I've had quite the busy holiday season. I took an elective class over the winter intersession about architectural competitions. We did some research on the history of architectural competitions before taking on a competition of our own. My group decided to take on Bee Breeder's Rome Collective Living Challenge. Rome has had years of unemployment, raises in rent, housing shortages, and now many are homeless. Similar to many urban centers, it is becoming unaffordable. Our group's mission was to design a concept for affordable co-living in Rome, to not only provide more housing, but foster community interactions among the inhabitants. 

    Our flexible design takes advantage of the unused space over the Tiber River that cuts through Rome. Large columns support what is a essentially a large bridge connecting the neighborhoods on either side of the river. The first level is completely devoted to small retail and restaurant spaces on the "street" that is created between the building's mass. The rest of the bridge is a park with several acres of walking paths, trees, and areas for children to play. The site we chose as an example has an empty lot next to the river which has been repurposed into a piazza for socializing and holding markets. 
​    On the upper floors there are standard 2, 3 and 4 bedroom units, however a large portion of the programmed space is meant to be communal spaces, such as workspaces, libraries, gyms, lounges, daycares, and even rooftop gardens. The spaces are large, adaptable to the needs of those inhabiting these buildings, and spaced throughout so there is a communal space near every person's home. The building itself is comprised of seven different "modules" that house varying amounts of people and contain different sized communal spaces. These modules make it easy to apply this solution to any location along the Tiber River based on size and existing land features.

Click here to see all the final boards for our project!

     IQC has been working with the city of Chickasha, Oklahoma for a little while on a large project to improve their downtown. At the end of October we held a Downtown Chickasha Community Workshop for town members to give some feedback on what they would like to see in their downtown. About 100 people attended the workshop and gave us some very valuable feedback. I helped run a station where people could mark their ideas on a large map of downtown Chickasha as well as ideas for the larger area of the town surrounding downtown. 
     Many of the attendees had similar opinions. There was a strong desire for more places for people to gather and hangout, such as coffee shops and bars. People also wanted spaces such as movie theaters, craft shops, and antique stores. Outdoor public areas were also quite popular, including suggestions for a dog park, a mini-golf course, and an outdoor entertainment/picnic area. Those who did not mention specific types of building or spaces expressed a need for better streets and public transit.

IQC visited Altus back in August, and since then we have compiled a booklet of our proposed changes for the city. The main ideas are:

1. ​Creating a gateway to "Missile" Park at the Katy Drive and Navajoe Street intersection and adding a mini-roundabout with street improvements.
2. Making the railroad crossing on Navajoe Street safer with landscaping and signage.
3. Prioritizing addition of sidewalks along S. Navajoe Street and Asalee Street near the elementary school.
4. Promoting wayfinding.

     The most ambitious recommendation is for the intersection at Katy Drive and Navajoe Street. The improvements here involved many of the basic walkability safety features for all the roads we toured. The town should create 6 foot wide sidewalks around the entire area and turn the intersection at Katy Drive and Navajoe Street into a mini-roundabout. The existing intersection is about 48 feet across, which allows room for a mini-roundabout without having to pour new asphalt or alter the street beyond painting it. There is space for a 15 foot street around an 18 foot diameter center island. Curb extensions painted on the corners and crosswalks added on all sides improve crossing safety. All of these sidewalks should include street lighting and amenities such as benches and trash bins.

    Our plans to improve the railroad crossing involve many of the tactics to improve overall walkability safety. Currently the crossing has no sidewalks, no railroad crossing arm or signage, and the road is very curved with a high speed limit for the area.

This past Thursday IQC visited Altus, Oklahoma, a town of about 19,000 people and hour west of Lawton. We did a walkthrough circle of the roads from the Parks and Recreation Department by Missile Park, past Altus Primary School, down Inis Street, west along E. County Road 165, and back up Navajoe Street to the Parks and Rec building.  Afterwards we had a meeting to discuss our findings.

     Right off the bat we noticed a couple of consistent issues. There was a severe lack of sidewalks down the major North/South road Navajoe Street. Asalee Street, the road that leads from Navajoe to the elementary school, also had a lack of sidewalks, or poorly maintained sidewalks. We recommend that the city prioritize the addition and maintenance of sidewalks along these primary walking routes for children to safely walk to school, and citizens to be able to walk to the downtown area. We noticed that at the railroad tracks there was a lack of crossing arm or signage, which seems unsafe. Another safety issue was that there were no streetlights. This poses a hazard for people walking at dawn or dusk, especially in the winter months where the sun sets early. The last safety problem we noticed was a few of the intersections along Navajoe Street lacked stop signs or other signage, and the speed limit along the street seemed a little high for a residential street. Lowering this limit and altering intersections with stop signs would improve vehicular safety.
     Other non-safety related observations were that Missile Park seems like an under-appreciated asset to the town. Altus had recently opened a splash pad near the park that is free for people to use. Placing better signage at the surrounding roads and wayfinding signs would increase usage of this park and promote walking in the area south of the railroad tracks. I look forward to working with IQC on our formal proposal for the City of Altus.

Over this summer, IQC did a walkability project in Wynnewood, OK. While I did not personally attend. However, I was able to work on part of the report using digital resources and photographs that my colleagues took. One of the key concerns in Wynnewood was an unofficial passageway that existed between the high school and the middle school. There was no safe way for students to cross the street so they would run across in breaks in traffic and walk through this alley where the grass has been trampled and now it is just dirt. This passage also bothered the residents of the four houses on either side of it because they felt that kids were walking through or too close to their property. 

IQC proposed making this alley into an official path. A crosswalk and curb extensions would be added for the kids to cross safely. The path would be "paved" with ADA gravel, decomposed granite, or concrete. Some pillars and a sign would create a sense of place and purpose to this new walkway. 

Our other focus was the downtown area. It was anchored by a library, a restaurant, a restored retail shop, and most importantly, the historic Eskridge Hotel. The road around this area was paved with original brick that wasn't in great condition and where there were sidewalks, they were in need of repair. IQC recommended revitalizing the sidewalks and road on Robert S. Kerr Boulevard and adding sidewalks in key pedestrian areas to create walkable paths connecting downtown to the public schools. The addition of historic marker signs, such as the one by the hotel shown below, would add interest and valuable information to the town. Additional signage around town will be used to create a walking path that includes a greenbelt nearby to promote healthy activities.

I did some research into two options to help this ventilation issue. The first option is installing mini-split A/C systems. These have some similarities to traditional A/C systems. There is an outdoor compressor/condenser and an indoor air handling unit that are connected by a conduit line. Whereas traditional A/C systems have bulky ducts and require a lot of installation, mini-splits are ductless, requiring only a 3-inch hole to link conduit to the outside portion. It is a flexible zoning system so one small unit could be used per room, or the building owner could opt for only one room to be cooled. Mini-splits are inconspicuous on both the inside and the outside of the building. The outdoor unit could be on the roof or hidden behind some landscaping.
​The downside is the cost. Mini-splits are rather expensive, costing approximately $1500 to $2000 per ton of cooling capacity. According to my rough estimate, the Haynes Building would need about 4 tons of cooling for the whole building.  This would be a could option for flexible control of the air temperature and humidity in the building. Of course, my input is merely a suggestion; a professional would need to "hash" out the details.

A second, more affordable option, is a rooftop fan. There is no condenser or air handling unit, so there is no actual temperature or humidity control. It is not visible from the outside street level though, requiring only a hole in the ceiling to get the vent to the inside. It is much cheaper than any traditional A/C system, and would somewhat manage the moisture and smell problem in the back of the building. Once again, a professional would need to determine the appropriate course of action. 

Yesterday, the IQC team traveled to the town of Enid, Oklahoma. Enid has a population of around 50,000 people. This is surprising for a town with such a small Main Street area, but it serves as a hub for many surrounding smaller towns to come shop and entertain. IQC helped with a Main Street Enid project. The street was transformed for a day into a safer street in order to get feedback from the community and demonstrate that these changes can be done. 

Before the actual event, I was tasked with helping make some boards that would display facts and have interactive elements to place along the sidewalks. This involved a lot of time CNC milling, spray paint, and splinters. We cut out plywood boards and stands. I laser cut stencils with headings and information on them. We used those stencils to spray paint the boards. It was a long afternoon, but surprisingly fun, and I think the end result turned out pretty well. 

The day of the event, colorfully painted pallets were laid out down the length of Randolph Street to reduce the traffic to one lane in each direction. This is intended to slow traffic down, as there are frequent accidents involving pedestrians in downtown areas like this. Curb extensions were painted at the corners on either end of the street also to slow down turning traffic. A piano-painted mid-block crosswalk was rolled out to allow pedestrians an easier time crossing. Additionally, our signs were placed along the sidewalks to spark interest in pedestrians. One of the signs had maps of the area and a scale for people to see how long it would take them to walk between locations. Another map was painted with chalkboard paint and had chalk for people to write down how many steps they have taken today--the intent being to encourage friendly competition and more walking. A pop-up shop was opened in a vacant store with a variety of local homemade crafts, canned foods, and clothing. 

After our visit to Comanche, Oklahoma, back in April, the IQC team got to work designing a new community center concept for the town. These are the graphics depicting our final design. 
The site of the previous Woodrow Wilson building is on a huge empty lot of which the city of Comanche has obtained a majority. We developed a site plan for the entire lot for the future development of Comanche's main civic center. In addition to the community center, Comanche would like to build a new city hall, a police station, and a fire station. The potential fire station, which would have 8 to 10 bays, is located at the corner of two streets, right next to a major highway to quickly respond to many areas within the county. The city hall is located overlooking the highway. There is a steep drop off right before the highway, so the city hall would have an excellent view looking east. The community center is located to the west on the remains of the Woodrow Wilson building. A roundabout to the north would connect the community center and city hall, providing some additional parking and a drop-off area. In between all of the buildings is a park. There is a linear path that creates a physical and visual connection between the two main buildings. Although not included on the plan, there is space for a police station to be constructed next to the city hall.
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The community center will have several areas. The plan shows green areas that are landscaped or are courtyards. There are different materials to denote different spaces, for example the café space to the right is separated from the library area by a material threshold. As one moves through the building towards the back (the south side) the spaces are meant to promote quieter activities. The front with the museum and café would be the loudest. The main spaces in the program are a lobby that includes museum displays, a café, a library, a conference room, some small collaborative spaces, a computer lab, a creative-making workspace, and a study room. 

A landscaped roundabout to your left, a mural depicting the history of Comanche on the brick wall to your right (1). You walk down the sidewalk towards the northeast corner of the new community center. It is a Sunday, so the concrete plaza beside the building has a few vendors with tents set up—farmers selling some of the freshest produce around, and a couple of women selling homemade crafts and jams. The brick walls evoke a sense of the traditional materials, while tall glass windows with aluminum frames add a modern touch. You continue along the east side of the building. Uniquely shaped triangular blocks made of concrete are stacked high. The holes in the center of each block form a semi-permeable wall. You can see through them, but only partially.

An opening in the wall is the main entrance into the building (2). It forms an axis through the beautifully landscaped park to the entrance of the city hall. You turn right and stroll through a fairly spacious courtyard. Rows of trees create an excellent shaded space for people to enjoy the fresh air while still feeling secure. Then you open the double doors and are greeted by a grand atrium. It is two stories high and lined with windows, letting in ample amounts of natural light into the café below (3). The café, while not huge, is enough space for someone to grab a cup of coffee and enjoy some company in the comfortable seating.

You walk through the café to an alternate entrance. Most people who park at the roundabout would use this entrance. Immediately, an information desk is at the front to answer any questions. Near the entrance is a small lounge space for guests (4). You move beyond the small lounge area and meander through a series of display cases that showcase old photographs and objects from Comanche’s history (5). This mini-museum is very flexible and the displays can be changed or updated as the city pleases.

You proceed past the museum into a wide corridor. The right side of the corridor has an additional entrance that is surrounded by beautiful plants and a small pond beside it. To the left side of the corridor are three collaboration spaces (6). They are fairly open to the surrounding space, with only 8 foot tall glass panels separating them from the corridor, and solid walls on the opposite side separating them from the café. You go inside one of them and feel a sense of privacy while still being connected to the rest of the building. With a table and a few chairs, they encourage small groups of students to work and study together.

Walking farther down the corridor, you look to your right. A glass enclosed conference room provides the same sense of semi-privacy as the collaborative spaces (7). A slightly larger table and a projector allow presentations or meetings to be held there. Ahead, you see a courtyard within the building, filled with native flora and providing a pocket of nature for people to enjoy (8). Two spaces are adjacent with a view of the courtyard, each of which are separated by a frosted glass barrier. There is a computer lab, with several computers available for the community to do research or stay in touch with their loved ones (9). Additionally, there is a creating-making space, filled with desks and an opportunity to work on creative projects such as drawing, making posters, or any other hobby that requires a bit of extra table space (10).
 
Across from the courtyard opens up to the library (11). You are now in the quieter portion of the building. You move towards a section of the space that contains several chest height rows of books. Some of them are historical volumes, pertaining to history of Comanche and Oklahoma. Others are modern fiction and nonfiction for the community to enjoy. The space is still open to the rest of the building and everything feels connected and modern. To your right on the south side of the building is an enclosed study area (12). Inside, the south-facing windows allow a lot of natural sunlight. It still has frosted glass panels somewhat separating it from the rest of the building, while allowing students a quiet and isolated place to study. Exiting the study room brings you full circle to the café again, back to the more lively part of the building meant for socializing. Overall, it is an extremely accessible building meant to have an open floor plan and promote a united community.
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Overall I learned quite a bit about time management, accuracy in the real world, and a familiarity with how to produce final drawings. It is more than just drawing lines in a computer. You need to make sure that everything lines up between the views. You need to have precise dimensions for repetitive components, otherwise​ being 1/4" off adds up to half a foot after the element has been copied a bunch. You need to alter the line weights based on the scale of the final product to ensure readability and provide a hierarchy. You need to have a complete spatial understanding of the building to accurately draw the interior, otherwise the spaces might not relate to each other correctly. I also realized the importance of taking plenty of pictures to document the real life project, as inevitably you will forget to measure a detail and need to reference it later (or have an incredibly organic portion that is impossible to measure that you will need to trace). But most of all you need patience, because it can get very dull staring at a computer and drawing for hours on end with no break. I do not regret taking part in this project, but it will be nice to go back to a more design oriented task now to get back to creativity and problem solving.