I’ve been meaning to post some architectural design work on here for a while now, so this is at least a start.  Now in my fifth and final year of architecture school I’m currently working on my “thesis” project — “thesis” is in quotations because it is a little different from what it is in other professions.  It is basically an idea/understanding that arises through our investigations on a particular architectural subject matter.  Mine, so far, is about the intentional manipulation of light and perception through boundary (more on that some other time).

The medium of investigation is the design of a building in downtown Montgomery, a once thriving city devastated, like so many, by the advent of the car.  With the car came glorified suburbia, and out went people.  As pedestrians disappeared so did storefronts… empty buildings were torn down for parking lots/garages, and streets were widened to speed traffic.  This left the urban fabric in shambles and pretty unsuitable for pedestrian use.

You can see in this figure ground map of downtown how sparse the street frontage is– pretty much all the blank space (other than the streets of course) is parking.  I color coded the heights of buildings to show the lack of density: the lightest shade represents 1 and 2 story buildings while darker is taller.  Thankfully, now that people are beginning to realize these flaws and the beauty of good urbanism, the city is working hard to revitalize through proper planning.

 In small groups we researched the city and their overarching planning proposals to make our own proposals to revitalize specific portions of the urban fabric.  Out of these proposals came our individual building projects that we are working on for the rest of the year.

Mine (represented by the small orange dot on the map) is basically an observation tower that serves as a terminus for a major street and the backdrop of a new public park/plaza a classmate and I are designing across from the baseball stadium.  Above are  just a couple little images from earlier this semester.

Happy Thanksgiving! There’s so much to be thankful for — including the Valley’s light rail system! This week’s station is also the first of a series of my favorite stations … because they’re downtown … and I love downtown!

Station Beacons by Cliff Garten
What landmarks guide you through the city? We often navigate through visual appearance rather than by naming and reading. These station beacons mark the point of arrival and departure for travelers. During the day they shine in the sunlight while at night they are artificially lit from within. Their scale calls attention to the station amidst the bustle of downtown Phoenix.

Why light rail art on Thursdays? Click here.

Before the Peaches show, I grabbed dinner and drinks with friends at Rock Bottom Brewery on Wells and Plankinton. Two of my friends, who had tickets to the Widespread Panic show later that evening, were excited to see that the beer special for the night was “Love Tractor” IPA (named for a song by Panic). Rock Bottom, with over 35 restaurants nationally, takes pride in its beer and it’s rare that you will find any two locations with the same brew menu; they tailor the beers they make and their names to the region the restaurant is located in.

The brewery is big, with brew kettles in the center of the restaurant, surrounded by glass, so patrons can peer in and see where the magic happens. The ceilings are high and décor simple, with lots of wood and an open floor plan. The Grateful Dead, Zeppelin and Phish played over the speakers; I’m not sure if they normally play this type of music or if it was just for the Widespread show, but we sure enjoyed it! I ordered a bourbon veggie burger and a side salad. The burger was topped fried onions and a sweet and tangy bourbon sauce.The salad was huge and had one of my favorite additions, dried cranberries.

Megan likes fish. I really wish I liked fish...

My friend Megan ordered the smoked salmon fish and chips.It was recommended by he waiter and while I’m not a fan of fish, Megan said it was a really tasty twist on a classic. My other friend Devin ordered the chimichurri turkey burger and a Caesar salad. The burger was way bigger than the bun (which is always a good thing) and was topped with a heap of fresh pico…mmmm…. tasty.

Turkey Burger; Thanksgiving birds wish they could be this cool.

We would have hung out longer in our high sided, intimate booth but we had to make sure we got to our respective music venues on time. While I am generally anti-chain, I was pleasantly surprised by Rock Bottom; I am definitely going to have to go back sometime when the weather’s a little warmer and I can enjoy the outdoor seating they have right on the river.

This is my friend Devin. She likes salad and I heart her!

It was an overcast day — perfect for photography. Hope you like the colors of downtown. (Taken last week thereabouts.)

Despite the rain (what is it with the rain this year?!?), City Lights had another great year full of surprises as we inaugurated Main Street Garden.  Though record-breaking crowds were expected prior to the dismal forecast, a respectable number still turned out – thanks to you dedicated downtown folks (and those 75205-ers who will endure rain, sleet or snow for a Neiman Marcus event)!  

To get you in the holiday spirit this Thanksgiving eve, enjoy the City Lights footage below.  The time lapse of Main Street Garden and event recount are courtesy of our buds at Corgan Media Lab, and the photos are from Joshua Martin.  If you went to the event and have video/photos, you can upload them next week to yourdspot.com!

Turns out, umbrellas only add to the festivity!

Santa!

Fireworks from atop Neiman Marcus

Stilt walkers ready to lead the promenade to Main Street Garden

Santa reappears at Main Street Garden

LIGHTING the new DOWNTOWNDALLAS tree!

Magnificent!

Legendary Neiman Marcus Windows

Also – one more shout out to Excitement Techonologies…making our holiday dreams come true!

Gobble Gobble-
Kristy & Kourtny

not entirely sure what this is supposed to say. found this one on the footbridge downtown.

In the heart of downtown, lies Vintage 965, a trendy and exciting store specializing in vintage clothing, handbags, and jewelry as well as hand-made local goods. Vintage 965 is the perfect place to find gifts for bridesmaids, baby showers, and custom gift baskets for businesses! Visit vintage965.com for more.

I have to admitt, i immediately went hard while looking at this glitterious Soho crash pad, who said that Porn was necessary to get aroused ?Obviously, I only need a 6000 SF duplex Penthouse condo loft. It has been newly redesigned and renovated with no expense spared to create the most luxurious and important property in Soho and in all of downtown Manhattan.But the price just pissed me off : 14,995,000 $ ! Jesus Heaven Christ, for that amount you can have a mad crazy place in Central Park + another mad crazy home in the Hamptons or Miami…

]]> http://msuespotlight.com/2009/11/25/enjoy-some-down-time-this-weekend/ Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:22:05 +0000 msuespotlight http://msuespotlight.com/2009/11/25/enjoy-some-down-time-this-weekend/ http://livingelpaso.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/1st-avenue-lofts-downtown-update/ Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:45:31 +0000 livingelpaso http://livingelpaso.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/1st-avenue-lofts-downtown-update/

I got a chance to visit the Karam Brothers downtown loft development on Florence St.  They are really starting to look good!

My name is David and I am living El Paso.

Last night’s ROOT cocktail making contest was a “spiritful” night out downtown. The local bartenders (from Bossa Nova, SOBA, Firehouse Lounge, Embery, Yo Rita and more) shook, stirred and poured the night away at Bossa Nova making some fanciful cocktail creations. The drinks included glassware from tall to small, and varied ingredients from ginger root to nutmeg to chocolate syrup. The judges, which included Rick Sebak of WQED TV, Liz Fetchin of Pittsburgh Magazine and Craig Mrusek of Dr. Bamboo, really seemed to enjoy all the drinks throughout the evening.

We sampled the different ROOT cocktails that were on the bar’s drink menu for the evening. All in all, ROOT makes a great mixer with a wide range of ingredients. While the Hard Candy cocktail (mixed with buttershots and soda) was too sweet for our tastes, The Root Squared (mixed with root beer) was delightfully refreshing. I can’t remember the name of my other drink unfortunately, but it was mixed with Myers rum and lemonade…Awesome! Depending on your mixers, the liqueur is great for summertime sipping or warming up a winter’s night. We can’t wait to get a bottle and experiment at home. And of course, what’s not to like about all the free food last night too. From quesadillas to sushi to some sort of crab ball things…excellent. Thanks to Bossa Nova for hosting this cool event, and thanks to ROOT for sponsoring it.

And click on the link to find out more about ROOT  liqueur. 

-jp