Seminar Research 09/28/07

I have been spending some time devoted to deciding on the square footage necessary for my hotel/restaurant/bar design for my Senior Capstone project. One of the hotels that I focused on was The Delano in Miami, Florida. It gives some typical arrangements for sizes of different areas within the hotel and different room types, such as the penthouse, apartment, and bungalow spaces. The link to the website is listed below.
http://www.delano-hotel.com/delano_hotel_meetings_plans.html#aptlink

Based on my intended uses of the hotel space, I am probably going to be interested in some of the buildings with larger square footage. The buildings that I am interested in as of now is The Hotel King, a portion of the Commerce Building, or the Kress building and its individual components. I am going to take images of the buildings and look at their relation to downtown this weekend and post images to this blog once I have done so.

One feature that I may have an interesting time in creating would be the pool area, because our location is downtown. There may be a way to get a view of the river, but I would rather preserve that view for an outdoor terrace. The Kress Building

The Fuqua Building is located near the Commerce Building on Third and Laurel.

The next building is called the Lyceum Building.

These images are of the Hotel King, located across from the Hilton Hotel. The site is being proposed as a boutique hotel.

Baton Rouge General Site Visit

Notes from Classmates on Baton Rouge General Site Visit

Mohawk Carpet = Stain Resistant
No straight lines
Besam = Glass Doors Break Away
Artworks Modular Services Company
Bringing Nature within the space
Fountains
Plants
Open Atrium – original to hospital
Neutral Materials
Emphasis on Daylighting
Designed as Outpatient Facility
Do not use spatter paint or faux finishes
Painted Finish – More serviceable
Stay away from reds and greens\
Focus on colors that make people feel good, such as gold earthy tones
Corian for Countertops
Lighting – Be careful with color of light
9’ Ceiling Heights
13-19 watt fluorescent
Carpet – Use only in corridors – not in high traffic areas such as elevators
Perma Grain
Wood Veneers (Mahogany and Cherry wood floors in patient rooms)
Balance between maintenance and atmosphere
Wood for base: can be patched
Core fabric – Concrete epoxy mix
Med N Tech Floor – Seamless floor with incorporated base
Waiting Room Seating is wood and vinyl.
Polished VCT in Clinic Corridors and Sheet Vinyl
Ceramic Tile in Bathrooms/Restrooms
The Pharmacy is located near the ER
Lab does not have to be near patient rooms

OBGYN Space for Healthcare Project

In the development of my program for the healthcare project, I visited the Student Health Center on campus. I visited the Women's Clinic because I chose to do an Obstetrics and Gynecology office. Some of the spaces that are required for the space are: waiting room, consultation room, private offices for the doctor, patient rooms, nursing station, procedure room, independent lab, and a reception for check-in and check-out processes.

At the LSU Student Health Center, there are 4 patient rooms and 1 procedure room. There is an interest in a nurse's station or concentrated area for the nurses as opposed to office like spaces that are confined within a room. For every 2 patient rooms, there is a nurse assigned. There are currently 2 doctors housed in this area of the clinic.

An important emphasis was placed on keeping the doctor's office separate from a consultation area, so that the doctor has his or her own space. Another important factor is sterilization and storage for the space. There is a storage closet located across the hall from the patient rooms ass well as a sterilization room. The sterilization room is mainly used by the nurse's assistants, and it is about the same size as the storage cabinet. I think that this space would benefit better inside of a lab space. However, the LSU Women's Clinic does not have its own independent lab facility.

Welch Allyn is the name of a company that manufactures products for Women's Health as well as other physician office types. Another useful company for charting and medical records is a company called Kardex, which manufacturers movable shelving as well as carousel filing. The Carousel file option, called the Lektriever Series 2000, is being used in the main reception area at the LSU Student Health Center for the filing of patients' records.

Senior Capstone Project -- Building Options

The Lyseum
2 floors = 15,000 sq.ft. per floor

Hotel King
200 Lafayette Street
Runs parallel to Third Street
Corner of Lafayette and Convention
7 floors and roof area is accessible
1st floor = 8,000 square feet
2nd-7th floor = 6,500 sq. ft.
Total: 46,500 square feet

232 Third Street
One that will house Chenevert Architects
Each floor is 4,300 sq.ft.
3 + stories
Total is about 15,000 sq.ft.

The Fuqua Building
Third and Laurel near the Wine Loft
3 stories with existing penthouse
Right now is an office
Each floor is about 6,000 sq. ft.
Total: 19,000 sq. ft. overall

The Commerce Building
333 Laurel
8 stories
1st and 2nd == 24,000 – 25,000 sq. ft.
3rd – 8th = 17,000 sq. ft.
Total = 180,000 sq. ft.

Third and Main
The one right on the corner is the Welsch Levey Building
3 stories
Each floor is about 4,700 sq. ft.
Total = 14,250 sq. ft.
Cannot do anything on the roof because it is pitched

The Knox Building
2 stories
Each floor is about 2,000 sq. ft.
Toal = 4,000 sq. ft.

The Kress Building
Basically faces two streets with an entrance on Third and an entrance on Main
Third Street part is 2 stories
14,500 sq. ft. for each floor for the part that faces Third Street
The other space is 4 to 5 stories on the smaller side space. It was used for state offices. Each floor is about 6,000 sq. ft. Total = 30,000 sq. ft.
The entire Kress Building is about 41,000 sq. ft.

DENTAL EQUIPMENT COMPANIES

Some websites with dental equipment (Seating, Lights, Cabinets, Monitor Mounts, etc.)
http://www.a-dec.com/domestic.asp
http://www.pelton.net/
http://www.midmark.com/
www.sirona.com/

Downtown Baton Rouge

Today, in class, there was a lecture on the downtown development here in Baton Rouge. There were are few concepts that seemed aesthetically compelling and show great potential for the city's downtown. The guest speaker's name is Davis Rhorer, and he is the Executive Director of Downtown Development District.

Mr. Rhorer began by defining the two downtown districts of Spanish and Beauregard Towns. Most of the developments are moving towards residential and mixed use facilities. The mixed use facilities are organized with residential spaces on the top floor, followed by commercial use spaces, and then retail on the ground floor. The goal in the development of downtown is to revitalize the area as well as promote the features that compliment the city, such as a convention center.

There was also discussion about the Facade Growth Program, which gives a new approach to streetscape with the intended user (pedestrian) in mind. For example, buildings are extending their awnings to include shelter from the rain and additional seating along the streets. Events are also being held to draw the community into the downtown area. Events, such as the Live at Five Concert Series, are held 8 times in the fall and 8 times in the spring. The idea is that after the three hour concert series, people will flood the streets and indulge in dining out.
Another innovative idea that is going to hopefully hit downtown Baton Rouge as soon as next year is a terrace that is extended into the river area. There will be 5 decks eventually, with a capacity of 3,00o people per deck.

Among other plans are increased residential spaces to attract the youth into the downtown district, as well as creating a town square. This town square is to incorporate a new Courthouse and the development of a City Hall as well. Currently, there are 2,500 residents in the downtown area, and the hope is to increase that to around 4,000 people.

"Quest for Community"

" A number of recent American writings indicate that nostalgia for the small town need not be construed as directed toward the town itself: it is rather a "quest for community" (as Robert Nisbet puts it) -- a nostalgia for a compassable and integral living unit"

--Max Lerner, America as a Civilization, 1957--

In our "quest for community", we must first understand the context of the American society and the developments of suburban life. Through these developments, we are able to create a third realm, known as the "Great Good Place". One of the main developments in the suburban life was the automobile, which was created shortly after World War II. The type of environment gave a sense of safety and order. However, the missing element was community, which is needed to give individuals a sense of place and belonging. Although the intention of the typical suburban home was to offer rural and urban life, it separated the individual's world.

When one looks at the American society compared to another society, several realizations can be made. For example, in Los Angeles, people are less likely to leave their homes because of the distance they must travel to reach a destination. Then, look at Vienna, traveling outside of the home is not prearranged and more convenient. The convenience comes because of the proximity of places in relation to the residential areas. The example of Los Angeles and Vienna shows that more community interaction is needed in order to reduce the effects of the evolving suburban development.

As the suburban developments continue evolving, there is less life outside the house than before in addition to a substitution of views from ideal home to ideal city. People are being taught to place personal preferences above the public good. Tract housing, which promotes community life, can also be disappointing because it requires great efforts by a single individual and depends on good relationships within households.

According to Sennet's observations, Americans lack the third realm of satisfaction and social cohesion. We are focused more on two realms: home and work. These two activities develop a pattern to life, making individuals want to retreat back to their homes in the evening away from everyone else. I see this as a true design problem that we as interior designers, architects, urban planners, and other design professions should seek to address. Because this community is inefficient, relationships are suffering because of this lifestyle. According to Oldenburg, this suffering with relationships has caused America to lead the world in the rate of divorce. So one may ask ,how do we create that third realm?

Some elements that are important in creating the third realm are setting standards for the informal public life. The people of the community should focus on the future as opposed to the past. Public spaces should be the grounds for presence of all people, which includes all races, ethnicities, ages, economic influences, etc. Streets should be focused on both pedestrian and vehicular use. In order for daily life to be fulfilling and relaxing, three realms must be present. The first realm is domestic, the second realm is gainful or productive, and the third realm is sociable.

Core settings are then developed to keep the peoples' needs in consideration at all times. These settings must be referenced in respect to their nature and benefits for their continual success. These core settings are what establish the third realm in communities. The three realms are interdependent on one another. As Oldenburg says,
"We need a home even though we may not work, and most of us need to work more than we need to gather with our friends and neighbors" (17). In conclusion, I see this third realm as the author envisions it as the "Great Good Place".

Downtown Adventure

This is a sketch that I took of Chase Bank. I thought that the curved balconies were a unique feature of the architecture. It also provides a ledge for the walkers beneath allowing shelter from direct sunlight or rain. The openings on the bottom level are for vehicular and pedestrian use.

This image is of the facade of 333 Laurel, which is the site for our upcoming healthcare project. The building is surrounded by several other businesses, i.e. Capital One, China House, an art and photography studio, the Wine Loft, and parking lots. There is a parking lot directly across from the building as well as adjacent to the building. These parking lots are something that may need to be addressed if we are to propose a hospital or healthcare facility in the area.

The image shown to the right is of a glass window where the tint seems to be bubbling in some areas. I though it had a resemblance to rain drops so this is why I decided to post this image. Also I thought the reflection added to the pictures content.

The next photograph is of the interior of the Commerce Building. There are two columns that are a predominant feature of the elevator waiting area. The columns and the walls are covered in a black and white tile or stone of some type. The entrance wall and doors are completely made of glass with mullions.
I chose to take a photograph of the parking meter because it a typical feature of a lot of downtown areas, locally at least.

This is small seating area on the corner of Main Street and North Fourth Street. As you can see, this area is scarcely inhabited by people. The trees are also newly planted and do not provide a lot of shade, which is probably part of the reasoning. You can see the Commerce Building in the background. The trees do a good job screening out the parking lot though.


This is an image of a house on top of another set of buildings. It is painted brightly, which helps draw it out from its surroundings. The pitch on the roof is another feature that makes it predominant because typically the roofs on buildings downtown are flat on commercial buildings.

This is an image of the river from Third Street. Hopefully, some of the rooms on the second floor will be capable of taking more advantage of this view. I also think that having nice views, particularly of water, are therapeutic and healing to the person that is using the healthcare space.

This picture shows the structural grid within an abandoned space. I thought that the linear grid was similar to that of the city streets in the downtown area. I see this grid also as a representation of the industrial nature and business-like atmosphere of the area's downtown.

This was a building located behind the commerce building. The reflectance of colors from the facades is incredible and makes the building a dominant feature within the cluster of buildings downtown. I also found the mixture of building types or architectural features very interesting. The reflectance of this building in comparison to the brick facades or painted home are incredible, and all of these colors add to the visual liveliness of the city.

This sticker shows the communities efforts to keep the community clean. They are randomly scattered on trash cans throughout the downtown area. The phrase on the sticker says C'mon Baton Rouge Pick up the Stick. I think that this slogan says something about peoples' respect and admiration for the streets in downtown.

This is the final image that I selected for this blog entry, and I also did a pencil rubbing on the texture of the wall. Although, it does not seem drastic on paper, the actual material had lots of undulations and texture to the surface.

"Outside Lies Magic" Thoughts and Summary

“Outside Lies Magic”

The overall theme of the excerpt emphasized a strong focus on the power of observation. The excerpt begins by explaining the course objectives of the author’s course syllabus. The author makes it necessary as part of her course to get out and look around, which allows students to make connections. The class is given a list of readings, subject matter, and sequence of topics, but the instructor does not give a designated schedule. The reasoning for not having a schedule is to allow the students to explore discussions and topics thoroughly. This is more of a subjective approach according to the individuals that compose the class. For example, if they are talking of a subject that sparks interest for students, they can stay on the topic for a longer period of time. To me this setup seems to be more personal and makes a class have a relaxed atmosphere. The author views this process as a technique that creates surprise and delight in addition to making the class seem less ordinary. I agree that in a somewhat monotonous day of lecture after lecture, it is nice to have a break and focus on a new learning technique, such as observation.

By using observation, we are able to connect individual elements and understand broader concepts. The author uses the word palimpsest to describe the built environment, where there is a layering process. The author uses the example of liberal arts as being an exploration in a literal sense as well as that it makes an individual more open minded. I think that being open minded is a skill that is necessary in the interior design major, particularly in communication with a client. Sometimes the observation of outdoors can awaken dormant skills and points of view.

Exploring can also be seen as a way of sharpening the senses. Of course, the most recognizable sense affected is sight. The author uses an example of placing one’s hands over the eyes while viewing the shadows created by trees on a sidewalk. These shadows prove that the colors are more saturated and that they are not caused by dispersed light. In conclusion, the author strives to motivate people to heighten their awareness by observation and in return thinking of those observations. His final note is that creativity originates from going outdoors.

Hospitality Project 09/10/07

Today, in class, our group continued to consolidate the information that we have been continually researching. We are going to meet on Wednesday before our trip downtown and consolidate our PowerPoint into one large presentations and work out the details of the organization for the outline. In class, I finished typing my information into the outline format designated on the project sheet.



After talking to Matt during class and re-grouping about the organization of the PowerPoint, we decided to format the PowerPoint according to different experiences offered by the hotel industry. There are technologically savy hotels, hotels accomplishing new goals like the freestanding restaurant at the Broadmoor Hotel, as well as experiences that invoke relaxation. I have re-formatted the information that I obtained into this format to make a more cohesive presentation.

Hospitality Project 09/07/07

Last night, I found another article pertaining to the hospitality industry in Interior and Sources Magazine. The article featured a hotel in Colorado and the restaurant called Summit Restaurant. The space also has a wine cellar that has a rotating wall unit containing 2,000 bottles of wine. The restaurant is known as the first free-standing space.

Today, in class, I used my time to share with my group the new research that I had found about a free-standing hotel. I added this into our Power Point presentation, and began to type up the outline that is also due with the project next Friday.

Hospitality Project 09/05/07

Today in class, I went to Middleton Library with my group members to continue researching the hospitality industry. We found several sources today, including a magazine called Metropolis Magazine. Matt recommended the Metropolis Magazine because he had previously discovered an article geared towards the hotel industry. We also searched in the Architectural Digest and Interior Design Magazines.
For Friday's class, I plan to finish synthesizing the materials I gathered into PowerPoint. I am also going to add the information that Jill and Ashley are summarizing into the PowerPoint presentation sometime towards the end of the week.

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MYSELF

My name is Lisa Trapani, and I am a senior in Interior Design at Louisiana State University. I began as an engineering student, and after a year decided that I was interested in changing my major to Interior Design. After graduation, I am considering becoming a grad student and studying architecture. This blog was created to document the development of my senior project. The topic I chose was hospitality, restaurant, and bar. If you would like to see more of my work, please check out my website at http://my.lsu.edu/Ltrapa1.