Sunday, September 13, 2009

Take a Blog Leave a Blog: gathering of interesting blogs from students in HSS- 105


Values (Katie Walter) good ideas about values!

there are many values portrayed through different buildings and areas on UNCG campus. one that interested me was the library tower. some of the values i see in the library tower are superiority, importance and a kind of landmark on the campus. its superiority comes with the fact that it stands higher than the other buildings on the campus. it is made of white stone material rather than the common brick. this makes the building stand out among the others in a way to give it superiority. the importance value tacks on to that because it shows that the building serves a special purpose, books. it is the place you can go when you need to do research or to study. the landmark value ties into the importance because it is viewable all around campus. just look for the tall white library tower and you know automatically where you are. these are all very important values to be help on the UNCG campus.
another location is the quad. this is the area between the upper-classman dorms. it is a big open area with trees lining it. the sidewalk goes around the edges with sidewalks criss-crosses through grass forming triangles. the quad has several values. one of which is that it is a common area for gathering. it is a great place to gather for things such as frisbee, tag, or sunbathing. it can, also, be a common place to meet for the upper-classman.
a third area is peabody park. this is the 'nature area' for the school. it was originally donated to be the nature/exercise area for the women students. part of it is now a golf course and sports stuff. the w. market street boundary is lined with the peabody park. i think the school will eventually use that land for other things. i think that they will find more productive jobs for the land than to just be there.
This is my turf. I live in the Cone high rise, and therefore am given access to the building. For any person not living in the building, the task of getting in is more difficult than simply opening the door. I have a FOB that lets me into the building and onto the elevator, or into the stairwells. Without a FOB or key allowing you into the building, you should feel out of place and unwelcome unless escorted by someone who does live in the dorm. In the picture the name of the dorm is written on the windows and the wall just above the security system; the black box on the right side of the picture. -Katie Tester ( I thought this was good insight on the idea of turf and sense of belonging to a place)

I thought Catilin had some great pictures and thoughts about the idea of centers.



Notice how the light in the first picture draws the eye up, and the floor pattern has a circle in the middle with pieces going out towards the doors and windows. This floor pattern reminds me of the one we saw in the music building, which had a similar circle and outward pieces pattern. -Catilin Gault

*Gatewood Building*
When I first saw Gatewood, I admired the clear windows so you could see inside the building. You ever notice the beautiful art in the main entrance? That’s the value of this building: beauty, art, and uniqueness. This building, in my opinion, represents the beauty of the campus. It has such fine texture and shape. I’m not sure what the sculpture is coming up the sidewalk toward Gatewood, but it fascinates me in a way.
The paintings on the wall are so beautiful and well classified. I wish I could buy one and hang it up in my room. The art also represents the beauty of our campus. Just think, some of the students that did or is still here at UNCG painted those paintings. Do you know how good that makes us, as the student body look?! Man I wish I was that artistic!
Today, we went up on the fourth floor to explore the rest of the building. Even though it was still under a little construction, I liked how it was designed. It would give me some ideas of how I want my ceiling and my floors made in my home one day. So in other words, this building has a unique interior. It tends to stand out from the other buildings on campus. I also liked how the exterior of the building is made out of glass because not many buildings are made that way. I wouldn’t mind having my office in a building like that. It gives a sense of being unique!
-Jasmine Parker AKA: Jazzy
(Good insight on the Gatewood building I like how you talked about materiality and that the artwork embodies the artistic values of the student body. I think that it was a nice point of view. On a side note there isn't any construction on the building it just looks like this all the time b/c of the way we IARC people work! hahaha)


Gatewood Building:
I didn't even have to think about this value. This building really values hard work. The designer of the building put a lot of thought and time into this place and it really shows. As soon as you walk in your looking at hard work from all of the UNCG art students. The building is really a showcase for UNCG's talented student. From the outside, The Gatewood Building looks like one of the newest and nicest buildings on campus. It doesn't blend in with UNCG very much but it obviously wasn't supposed to. It stands out. I think it stands out to attract people's attention to the hard work. Walking into the building you see art , but further in all you see is people at work. There were offices and desks everywhere. Classes were going on and people were all over the place working on so many different things. The way the building was made and layed out would really inspire people to work hard. When I'm in the library , I get a lot of work done. If I were in the Gatewood building , I think I'd get more done. It has all of the qualities that make you get your work done that the library has but also has the relaxed feeling of being in your own room. Basically , this building is awesome. -Rodney Coulston
(Lots of hard work pays off for these students but mostly i like your idea of feeling at home but also being able to work Gatewood is a home away from home for most people. This is my favorite image of Gatewood the gem of UNCG.)