Yesterday Ben Shirtcliff, an assistant professor in Landscape Architecture at Iowa State University, reviewed my team and I. This was the first time that someone outside of our studio saw our project making it a great opportunity to not only show someone what we have been working on but to also see what needs to be said to get an outsider caught up on the project as well as what critical graphical information we are currently missing.
Having a review at this point in the semester was perfect timing. By continuing what was started in the 48-hour charrette, we refined the design in two weeks to create what we presented on Friday. This gave us enough time to work through details but not too much time where we feel like we are not able to change and tweak certain aspects of the design after this review. This also gives us time before spring break to evaluate our work and figure out our next step in the design process.
Leading up to the review, our group has worked incredibly well together. Every class period, each team member has brought new ideas and drawings helping to move our design forward. This helped us to produce a well-rounded design for Friday. Working with students in the Masters of Architecture class has been fantastic to see how they think about buildings and outdoor spaces surrounding the buildings. They have also helped me learn how to draw buildings in section, which helped to make my proposed section for the presentation seem more credible for a proposal. At this point, there are areas that need to start to overlap, but we are starting to incorporate everyone’s design into the specific area each person is designing and will continue with this mindset going forward.
The review we got Friday let us know that overall our design was heading in the right direction. All but one of the programs we are proposing are good fits for the site. By proposing mixed use buildings with retail, restaurants, housing and additional amenities, we are helping to bring locals or people who have recently moved here have a piece of Las Vegas that is theirs while also helping Veterans have a place that they feel like is theirs.
Ben gave specific feedback after each person presented what they had worked on. Some of the comments gave are as follows:
· Maps need to be larger so people can understand where our site is and how it connects to the Strip and Downtown Las Vegas
· Focus this area on being developed for the locals instead of tourists
· Think about different configurations for the container houses
· Be careful about how we talk about Veterans and shipping containers, it could offend people if we are not careful
· If we have precedents, show them
· Consider if segregating whole buildings by rented vs. owned is what we are wanting to do
· The transparency of the ground floor of the mixed-use buildings look like a pleasing space to be in
· If retail stores are run by Veterans, make sure they are feeling like they are still serving and aren’t being “helped”
· The south corridor and the northern plaza need to talk to one another
· Consider blocking 4th Street from Las Vegas Boulevard to Colorado, make 3rd Street a two way street and extend the pedestrian corridor from the East side of 3rd Street to the building façade lining the existing 4th Street
· Maps need to be larger so people can understand where our site is and how it connects to the Strip and Downtown Las Vegas
· Focus this area on being developed for the locals instead of tourists
· Think about different configurations for the container houses
· Be careful about how we talk about Veterans and shipping containers, it could offend people if we are not careful
· If we have precedents, show them
· Consider if segregating whole buildings by rented vs. owned is what we are wanting to do
· The transparency of the ground floor of the mixed-use buildings look like a pleasing space to be in
· If retail stores are run by Veterans, make sure they are feeling like they are still serving and aren’t being “helped”
· The south corridor and the northern plaza need to talk to one another
· Consider blocking 4th Street from Las Vegas Boulevard to Colorado, make 3rd Street a two way street and extend the pedestrian corridor from the East side of 3rd Street to the building façade lining the existing 4th Street
Each comment has merit and will be considered going forward. Some of the comments made can be fixed as easily as printing off precedent images or by rescaling drawings. Others will need to be thought through to see if it is what the site needs or calls for. For the South Corridor part in particular, we will need to evaluate what the effects would be if we were to close off part of 4th Street. Would that make the intersection better or worse? Would the pedestrian or car benefit from that shift? What other programs could be integrated into the pedestrian corridor if the space became wider? On Monday, Luis Rico- Gutierrez will review us and it will be interesting to see if he will have similar comments or if he will have new insights that will be brought to our attention.
Moving forward, I am excited to see what the team thinks should be changed based on review comments. I am also excited to start incorporating everyone’s designing into each area of the site to create a complete and cohesive final design. These last few months are going to fly by but I believe that our final design will be a great final project to add to my portfolio based on the comments we have received to this point.