What I did not realize was that Urbana was settled first, and that many of the people who founded it were from Urbana, Ohio. This makes sense. When people wanted to spread out from Urbana, they moved west and of course named the city impulsively "West Urbana." Most of the buildings were built away from the border of Urbana and West Urbana so that the factories and buildings were not upwind of the more residential areas. We talked about this as we crossed Park Street (the most common street name in America) downtown and moving towards Virginia Theater and the Park.
One thing that stuck out to me in the beginning was the idea of axes again. This was sort of a throwback to the first class we ever had. The streets are sort of cockeyed downtown right by the transit station. One street goes to (symbolically) Washington D.C., which sort of creates a pie shape with the other streets it intersects, notably the City Hall.
My favorite part of the tour overall was when we talked about the park and its surroundings. This was West Side park, not too far from downtown and pretty large in my opinion. Professor Hinders said that it was and is the main park in town. Not too far away (just across the street in fact) is one of the local high schools. And, coincidentally enough, there is a Methodist, Presbyterian, and Catholic Church on any given side of the park. What does this all have to do with anything? Americana was a sort of cultural ideal that was present in a lot of small towns. At one time Champaign may have fit into this category, where people did not separate three aspects of their life (cultivation of the body, mind, and spirit). So, you could get exercise, learn, and save your soul all in the same area. I found this extremely interesting, and even relatable to my life on a smaller scale. My school had a large playground and church all in the same vicinity, as is common in parochial league schools.
The biggest thing I took away from this trip was the overall idea of interpreting why things are the way they are. Often times I walk around places without really thinking about why things are there and not just the fact that they are. After all, I think that is the point of the course.
What I did not realize was that Urbana was settled first, and that many of the people who founded it were from Urbana, Ohio. This makes sense. When people wanted to spread out from Urbana, they moved west and of course named the city impulsively "West Urbana." Most of the buildings were built away from the border of Urbana and West Urbana so that the factories and buildings were not upwind of the more residential areas. We talked about this as we crossed Park Street (the most common street name in America) downtown and moving towards Virginia Theater and the Park.
One thing that stuck out to me in the beginning was the idea of axes again. This was sort of a throwback to the first class we ever had. The streets are sort of cockeyed downtown right by the transit station. One street goes to (symbolically) Washington D.C., which sort of creates a pie shape with the other streets it intersects, notably the City Hall.
My favorite part of the tour overall was when we talked about the park and its surroundings. This was West Side park, not too far from downtown and pretty large in my opinion. Professor Hinders said that it was and is the main park in town. Not too far away (just across the street in fact) is one of the local high schools. And, coincidentally enough, there is a Methodist, Presbyterian, and Catholic Church on any given side of the park. What does this all have to do with anything? Americana was a sort of cultural ideal that was present in a lot of small towns. At one time Champaign may have fit into this category, where people did not separate three aspects of their life (cultivation of the body, mind, and spirit). So, you could get exercise, learn, and save your soul all in the same area. I found this extremely interesting, and even relatable to my life on a smaller scale. My school had a large playground and church all in the same vicinity, as is common in parochial league schools.
The biggest thing I took away from this trip was the overall idea of interpreting why things are the way they are. Often times I walk around places without really thinking about why things are there and not just the fact that they are. After all, I think that is the point of the course.
Architecture Expo!
By the time this class was over, I was rethinking my major. Not totally, but a little bit. The Architecture Expo, in comparison to the Business Career Fairs (which comprise four days of pure fury for me each year), was a great deal of fun. It was much smaller, and I felt much less like I was wasting people's time if I was not a shoe-in for their position or I was not actually interested in their firm or company. In fact, I was not really serious about any of the companies I spoke with. Professor Hinders had us interview firms so that we could see what the architecture business was like. I was fortunate enough to talk to two very different firms, one being Farnsworth, and the other be Klein and Hoffman.
I spoke with Klein and Hoffman first. It was sort of my ice breaker and way to get a feel for how my second conversation would go. As I found out, they were not the average architectural firm. They did not simply design buildings. In fact, they were almost purely a restoration firm. They, as they told me, "fix the mistakes that previous architects have already made." They are not a huge firm, although they do a considerable amount of work in Chicago, where they are based. They do projects ranging from the John Hancock Building to smaller apartment buildings. They fix columns, stucco, and essentially anything structural that could be wrong with a building. Both people I spoke with for K & H had graduate degrees in restoration after completing architecture in their undergraduate colleges, which makes sense.
On the other hand, Farnsworth was a much more traditional architectural firm in some senses. One reason I decided to talk to them, however, was that they had an advertisement for LEED certification on their poster board. They have a number of architects who can garnish a building with qualities to taylor your needs for LEED, although they do not do it exclusively. Scott, the gentleman I spoke with, was an Illinois alum and former student of Professor Hinders. How nice.
Overall, it was a great experience for me. I am considering the architecture minor because of it, and I hope I can gain more knowledge about the subjects in the future if I decide to do that. It could be a great supplement to my Finance degree and really help me get into the area I desire.
I spoke with Klein and Hoffman first. It was sort of my ice breaker and way to get a feel for how my second conversation would go. As I found out, they were not the average architectural firm. They did not simply design buildings. In fact, they were almost purely a restoration firm. They, as they told me, "fix the mistakes that previous architects have already made." They are not a huge firm, although they do a considerable amount of work in Chicago, where they are based. They do projects ranging from the John Hancock Building to smaller apartment buildings. They fix columns, stucco, and essentially anything structural that could be wrong with a building. Both people I spoke with for K & H had graduate degrees in restoration after completing architecture in their undergraduate colleges, which makes sense.
On the other hand, Farnsworth was a much more traditional architectural firm in some senses. One reason I decided to talk to them, however, was that they had an advertisement for LEED certification on their poster board. They have a number of architects who can garnish a building with qualities to taylor your needs for LEED, although they do not do it exclusively. Scott, the gentleman I spoke with, was an Illinois alum and former student of Professor Hinders. How nice.
Overall, it was a great experience for me. I am considering the architecture minor because of it, and I hope I can gain more knowledge about the subjects in the future if I decide to do that. It could be a great supplement to my Finance degree and really help me get into the area I desire.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
The Place That I am Actually Familiar with (BIF)
We finally went to the BIF. Yes, a business major's safe haven. The Business Instructional Facility. Aside from the modern exterior and slew of business majors studying in their respective groups and business frats in the atrium, there is a lot that we got to discuss about the building itself, LEED certification, and sustainability. Professor Hinders spoke a lot about sustainability. Many aspects of the BIF have tried to accomplish the idea of proper utilization of resources, whether it be saving energy, using products from close by, or otherwise.
For one, the BIF has a concrete base. This means that sunlight that heats up the ground also heats up this huge base of concrete, and diffuses through the wooden floor in the atrium to save energy on heat. On the flip side, this makes the building very hot in the summer. To counteract this, the roof was built strategically at such a position to block out the sun during the summer months. There are also deployable shades that come down over the south facing windows to prevent too much heat.
A critique that Professor Hinders had about the building (which, according to him, is part of his job) was the solar panels on the roof of the Deloitte Auditorium. I cannot remember their specific type, but Professor Hinders told us they are not the most efficient type of panels in the world. They can only produce as much energy as their least powerful panel at any given moment, as they are set in an array together. (Being the winter months, there was a lot of snow covering them…AKA not much energy was probably being produced.) Likewise, the have "feet" that penetrate the roof of the auditorium, which raises concerns about water leakage into the roof and the auditorium. Finally, even at full capabilities, the panels cannot even provide enough power for the auditorium alone. That's a bit awkward.
The last thing I found seriously interesting was the bike showers and changing rooms. We spent quite a bit of money building shower and changing rooms for bikers, even though Huff Hall, which is full of showers and locker rooms, is right across the parking lot. Why did we spend all this money? For a point in LEED certification. Interesting use of our monetary resources if you ask me.
For one, the BIF has a concrete base. This means that sunlight that heats up the ground also heats up this huge base of concrete, and diffuses through the wooden floor in the atrium to save energy on heat. On the flip side, this makes the building very hot in the summer. To counteract this, the roof was built strategically at such a position to block out the sun during the summer months. There are also deployable shades that come down over the south facing windows to prevent too much heat.
A critique that Professor Hinders had about the building (which, according to him, is part of his job) was the solar panels on the roof of the Deloitte Auditorium. I cannot remember their specific type, but Professor Hinders told us they are not the most efficient type of panels in the world. They can only produce as much energy as their least powerful panel at any given moment, as they are set in an array together. (Being the winter months, there was a lot of snow covering them…AKA not much energy was probably being produced.) Likewise, the have "feet" that penetrate the roof of the auditorium, which raises concerns about water leakage into the roof and the auditorium. Finally, even at full capabilities, the panels cannot even provide enough power for the auditorium alone. That's a bit awkward.
The last thing I found seriously interesting was the bike showers and changing rooms. We spent quite a bit of money building shower and changing rooms for bikers, even though Huff Hall, which is full of showers and locker rooms, is right across the parking lot. Why did we spend all this money? For a point in LEED certification. Interesting use of our monetary resources if you ask me.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Erlanger House
On Thursday we took a long (and I mean long) walk over to the Erlanger House to see the architectural marvel that it is. I'm not saying it was far away but I am saying we were closer to Urbana High School that to the University once we got to the house over on Indiana. Anyway, I actually really enjoyed this trip.
The house was not terribly large, and was contracted and designed in a minimalist manner. You walk through a small doorway at the side of the house, which leads to a small entrance area. This area is mimicked on the opposite side of the first floor by the kitchen. The living space was very open and had a large window looking out to the from, but there were no windows that faced the street, giving a secluded feel to the house. The edges of the living area and the first floor in general had stones at the edges, trying to blur the line between inside and outside. The second floor (if you can call it that) was simply a loft, with a similar layout as the first floor. The bathroom (again, not really a room but merely sectioned off) was above the kitchen) and the bed was in the center of the loft.
I am not sure I liked the design of Erlanger House, but given our work with the first project I appreciate what it did and how it was built specifically for Mrs. Erlanger, a single woman. I wouldn't even mind going back sometime to see it again.
The house was not terribly large, and was contracted and designed in a minimalist manner. You walk through a small doorway at the side of the house, which leads to a small entrance area. This area is mimicked on the opposite side of the first floor by the kitchen. The living space was very open and had a large window looking out to the from, but there were no windows that faced the street, giving a secluded feel to the house. The edges of the living area and the first floor in general had stones at the edges, trying to blur the line between inside and outside. The second floor (if you can call it that) was simply a loft, with a similar layout as the first floor. The bathroom (again, not really a room but merely sectioned off) was above the kitchen) and the bed was in the center of the loft.
I am not sure I liked the design of Erlanger House, but given our work with the first project I appreciate what it did and how it was built specifically for Mrs. Erlanger, a single woman. I wouldn't even mind going back sometime to see it again.
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