Desk Crit with Classmates

Talking to some of my classmates I developed a better understanding of the project (Revolution Mills). Allison and Matt had suggested to me that I keep in mind the original building and add a sense of modern architecture, to where they could be looked at as a whole building and not a renovation. Looking at my inspirational photos, i want to keep those in mind. The fabric and flower petal light fixture and the columns and beams would be a good consideration in the space but using them in a different way adding more detail in the area. In the area I wanted to include a patio area facing the creek, and actually having the back facade facing the creek being an important part of the building, either creating an open area, or adding windows. I do have to keep in mind the actual dimensions of the area and keep the columns in mind because not everything can be taken away without the building collapsing. Then Matt suggested that I use different materials instead of what is already in the space like, concrete or slate with the reclaimed wood or the use of a different veneer brick than the pre-existing one. When I spoke with Jimmy about my project he suggested to break away from the square shaped building. Speaking with my classmates helped me understand better of what i need to do, and now that I understand I think I can develop my ideas further.

Inspirational Photos:

Market Research

Mainstreet

Main streets are in a linear layout with roads parallel to the buildings. The buildings can be anything from office spaces, retail spaces, or apartment complexes. They can have any type of façade with signs extruding from them. Sidewalks are what are in between the buildings and roads providing a pathway around the area.

West Edmonton Mall

Characteristics of a usual mall include vendor’s set inside a large building. The vendors can sell anything. They usually display one of everything with large storage in the back. The malls could have more than one floor with a food court usually set in the middle of the space. In this particular space, the storefronts have an exterior façade, making it seem like the space is an outlet mall instead of an indoor mall.

Turkish Bazaar

Bazaars are usually located next to mosques and this particular bazaar is one of the best bazaars in the world. It is set up in a flee-market layout, with many vendors selling many different things. This particular photo shows the display of merchandise where verticality is not a problem. In a bazaar, they want to show all the items that are on sale since they barely have any storage to put them. Bazaars can take place indoors or outdoors depending on where they are and can be small or large.

Market:

In this retail space, they are usually selling one type of product. In this market, they are selling produce. Markets usually are placed outside underneath a tent or shed-like structure. All the merchandise is set out so the consumer can choose which item they like best because no two items are the same. The space is set out in a linear fashion with crates or inexpensive materials to display items.

plaza:

Plazas are usually set with buildings around it. The buildings can be anything from retail to office buildings. There are statues or fountains or a main attraction in the center of the plaza. There are also sitting areas located around the area with landscape. Plazas are mainly around well-populated and high wealth areas.

Arcades:

Arcades have bright colors with shapes and different textures to accommodate their clients, children. They have games that are displayed and played on and there is no storage. The layout of the space is set in a linear order, making isles to travel through.

Revolution Mills

Revolution Mills

Revolution Mills started when two brothers, Moses and Caesar Cone, started a textile business. When they moved to the south because of their father, they began a partnership with C.E. Graham in Ashville in 1887. They began a cloth manufacturing company with their partner and began marketing it in 1889. Their firm was established in Greensboro due to its cotton, transportation, and building location. Although they began their firm in 1890, their first mill wasn’t built until 1895 and renamed Revolution Mills due to its textile circles. There were other mills built around 1902 but the first Cone mill was the largest of them all. In 1982 the mill closed its doors and was sold to a company for offices and apartments and was sold again twenty years later to a private non-profit organization. The Revolution Mills, LLC bought the mill in 2003 to convert it into offices. It occupies ninety-seven offices and now has wood floors, high ceilings and large windows.
The buildings layout is a typical mill layout, its utilitarian. Its large space allows for an easier workflow and makes room for larger machines when needed. It has a lot of windows to allow natural light inside the building and outside the building are large beautiful courtyards. There is a large open lobby with conference rooms that are shared by the other occupants. The setup for the space is set around a studio-like setting with large open spaces, making the already large building even larger.

Packed Pixels

Here is the final work for the concept driven challenge, hope you enjoy!

logo:

Logo in 3D:



Exterior:

• Black slate and concrete material
• beams copying interior
• pixel windows

Interior:

• light boxes to enhance items
• pattern on ground lights up when weight is put on it, reflects on ceiling
• pixel display/storage container on walls
• pixel wall on side of window ( lights up and moves)

Floor Plan:

• arcade style layout

Detail 1:

• featured display pixel box
• larger than the other boxes
• pull up door with display behind

Detail 2:

• display area with storage behind
• pull out drawer

Detail 3:

• storage pixel box

Window Display:

• 

Tags:

Bags:

(click on pictures to make them larger)

Pixel Process

As we were working on a previous project involving concepts we were hit with a curve ball. We were told to change our whole design concept with someone else in our studio. This was a very hard change to make, I was just getting use to my first concept on fusion of opposites while selling atheletic shoes now im forced with the concept of Arcade Games while selling travel accessories. PHEW! As i was talking to the person i was switching with, Emily, i wanted to keep her same ideas and tweak them, since her design wasn't finished or completed i thought it would be a challenge. She focused on the ideals of pixelation and movement centered around old arcade games.
To begin this process I thought about her idea of pixels being boxes and beams to give an idea of a game. Well to take it further i wanted to add this idea of a pixel wall and have light in certain pixel boxes and flash them on and off to give off an idea of movement. The color scheme for this retail store would be black and white and certain bright colors in certain places to think of games.

Also, to keep the idea of arcade games in the interior area, I was thinking about actually making the plan look like an actual arcade game. In plan view with lit boxes on the floor and ceiling, i thought that it would be like the person was playing their own game. When the person steps on the boxes the box would become lit and play a certain tune, and as they walk through the room on the path, the boxes would become lit.

Anthropologie Visit

Wall Detail made from Recycled BooksWood Posts attached to the wall

Light fixtures

• 
• in house design
• store for ages 35-50 (typically)
• the store director is given a budget
• found objects "antiques" for sale
• sell case goods
• permanent and temporary materials
• design changes every six months
• front of the store changes every three weeks
• window changes every six weeks
• elements for all the stores are the same
• same firm designs stores with different architects
• floor plans change
• recycled materials used- barnyard wood flooring
• display- scent, sight, and music simulation
• different sections of the store have different themes
• USING THE UNEXPECTED
• every season, given a notebook displaying theme wanted, the design coordinator then comes up with the design
• idea of three is important
  
• company started in 1992

Case Study 1

Recrete Onal Equipment (REI)

The entryway for this retail store is emphasized by wooden beams creating a cantilever, and is a great way to attract a viewer’s attention. With the large windows behind theses wooden beams, you are able to see what this store sells as well as making you believe that the wooden structures are holding themselves up. The beams remind you of the outdoors because they take the shape of a shelter in the woods.
REI

Nintendo Store- NYC, NY


Looking at this store the whole building is used as display. The façade is mainly windows and metal and bright lights to attract viewers attention. You are able to see the level change on the façade and it is incorporated in the design of the front. The bright lights are blue and surround the building. There are TV screens that display featured games and the main entry is off to the side.
Nintendo

Brighton Retail Store- Charlotte NC

The main entry is enclosed by a hallway but is the same level as the display windows. The main item you notice is the iron decoration in the windows and doors. The design of the iron reminds you of the items that are sold in the store as well as the logo. Above the windows are tiles in the shape of a rectangle, they don’t really fit the idea of the store but they are an added detail to the design.
Brighten

Gap Retail Store- Salisbury MD
I focused on the actual window for this case study. The main attraction to this window is its use of LCD lights. The LCD lighting captures your attention first, and then you tend to focus on the display. There were a lot of materials used in the display. There is a brick façade, wood flooring, paint and a poster. The display protrudes from the store, causing you to focus on the display itself.
GAP

Wild Surf Co. - Los Angeles CA


The display for the store is on the corner of the building. Inside the window there is a lower wall displaying a checker pattern with pictures and metal. The sign for the store is protruding out from the wall and is backlit. The wall is sitting on a stage area that can also be used as a display area. The main material used is sheet metal, it is on the stage the checker pattern the sign and the shelving behind the wall. The sign is the first thing you notice because the color is contrasting to the metal behind it. The display is very simple and eye catching.
Wild Surf Co.

Kickers Retail Store
This retail stores main attraction is the main entrance. Its entry is rectangular with an organic shape inside of it. The organic shape is a bright color, which contrasts the other colors used. It also creates a hallway in which you have to walk through to get inside. The sign for the store is also in red, which makes you connect the sign to the store. The organic shape also creates a hierarchy; with the sign above the highest point of the shape you subconsciously think this store is better than the other stores.
Kickers

Toys & Co. - Greensboro NC

This storefront caught my attention first with the yellow and red tile surrounding the building. The colors and the idea of the umbrella like structure overtop the main entry felt like the store was going for a circus like feel, with the umbrella structure symbolizing a circus tent. You could tell that the stores contents contained things for children because of the color scheme, bright catching the child’s attention when walking by. Surrounding the store was other outlets whose colors were very dull and ordinary, so the toy store stuck out like a sore thumb. Looking at the store, there are rectangular like shapes varying in color, the main entry on the other hand has a circular shape enticing the viewers attention.
Toys & Co.

Great Outdoors Provision Co.- Greensboro, NC

The main attraction of this store is its cedar wood façade. Since the store sells outdoor items, a cabin like feel is appropriate for the façade. It has bay windows surrounding the store and they are used to display items. The color of the doors is green, which is a complementary color to the dark wood, and reminds you of the outdoors. This retail store also attracts your attention due to the contrast with the stores around it.
Great Outdoors Provision Co.

Apple Store- NYC, New York

Apple stores usually have a great window display creating a simple idea, but the apple store does this as well but in a whole building. The façade of the apple building is made up of metal beams and glass, making it classy and simple. The logo of apple is placed in the center of the building and is backlit. Metal beams are the main idea of the structure but are used to create different patterns, vertically as well as horizontally. The first level of the building is filled with windows and is used as display areas. The main entry is directly underneath the logo with a cantilever drawing your eye.
Apple

National Product- San Franciso CA

The façade of this building caught my attention. It has a classy and unique storefront. There are exterior lights directed toward the window display and the display windows creating a hallway to walk down enclose the main entry. The exterior is covered with a teal color making it eye catching for viewers as they walk by. Also, there are details in the façade that make it more appealing. The sign for this store is in between the display windows by a metal rod, making it appear to be floating.
National Product