refresh by Erin Chapman

ReFresh

refueling design | branding a new convenience

erin chapman | 2011 MArch final creative project

ReFresh

refueling design | branding a new convenience

ReFresh

table of contents abstract

background

proposal

surveys

literature reviews

case studies

project

site + context

building imagery

user importance

branding

presentation

abstract In today’s Western culture, we are bombarded and consumed with visual stimulation. On an average day, an American urban dweller may come into contact with up to 20,000 different brands. Through symbol, color, text, and scale, our society is able to identify and connect logos to a specific corporation without seeing a company name. This obsession of marketing and branding can be seen as a direct result of the 21st century lifestyle— increasingly fast pace, need for instant gratification, and a desire for luxury. This lifestyle forces our society to base itself on “necessities” to make our daily lives more convenient. In reality, these “necessary conveniences” have only made our society reliant on smart phones, fast food, and immediate results. This increased dependency can be seen in many forms of technology but none more than in the automobile. Over the past century, the automobile has not only become a necessity but an extension of one’s self. This need for the automobile across America has pushed designers to create space and function towards the car, not the user. These observations lead to the question, “Can we design a building experience that caters to the human that is not designed around the automobile?” Through the design of a “refresh station” users will be invited into the space to refresh themselves and refresh their automobile. By combining these two programs, it creates a convenience, saving the user time—a luxury in today’s age. This design has been strategically prototyped in Carmel, Indiana—a community that places a heavy emphasis on social status and image. By combining the program of the refresh station with an importance on social image, this design hopes to inform consumers about design while creating a building type that focuses on the user.

background proposal surveys literature reviews case studies

proposal The Idea We as a society have become obsessed with image. Bombarded on a daily basis by symbols, color, and text, we have become immune to the amount of brand images we can recognize when presented with a logo and no company name. Each year, prominent companies spend millions of dollars on marketing schemes to better advertise their company’s products or services. Branding, in fact, has become a very important business within the marketing realm. Not only are the companies attempting to enhance their products to make consumers enticed enough to purchase, but they are attempting market a lifestyle. Branding is effectively the recognition of one product or company against the their competitors. In today’s culture, every business needs a company logo. This logo, as mentioned previously, is just as important as the company name. Through colors and symbols, the company can still be accurately represented and remembered through logo. Through strategic extrapolation, brand logos can be reduced to basic geometries and colors. If done correctly, the abstracted form should still be able to represent the brand. Taking the idea of simplification one step further, brand can be applied to the company’s architecture as buildings have already started to represent their company’s image. When driving down the street, one can identify the difference between a Subway or Pizza Hut standing alone building without reading the actual signage. The Investigation Extensive studies and research has been conducted on successful marketing schemes. Not coming from a background in business or marketing, I had to research. From a consumer point of view, I believe that McDonald’s has one of the strongest marketing campaigns in the United States. People from all walks of life can easily identify the double arched logo, recognize the specific combination of golden yellow and red on a billboard, or realize the building with the yellow arc above the entry is part of the McDonald’s brand. After analyzing several marketing ideas, and I even started to delve much deeper into the company’s standards.

Recently updating their image, McDonald’s has transformed from clunky to sleek in the matter of a few years. In many instances, franchises have completely demolished the existing building, only to rebuild the new model on the same site in mere months [example: McDonald’s on Tillotson Avenue, Muncie, Indiana]. This push for change shows how much design expectations have risen in America over the past decade. For McDonald’s, it is not about having the money to build completely new buildings instead of rehabilitating the old. It is more about eliminating the old version of themselves to showcase the new. Eradication is part of the plan. To completely update the McDonald’s brand, they have to eliminate any connection the old. The new prototype design is a vast improvement over the previous McDonald’s layouts. Spatially, the restaurant has been laid out in such a way that patrons are encouraged to sit and “linger” rather than focus on a speedy delivery. Materials are softer [wood and fabrics instead of plastics] and colors are less offensive [neutrals instead of bright reds and yellows]. These changes go back to validate the idea that America is demanding better quality designs, even in a typical fast food chain. The public would rather have rather have a comfortable restaurant than a 1990s pit stop. The Improvement Combining the ideas of brand recognition through architecture with the analysis of current marketing strategies found in companies like McDonald’s, I propose to develop a “branded building.” This building utilizes brand recognition techniques cued specifically from the company’s logo. The design pushes for quality architecture-- meaning a focus on the spatial qualities and will not simply apply the brands represented colors and geometries. It was hard to chose a specific building typology since many of these basic principles can be applied to various types of architecture. Choosing to focus on a building typology that is on the corner of many American lots, the current convenience store, gas station has been completely transformed. To elaborate on spatial qualities, I propose we stop placing “cookie-cutter” stamps around the country. We have a very unique and diverse climate based country. Ranging from hot and dry to cold and humid [only to mention a few], one building design cannot tackle every environment in the United States. Having the ability for the form of a building to transform and adapt to different climates across the country was imperative and a driving point behind this design. My initial research included an examination and review of branding and its ability to be transformed into architectural design. These ideas looked at society’s ability to recognize and recall corporate company logos or their “decorated sheds” (Learning from Las Vegas) that have been stamped throughout the country. We, as members of society, are bombarded with hundreds of brand logos daily.

Subliminally, we all have a “brand bank” in the back of our minds that allows us to recall these images and connect the company’s graphic representation to the name, jingle, or product. Our whole world is virtually a series of representative images. My main source of ideas and thoughts came from various writings and articles found on the Internet and through simple observation of how many Americans live their lives through the recognition through visual representation. Many books and current studies are focused on the promotion of awareness that imagery has had on society and how it is changing the way we interact. While exploring various different marketing schemes and examining their specific uses of color, shape, and symbol, I was able to find several logo examples that contain hidden symbols. This means that within the given logo there are suggestive icons of what the company either stands for or what they produce. While these logos are creative and theoretically subliminal, from what I have been able to find, most of society is able to see or recognize these hidden messages fairly quickly. Harder yet, I came across an Internet quiz that asked viewers to recognize and label a set of brands. These brand logos however were not the straight forward, cut and dry symbols. Stripping any given logo down to its basic colors and geometries, Graham Smith had created the “Unevolved Brand.” Smith, who is a freelance logo and identity designer in the United Kingdom, has done an extensive and a progressive study on brand & logo simplification [http:// unevolvedbrands.com/]. Upon the discovery of the “Unevolved Brands,” I developed my own quiz or survey that I administered over the month of December. This quiz did not only have some of Graham Smith’s logos but also have a few straightforward brand logos that many people should be able to identify. The idea behind the survey, will be to study the ability for everyday members of society to recognize the transformation of symbol into the same icon but stripped down to its bare form and color. In conjunction with the administered surveys, I validated the ability for a range of people to read a company’s abstracted logo in relation to the architecture. A strong brand image should read from the architecture without clues from literal signs placed on the building. We are at a turning point in architectural history where designers have to stop creating open building for the ease of attaching a sign on the front facade. We should no longer encourage society to continue relying on signage for convenience. There are other ways to communicate rather than through icons and logos and it is up to architects to allow for this visual stimulation through other means. We, as designers, have been given the ability to solve problems in creative ways and should use this to our advantage.

surveys Survey One | exploration of iconic image and the recognition of respective city

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Survey Two | identify the logos brand name

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Survey Three | identify the abstracted logos brand name

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“It’s the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We’re always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something.” -Crash

“Crash (2004) - IMDb.” The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 7 Dec. 2010. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375679/>.

literature reviews The following pages contain brief summaries of the literature reviewed for this project. The main ideas pulled from the literature have been graphically represented to present an argument for image and graphics. An examination of text has helped to formulate personal opinions on the subject matter relevant to image and society. By reading various pieces of work, I have been able to better understand the importance of creating architecture with personality [performance, appeals, and impression], creating memorable sensory experiences for users, and the significance of signage to a company.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;..todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brandscapes-- exemplified by corporate franchises, signature buildings, shopping centers, expositions, and planned residential developments-- have resulted in a culture of the copy, imitating one another in their offerings and aesthetics.â&#x20AC;? -Anna Klingmann

Brandscapes Klingmann, Anna. Brandscapes: Architecture in the Experience Economy. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2007. Print. Klingmann stresses the importance of personality and ambience in architecture and how we use sensory experiences help us understand the world live in. Originally, buildings were recognized by the form they took on due to the function of the building. Now, buildings are identified by their front facade and the images that project to the street. We have lost the personal, authentic touch of architecture and replaced it with staged media. “Because icons have the power to reflect a social system, they become objects of veneration that are imprinted in people’s memory.” Branding plays a very important role in our lives. In one image of Times Square [granted it is probably one of the most influential places in the U.S.] there are at least two dozen digital billboards flashing “propaganda” down the glowing street. Through propaganda, we buy into the lifestyles that are being sold-- after all, who doesn’t want the last celebrity has? We want to fit in because “we live in a society that is exponentially growing in insecurities, belonging, and disorientation.”

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The spheres of our lives (enclosed rooms, work spaces, offices) are structured and segmented by the rhythms and patterns of what surrounds us (cars, traffic, the television, other people talking, the sound and light of a Xerox machine)...â&#x20AC;? -Doug Aitken

Sleepwalkers Aitken, Doug, and Emily Hall. Doug Aitken: Sleepwalkers. New York: Museum of Modern Art in Association with Creative Time, 2007. Print. Sixth avenues on Fifty-third and Fifty-fourth streets becomes an active act of piecing together, generous and demanding at the same time; it connects viewers with a complex work about horizontal and vertical movement, constant traffic, round- theclock restlessness, and the unstoppable pace and automatic rhythms of the city.

nothing ever stays the same. Images displayed on the inside buildings are generally associated with the architecture that houses them; murals on and in governmental or corporate facades and lobbies tend to represent the myths and ambitions relevant to a building’s funtion.

An analysis of Doug Aitken’s installation, Sleepwalkers, examines the city as a living, breathing organism through the means of image, human interaction, and architecture. The study of five individuals and their journeys through the course of a day reveals the basic ideas of sleepwalking. During rush hours the city breathes in. At night, even the “city that never sleeps’, breathes out. During the deep breath in, we are consumed with our personal “bubbles’ [individual cars and ipods] too busy to interact with the millions of other people going through the exact same actions. Aitken broadcasts his exhibit on the facades of Museum of Modern Art to the natural background noises of the city. A lack of human interaction combined with the projection of images onto the facades of a well-known museum confronts society with several serious issues.

Sleepwalkers, instead of creating a Times Square- Architecture, however, is often lit like a beacon. like frenetic voic, alludes to The characters now arrive at work, climbing stairs, riding elevators, ascending in to the inof a Times Square sign. The velocities that gradually coalesced as they traveled to the museum as a container: terior their jobs now seem once again to ebb, to separate-- but as they start their work, the firm’s a building that exhibits pace once again quickens: mail is sorted, papers are copied, posters are pasted up, electrical circuits are replaced and repaired. We find a hard reality in the characters’ environments, in and conserves some of the the grit of a subway platform, in the coldly minimal decor of the office. Each life takes an odd turn. While walking down the street, the businessman almost collides with a taxi; he world’s finest art, film, then climbs onto the car’s hood and starts dancing on it, chipping away the yellow enamel. architecture, and desing.

We’re safe as long as we keep moving. The closest precedent for Sleepwalkers may be the drive-in cinema-- not because the films shown there were made with the outdoor format in mind, but because of the way drive-ins created an audience of spaces both mobile and private.

Wearewaystations ...when he says that usuyou think of a city for energy, the ally like New York as being work seems to tell anti-past, always changus, a brief stopover ing, always developing, for calories being bit the city holds the inexcited into heat. expungeable odor of the long ago.

Pop art in the 1960s generally dealt with commercialism in a very cool, critical, and distanced way. Now it is nearly impossible to be shocked by commercialism-- the landscape is like a moving collage, a shifting shower of images.

A series of connected rhythms continuously expands and shifts, reflecting a world that is harmonious, mysterious, mesmerizing, passionate, and sometimes rough and violent... captures the multiple facets of living city as if seen through a cut diamond, revealing a kaleidoscope of simultaneous views.

If you drive though the Las Vegas strip at an even speed, it’s as if you’re moving like a film, with your car running twenty-four frames per second. You see it together as a panoramic, linear film. In places like Sun City, Vegas, or Times Square, you fall into an immersive atmosphere. You suddenly become “inside cinema”: you’re no longer watching the spectacle-- you are the spectacle. You find yourself navigating your own film; as you walk, you edit.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We shall emphasize image-- image over process or form-- in asserting that architecture depends in its perception and creation on past experience and emotional association and that these symbolic and representational elements may often be contradictory to the form, structure, and program with which they combined in the same building... the duck... the decorated shed...â&#x20AC;? -Robert Venturi + Denise Scott Brown

Las Vegas Strip the

BIGGER

the Better

“look at me, look at me”

flashy

automobile words. pictures. sculpture.

scale

SIGNS

architecture ture

of image

 

POP CULTURE

persuasion information

BORING

Learning from Las Vegas Venturi, Robert, Brown Denise Scott, and Steven Izenour. Learning from Las Vegas. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 1972. Print.

night life

the duck: a special building uilding that is a symbol uild

the decorated shed: the he convention conventional shelter that hat applies sym symbol

“If you showed a driver a green blurs, Oh yes! He’d say, that’s grass. A pink blur! That’s a rose garden! White blurs are houses. Brown blurs are cows. Have you seen the two hundred-footlong billboards in the country beyond town? Did you know that once billboards were only twenty feet long? But cars started rushing by so quickly they had to stretch the advertising out so it would last.” -Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451 Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York, NY: Ballantine, 1991. Print.

breaking down static imagery in society Project: Architect: Where: When:

Pavilions in Independence Park | Public Restrooms Rafael Iglesia Rosario, Argentina 2003

Typically, when searching for a restroom, one looks for the standard sign of motionless man or woman to locate the proper room to use the facilities. Usually located in the back corner of an office building, in an inconvenient portion of a park, or down a hidden hallway, these mandatory spaces of function are hard to find. In Independence Park, located in the center of Rosario, Argentina, Rafael Iglesia breaks down these norms to celebrate location and functional spaces. Located next to the main entrance where two main streets converge, the restrooms are placed in a very noticeable area, visible for all to see. Placed here, the glass and concrete structure celebrate the need for functional spaces that are convenient to use. When illuminated at night, the structure becomes a beacon of light, illuminating a part of the park that was typically dark and forgotten prior to its existence. Far left | Plan of Independence Park, an large city park located near the center of the city. Four main roads surround and contain the park [red]. There are two secondary roads that cross through the park and allow for vehicles to travel deeper into the park [orange]. The restrooms are located in the SE corner, next to one of the main entrances.

Left | Site model of the portion of the park that contain the restrooms. The restrooms are located in an obvious and visible position next to a main entrance.

Not only are the restrooms located in a visible and prominent location within the park, but the materials the structure is made from allow for a high visibility into the usually private rooms. Made from reinforced concrete and incased in structural glass, the interior of the restrooms are seen from the exterior; one can see if the facility is being occupied by others by the shadows and silhouettes that are cast from the lighting fixtures and strategic plan Iglesis designed. The standard rest room is usually considered very private and is typically tucked away where no one can see. The conventional design of a restroom can lead to several types social issues such as entrapment spaces, destruction [graffiti], and promiscuity. Iglesis eliminates the majority of these issues by encasing the rest room in glass and placing the structure in a prominent viewing area. Top Left | Main entrance to the restroom Top Right | Image of silhouettes and shadows that are visible from the exterior both day and night 6

Bottom Left | Photograph of the simple rectangular structure made of reinforced concrete and structural glass

During daylight hours, natural light filters into the hallways of the restrooms through the structural glass that lines the pavilion [left]. A flat concrete roof makes it possible for skylights to allow daylight into the divided and private rooms [below]. The doors slide on a track to cover the openings to the individual rooms when in use. The slight bend in the metal door allows for strip lighting to illuminate the hall and the private room at night. When the light is covered or the door is closed, one is able to see which â&#x20AC;&#x153;stallsâ&#x20AC;? are being used from the exterior of the building.

8 why is this important These unique restrooms are important because they start to celebrate function through location. Although well-designed, the restrooms still have to be functional and serve their purpose. Iglesias does this but also changes layout and materials. By using daylight to illuminate the space, he uses glass where opaque materials are typically used for privacy. The rooms still do not breach anyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s privacy at all. By changing the layout of the typically closed off dark room, it becomes more interesting, unique, and celebrated for its differences. More importantly the restrooms start to change the way the public sees a typical restroom. Usually, we see are informed by the male and female stick figure sign to rely on which room to use. We are confronted by the actions of the different genders to figure out which room to use instead of the standard figures. In most cases, the combination of sign change and the new layout and use of materials would make the public feel uncomfortable but Iglasiasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ability to control privacy issues while enhancing design still makes the public comfortable to use the facilities.

Picture Credits

Photo 1 | Mens/Womens Room Sign. Photograph. Newton Distributing Company. 2010. Web. 1 Dec. 2010. <http://www. newtondistributing.com>. Photo 2 | Extracted from Google Earth Photo 3 | Foto-01BG. Photograph. Rafael Iglesia-Architect. 2003. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://www.rafaeliglesia.com.ar/first-E. htm>. Photo 4 | LaPlante, Madeline N. P1011268. 2007. Photograph. Photo 5 | Pabellones_parque_de_la_independencia_4. Photograph. WikiArquitectura: Buildings of the World. 24 Nov. 2008. Web. 1 Dec. 2010. <http://en.wikiarquitectura.com/index.php/Independence_Park_Pavilions_in_Rosario>. Photo 6 | Pabellones_parque_de_la_independencia_7. Photograph. WikiArquitectura: Buildings of the World. 24 Nov. 2008. Web. 1 Dec. 2010. <http://en.wikiarquitectura.com/index.php/Independence_Park_Pavilions_in_Rosario>. Photo 7 | LaPlante, Madeline N. P1011274. 2007. Photograph. Photo 8 | LaPlante, Madeline N. P1011273. 2007. Photograph. Photo 9 | Pabellones_parque_de_la_independencia_9. Photograph. WikiArquitectura: Buildings of the World. 24 Nov. 2008. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://en.wikiarquitectura.com/index.php/Independence_Park_Pavilions_in_Rosario>. Photo 10 | Fritegotto, Gustavo. 71a_08. Photograph. Summa+ 71. 2003. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://www.summamas.com/71a. htm>.

Article References

Iglesia, Rafael. “Pabellones En El Parque.” Summa+ 71. 2003. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. <http://www.summamas.com/71a.htm>. “Rafael Iglesia - Architect.” Rafael Iglesia - Arquitecto. 2003. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. <http://www.rafaeliglesia.com.ar/first-E.htm>. Redstone, Elias. “Rafael Iglesia.” New Architects in Latin America. 27 Feb. 2009. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. <http://newarchitects. blogspot.com/2009/02/rafael-iglesias.html>.

broadcasting lif estyle through image Project: Sleepwalkers Installation Architect: Doug Aitken Where: Museum of Modern Art | New York City When: January 16 - February 12, 2007 For nearly a month in 2007, The Museum of Modern Art presented Doug Aitken’s sleepwalkers exhibit. The broken narratives depicted have no set script, showed different scenes each day, and have no set beginning or end. The installation comprised of eight large projections in the courtyard and street facades, exhibit to an audience the travels and daily routine for five different city dwellers. Shown for five evening hours each day, Aitken relives the nocturnal journeys of a bicycle messenger, a businessman, an office worker, an electrician, and a postal worker. Aitken’s attempt by showing several different images on multiple facades of the building was an effort to “capture the multiple facets of a living city as if seen through a cut diamond, revealing a kaleidoscope of simultaneous views” (MoMa.org). By this Aitken is examining the handful of lives that run simultaneous with each other, even over lapping, but never diverging. Within New York City, there is a constant flow of life and energy. Millions of people go about their everyday lives without noticing the other people passing them on the street or within their office building. By showing the five different lives up on the facades of the museum, people are virtually forced to stop and notice their actions. 5

9 Above |All images above depict the Museum of Modern Art’s courtyard. All images are examples of what the building and courtyard looked like when Aitken’s installation was playing.

The lifestyles and depictions, although important, are not the main focus of this case study. Architecturally speaking, the use of a facade to display information is not necessarily new technology, but it is a new way of examining and seeing a building. Flashing images or movies up against a well known and visible building in one of the busiest cities makes people, not only stop and stare at the presented material, but it also changes the way the people passing by interact with their surroundings. Consider Aitken’s work to be an urban drive-in theater, without the cars, audio, and popcorn. During the day, thousands of people pass by ignoring in their daily surroundings, focusing on their next meeting, listening to their ipod, or chatting with their friends via phone. At night, even though many New Yorkers are accustom to flashy lights and a spectacular show, witnessing an outdoor exhibit in a place not meant for one, definitely gained attention. Previous Page | All five people are the characters from Aitken’s Sleepwalkers exhibit: a bike messanger, a businessman, an office worker, an electrician, and a postal worker.

The transformation of space from day to night is not new to New York. Places like Times Square, Chinatown, + the Empire State Building illuminate the night sky. While these destinations are close, they are not set in the same scale as the Museum of ModernArt. Surrounded by skyscrapers, the intimate courtyard is small and closed off from the hustle and bustle of city life-- making it more to the human scale.

Due to the courtyards human scale, the more inviting and the more noticeable a change to the space would be. I believe this was also part of Aitkenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s idea. He used and manipulated the existing space with digital projections-- not even a movie sound track [no musical elements, just the natural cityscape sounds] to showcase his ideas. He had placed them on specific sections of the building to make viewing the movie even more prominent. Obvious to those who came to the museum to see the show, but also intended for those just walking by in the heavily white collar and visitor area of New York City, Aitken wanted his presentation seen and the ideas of sleepwalking to start inspiring.

Diagram Above | Diagram of the Museum of Modern Art and location of the projections with ideal path to view the installation.

why this is important The two main factors found in this case are very important to the development of my thesis because they explore our current lifestyle situation-- sleepwalking through a very fast pace lifestyle-- and the use of architecture to project image. While the image portrayed in this installation may not be the same as some of the other case studies or examples I have looked at, it is still the use image. Aitkenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s idea was not to draw in a crowd by using neon lights and a flashy logo, but to draw people in by an unforgettable tale that made the audience realize there is more to life than always running to and from meetings. I believe that Aitken wanted to spark a tiny twinge and a brief realization into his viewers to open up their eyes. Maybe not immediately, maybe not even for a while, but he wanted to spark enough light into their eyes so that he could build the main principles of sleepwalking through life and this idea could start to fester and come into perspective later on. Through the use of logos and branding, marketing teams wish to accomplish these simple same ideas. In a much more forward situation, companies place an icon of themselves through logo or slogan in a strategic place in hopes of leaving a little bit of themselves and what they stand for implanted deep in the viewerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind. Eventually, the viewer will be able to recognize the company outside of that situation and can call out the company by slogan or logo alone-- sometimes, even just through color. Being able to recall the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name when it comes time to purchase or recommend to a friend proves the marketing team has done their job and the company continues to flourish. While Aitken was not advertising for Coke or McDonalds, he was raising awareness of this subconscious world we live and lifestyles we lead.

Picture Credits Photo 1 | Aitken, Doug, and Emily Hall. Doug Aitken: Sleepwalkers. New York: Museum of Modern Art in Association with Creative Time, 2007. 101. Print. Photo 2 | “Free Film of the Week.” This Week in New York:The Insider’s Guide to the City Since 2001. 31 Jan. 2007. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://twi-ny.com/twiny.01.31.07.html>. Photo 3 | Aitken, Doug, and Emily Hall. Doug Aitken: Sleepwalkers. New York: Museum of Modern Art in Association with Creative Time, 2007. 109. Print. Photo 4 | Aitken, Doug, and Emily Hall. Doug Aitken: Sleepwalkers. New York: Museum of Modern Art in Association with Creative Time, 2007. 125. Print. Photo 5 | Aitken, Doug, and Emily Hall. Doug Aitken: Sleepwalkers. New York: Museum of Modern Art in Association with Creative Time, 2007. 103. Print. Photo 6 | “Category Archive for ‘User Experience’ at Silberbauer Says:.” Silberbauer Says:. 20 Feb. 2007. Web. 1 Dec. 2010. <http://silberbauer.dk/wp/category/user-experience/>. Photo 7 | Michel, Sia. “MoMA Does a Drive-In.” New York Magazine. 7 Jan. 2007. Web. 1 Dec. 2010. <http://nymag. com/arts/art/reviews/26286/>. Photo 8 | “Category Archive for ‘User Experience’ at Silberbauer Says:.” Silberbauer Says:. 20 Feb. 2007. Web. 1 Dec. 2010. <http://silberbauer.dk/wp/category/user-experience/>. Photo 9 | Smith, Roberta. “The Museum as Outdoor Movie Screen.” New York Times. 18 Jan. 2007. Web. 1 Dec. 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/18/arts/18moma.html>. Photo 10 | Smith, Roberta. “The Museum as Outdoor Movie Screen.” New York Times. 18 Jan. 2007. Web. 1 Dec. 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/18/arts/18moma.html>. Photo 11 | “MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 2007 | Doug Aitken: Sleepwalkers | Index.” MoMA | The Museum of Modern Art. Web. 04 Dec. 2010. <http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2007/aitken/>. Photo 12 | Aitken, Doug, and Emily Hall. Doug Aitken: Sleepwalkers. New York: Museum of Modern Art in Association with Creative Time, 2007. 7. Print. Photo 13 | Aitken, Doug, and Emily Hall. Doug Aitken: Sleepwalkers. New York: Museum of Modern Art in Association with Creative Time, 2007. 155. Print. Photo 14 | Aitken, Doug, and Emily Hall. Doug Aitken: Sleepwalkers. New York: Museum of Modern Art in Association with Creative Time, 2007. 162. Print. Photo 15 | Aitken, Doug, and Emily Hall. Doug Aitken: Sleepwalkers. New York: Museum of Modern Art in Association with Creative Time, 2007. 116. Print. Photo 16 | Aitken, Doug, and Emily Hall. Doug Aitken: Sleepwalkers. New York: Museum of Modern Art in Association with Creative Time, 2007. 93, 96-97. Print. Article References Aitken, Doug, and Emily Hall. Doug Aitken: Sleepwalkers. New York: Museum of Modern Art in Association with Creative Time, 2007. Print. “Creative Time.” Creative Council.blog. Web. 1 Dec. 2010. <http://heartasarenacreativetime.blogspot. com/2007_01_01_archive.html>. Michel, Sia. “MoMA Does a Drive-In.” New York Magazine. 7 Jan. 2007. Web. 1 Dec. 2010. <http://nymag.com/arts/ art/reviews/26286/>. “MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 2007 | Doug Aitken: Sleepwalkers | Index.” MoMA | The Museum of Modern Art. Web. 04 Dec. 2010. <http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2007/aitken/>.

recognition of brand through architecture Project: McDonald’s Architect: Varies Where: Anywhere, USA When: 1960’s to Present Without debating whether McDonald’s is good or bad for American society, it is hard to argue that McDonald’s does not have a profound impact on our landscape all across the country. The prominent golden yellow and vivid double arches are one of the most recognizable icons in America. With over 12,000 McDonald locations in the United States alone, it is hard to miss the prominent symbol when driving down the street. Over the years, the well-known company has had several standard designed buildings pepper suburban cities. Starting in the 1960s, McDonald’s restaurants consisted of a small boxed building with an angled roof, flanked on both sides by a golden arch. At first, these restaurants did not contain an area to sit and eat in an interior setting-- just a drive thru or order/ pick up window. In 1969, McDonald’s issued their second famous building form. Franchise owners were asked to implement a browntoned overhanging double-hipped parapet roof-- commonly known as the double mansard roof. McDonald’s was focused on eliminating the giant golden arches that were considered eyesores by the general public. Interior space was also added.

Complete with non-moveable chairs and bright, nearly offensive colors, the McDonald’s standard stood strong for nearly thirty years-- with the iconic roof being the prime identifier. It was not until the late 1990s, when owners were heavily pushed to change the color of the roof from the standard brown to a bright red or the company trademark yellow. It is at this time that we can see McDonald’s preparing for a complete revitalization of building identification. 4

Five years ago, McDonald’s rolled out their new prototype building-- a visually more sophisticated and comfortable structure, one less offensive for the eyes to observe. An exterior that is articulated with well-detailed, recessed brick courses and aluminum panels, the design is not life changing but is an improvement over the previous. Keeping the yellow but adding shades of variance and transforming the double arch to the widened “eyebrow” arc, the new prototype reads as fresh and modern as opposed to clunky and dated. Dayna Proud states that although the building transformation is costly investment [1,000,000 to tear down, 3-4,000,000 to rebuild] it is a fifty year investment for the company. In other words, McDonald’s was losing their edge as a fast food competitor and this change should keep them on top for many decades to come. Left Top | Modernized version of first McDonald’s Left Middle | McDonald’s complete with iconic red roof Left Bottom | Example of new building prototype Right | An original McDonald’s sign containing the original mascot “Speedee” and only a single arch

Left | New interior of McDonald’s. Softer materials create a space more enticing for patrons to relax and linger. Above | Old interior of McDonald’s. Harsh surfaces encourage patrons to get in and get out as fast as possible. Right | An collection of McDonald’s ranging from Times Square, an airport terminal, a modernized version of the original design, and an example of the new design iteration.

The interiors of the new McDonald’s are drastically different than the previous designs. The hard molded plastic seats that once represented cleanliness now represent sterility. While having a sterile place to sit at a restaurant that turns over hundreds of people at all walks of life in one day is important, feeling comfortable in that same space has started to take importance. Grouted dark tile and offensive colors scream dated; not to mention the daylighting factors and oversized windows that take in no account of sustainability. The new interiors focus on getting rid of the amount of cheap plastic visible. While most of the surfaces are still plastic [easier clean up], the surfaces are designed with a disguise in wood tables and wall moldings. Softer chair backs made out of plastic, soft pendant lighting for individual tables, and contemporary art now floods the interiors of McDonald’s. In some instances, a fireplace with designer chairs may even appear to encourage patrons to stay longer. Daylighting and to an extent other green principles have been implemented. Glazing effectively uses daylight enhances the interior space during the day. At night, the electrical light illuminates the exterior facade creating a beacon of light and attention to McDonald’s. Effectively McDonald’s has been able to sign their sign without touching the actual sign. The layouts of the buildings have also started to change. Designed with three separate seating areas [a fast zone-- typical fast food ideology, a social zone-- larger tables for more social gatherings, and a linger zone-- areas completely focused on comfort] McDonald’s has catered to a patron’s every need. The new design and appearance of McDonald’s has become more of a restaurant than a pit stop. People are spending more and more time away from home and the workplace in spaces dubbed “third place.” McDonald’s wants to benefit from these observations by creating space for people to work on a laptop or enjoy a cup of coffee to entice people to stop by and purchase products... after all, they are still in it for the monetary profit.

why this is important The study of brand evolvement through architecture is important because of the effect it has on our country. People no longer have to rely solely on a sign with symbols and text to identify a company. The recognition of a company’s colors and abstracted geometries connect to the study found in the methodologies portion of this abstract titled “Unevolved Brands.” We as a culture have begun to understand brand as more than just a logo. It is the result of a personal connection to a specific company 14 through product or lifestyle. Picture Credits

Photo 1 | “McDonald’s Buildings.” Eateries. Web. 04 Dec. 2010. <http://www.agilitynut.com/eateries/mcd.html>. Photo 2 | “McDonald’s Buildings.” Eateries. Web. 04 Dec. 2010. <http://www.agilitynut.com/eateries/mcd.html>. Photo 3 | “McDonald’s Buildings.” Eateries. Web. 04 Dec. 2010. <http://www.agilitynut.com/eateries/mcd.html>. Photo 4 | “McDonald’s Buildings.” Eateries. Web. 04 Dec. 2010. <http://www.agilitynut.com/eateries/mcd.html>. Photo 5 | “The Case of McDonald’s versus Deluxe Hamburgers.” Firlapalooza. 7 Oct. 2007. Web. 04 Dec. 2010. <http:// firlapalooza.com/?p=126>. Photo 6 | Holley, Paxton. 2008. Photograph. Photo 7 | “McDonald’s Buildings.” Eateries. Web. 04 Dec. 2010. <http://www.agilitynut.com/eateries/mcd.html>. Photo 8 | “Eco-Friendly and Green News.” Web. 05 Dec. 2010. <http://keetsa.com/blog/tag/mcdonald/>. Photo 9 | “An Old Style McDonald’s Building on Powell Blvd.” Portland Ground: Portland Oregon Pictures - Fresh Images Daily. 28 Dec. 2005. Web. 04 Dec. 2010. <http://www.portlandground.com/archives/2005/12/an_old_style_mc_1.php>. Photo 10 | “Not Your Average McDonald’s.” Things to Do in Atlanta. Web. 04 Dec. 2010. <http://projects.accessatlanta. com/gallery/view/restaurants/mcdonalds0415/>. Photo 11 | Y.C., Noel. “New York’s Glitziest Fast Food Restaurant.” NYC ♥ NYC. 4 Sept. 2010. Web. 04 Dec. 2010. <http:// nyclovesnyc.blogspot.com/2010/09/new-yorks-glitziest-fast-food.html>. Photo 12 | Holley, Paxton. 2008. Photograph. Photo 13 | Schwietzke, Rene’ “McDonalds at Route 1.” Yet Another Photo Blog - Fly Agaric in Sweden. Web. 04 Dec. 2010. <http://www.yetanotherphotoblog.de/index.php?showimage=212>. Photo 14 | “McDonald’s Buildings.” Eateries. Web. 04 Dec. 2010. <http://www.agilitynut.com/eateries/mcd.html>.

Article References

Kamin, Blair. “Cityscapes: McDonald’s New Look: Less Aesthetic Heartburn, but Where’s the Spice?” Chicago Tribune. 5 Dec. 2008. Web. 04 Dec. 2010. <http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2008/12/mcdonalds-new-l.html>. Mc, Kevin. “Weird McDonald’s.” HubPages. 2008. Web. 07 Dec. 2010. <http://hubpages.com/hub/Weird_McDonalds>. “Mickey D’s McMakeover.” Bloomberg Businessweek. 15 May 2006. Web. 07 Dec. 2010. <http://www.businessweek.com/ magazine/content/06_20/b3984065.htm>.

project context site building program user importance branding presentation observation

ipod online class

McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

reality tv

instant starbucks

Lifestyle

mega-bus

video games

netflix

microsoft

flying

books on cd

Speed of life

Daily chaos

kindle

travel

texting

facebook

fashion

smart phones

olympics

wi-fi

blue tooth

public

highway

youtube

privacy

redbox

google

Bing

apple satellite images

google street view

context I started last semester looking at branding and how as a society, we have become dependent on logos and corporate companies in architecture. We in the western world are a very status based society. I even ventured into the abstraction of certain logos down to color and form and looked at how a consumer can still recognize a certain company—like McDonald’s famous double arch. I was really fascinated with our ability to recognize companies from their architectural form (without use of a specific logo) and just through color and shape. I started looking at the American lifestyle and compiled a list of “necessary” items that confronted society on a daily basis. Currently, our lives could not function without these technologies that were designed to make our lives easier and more convenient. Because of these technologies, our speed of life has increased through the years, and we as a society, seem to be cramming more activities and tasks into our days. But in reality these “conveniences” have actually just made our lives more chaotic. With all these new technologies that play a major role in our lives, I couldn’t think of one more important than the automobile. The car almost seems like an extension of our bodies. Some spend more time worrying about the appearance of their cars than their homes. In the typical American city, the car is the dominate form of transportation.

Automobile With the hustle and bustle, fast paced life, it is important that the refresh center disconnect with this. This goes to say that the building will contain a high amount of technology, but will focus its efforts into devices that will cater to the relaxation of the individuals.

site Located just North of Indianapolis, Hamilton County is one of the most affluent counties in the nation. Heading South on the main highway that cuts the state in half East | West, one starts to notice the increase in population as it approaches the metropolitan area. This area of interest acts as a gateway to the capital city by greeting those emerging from the rural farm land found to the north. Quite quickly, do commercial and residential areas start to form once reaching this area North of the city.

why carmel? After all the background research completed the focused on image and branding, I was overwhelmed with the task at picking a test site for a refresh center. These ideals could be implemented in almost any city on any street corner in America. Ultimately I chose my site based upon the city which I knew showcased the ideas of branding, status, and convenience the best. Carmel, Indiana.

median household value

median household income

Carmel is a very status driven societyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;one, if not the most, driven in Indiana. A typical customer from this area would really push for luxury and convenience. This is seen in the expensive cars and large mansions that pepper the Carmel landscape. It is evident that most people in this area will pay extra dollars for a name brand and a service. Below are some statistics that prove the majority of Carmel has money to spend in comparison to the rest of Indiana.

typical mode of transportation

In America, the car has become our main mode of transportation-especially in the everyday city. In Carmel it is even worse. Eighty-eight percent of Carmelites drive to work, alone, in a car. This heavy emphasis increases demand for thoroughfares and road repairs. As seen to the diagram on the right, the site sits on the corner of two prominent and heavily traveled roads. All of the purple colored buildings show commercial properties. With out lots and a sea of parking, the last thing this site and program need is more surface parking. This current lifestyle has become centered around the function of the car and not about the human. The status symbol that comes from owning a car is also quite strong in Hamilton County. The more expensive the car, the more money you are perceived as having. Since this area is focused on image, leaders of importance [even those who just think they are important] are encouraged to have the news, most desired form of transportation.

88%

As the site becomes larger, it is apparent that the amount of land found on this corner is quite larger than the surrounding lots. This allows for the design and layout of the building to be much more spread out throughout the site. The landscape can start to form and sculpt around the program of the building, along with the structure. Cutting the individuals off visually from the surrounding area of parking will help connect them mentally with the nature that surrounds them on the site. The refresh center is meant for all types of people. With this amount of land, the landscaping can start to carter to these individual needs. Those who wish to walk through nature trails may enjoy taking walks around the site and through a garden that will produce fresh goods [vegetables and flowers] to be sold inside. And while this design is focused around the automobile, it is important to allow for those who wish to walk or bike to the refresh center to be allowed to do so. Sidewalks that connect to the site from neighboring areas allow for safe travel at all ages.

building program why a refresh center?

With automobiles heavily present in our society--

can we create a building experience that caters to the human and is not designed around the automobile? The refresh center is a new take on a form of convenience. It is based on the ideas behind a car driven societyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;where instead of designing around parking space allotments, interchanges, and turn radiiâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;we start designing around the user to brand a new standard of quality in convenience. The most desired site for a company to build on is the corner of two intersecting streets for both visual and convenience purposes. Over time Americans have allowed these corners to host a variety of different gas stations and convenience marts. These have become a staple in the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s landscape. We have allowed these eye sores to take over due to the fact that we are a car driven society and loves function and convenience.

program gas carwash service convenience mart coffee/sandwich shop, lounge flower shop yoga studio restrooms

total

| | | | | | | |

7400 sf 5200 sf 3000 sf 2600 sf 3200 sf 2600 sf 5000 sf 1000 sf

30,000 sf

program The refresh center puts a new spin on the meaning of a mixed use building. Typically a mixed use building is said in reference to a building that has one to two floors of commercial on the ground level with residential units above. While the refresh center stacks only two stories tall, there is no doubt that it can, too, be classified as mixed use. There are several different functions that allow the building to be diverse and offer several different appeals to the potential users of the space. It is imperative that the building be diverse to invite people of all variety to try the refresh center, to experience a heightened experience of service, and to want to come back for additional services. Similar to the all of the new smart phones that exhibit more functions than basic phone calls, this â&#x20AC;&#x153;smart facilityâ&#x20AC;? is more than just a gas station--there is an advantage to having all functions in one spot.

North Elevation

exterior + lounge gas station cafe shop car wash sandwich mart service area gym parking dance studios garden daycare

+ 1stop.shop convenience mart flower mart restrooms waiting rooms

lifestyle

Another layer important to this design is the ability to reduce the carbon footprint through lifestyle changes. By promoting healthier lifestyle choices, the refresh center can act as a teacher for the general public--without taking away their desire for luxury and convenience. Not only are these choices better for the environment and longevity of the clients using the center, it added additional marketing ideas to the project. While one of the aspects of the design is a gas station, it is understood that a car driven society is not best for the environment, the reality of the matter is that the car is not going to disappear for society anytime soon. Was to counter balance this heavy environmental footprint can be:

discount for eco-friendly cars

stations for â&#x20AC;&#x153;electrical fill-upâ&#x20AC;?

use most energy efficient gas [ethanol e85]

use of recycled products

sell locally grown products [vegetables-flowers]

learning lab for green design

Image of Relaxation Garden outside of Gym

offer discounts to energy efficient vehicles

sell + promote only recyclable products

power powe er pl p plastic las asttiic

photovoltaic panels for solar collection

gardening opportunities for local fruits, vegetables, + flowers

on site water retention, collection + purification system

promote daylit space [building designed E/W orientation]

Image of Main Entrance

1 4

2 3 5

10 8

10 6

Ground Floor Plan w/ circulation diagram

Gym + Dance Studios

Sandwich Mart + Seating

Image of Entrance + Car Drop Off

The concept behind the design allows for the consumer to be refreshed while their car is also being refreshed. The 1 entrance to the building winds down 2 from the street slowly so the guests of the space enter below the ground floor. After 4 5 5 dropping of the car and indicating to the attendant what services should be preformed on the car, the consumer is then invited to proceed to the main level 2 while they wait. By separating the served and the service functions, it allows the guest to flow at their own rate, while the automobile flows at its rate. A heightened experience of visual connection creates highlighted points where guests can peer down below to watch the Subgrade Floor Plan w/ circulation diagram vehicles being serviced.

Carwash + Exterior observation area

7 2 8

Seating Area with observation area

The service spaces are run parallel in the north to south direction, specific lanes assigned to specific service function--carwash, gas, etc. For the users of the served space, I found it important for them to experience the flow of the building. Similar to a spa or a sporting venue, guests will come to the refresh center to forget their hectic and busy lifestyle to relax and be pampered. With linear strips that span in an east and west direction, the guest must weave back and further in the building, experiencing all of the functions in the building. I anticipate people will be spending anywhere from ten minutes to two hours waiting on their car to be serviced, so it was imperative that they took their time flowing through the space, instead being able to see the exit from the entrance point. There is a strong standard of flow to circulate through the building, however it is important to note that one can deviate from the path if the situation requires.

North | South Section Perspective showing Main Entrance + Observation area in Daycare

Since there are two distinct circulation patterns, when they are overlapped onto each other, the two circulation patterns create a weaved pattern. Where the two intersect, are where the visual connection arises. From the two floor entrance to the outlook and observation spaces above the carwash or in the waiting area users of the space can interact the vehicles without having to adapt to the exterior condition.

Diagram of overlapped circulation paths

Image of Interior Seating with floor cutouts to visually experience vehicles in carwash

A section perspective cut through East | West through the refresh center shows the layered design. Having a submerged level that services the automobile allows for the served level to be flush with the ground. This allows for the exterior to flow into the interior space throughout the design. Look out spaces, both on the interior and exterior, allow for those relaxing to watch the vehicles below being serviced. A visual connection to the lower level connects the two functions without forcing those who wish to be serviced to interact and adapt to a scenario they are not comfortable with. A flowing landscape on the site, compliments the building in itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s separation from the fast pace world into an area of rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation.

East | West Section Perspective cut through Gym + Flower Shop, Exit

Exit space + Flower Shop

Image of Exterior Seating + Exterior Observation Area

user importance An important aspect of this project was creating a space not solely around one group of people. It is essential that the Refresh Center have a high level of energy and life to continue to entice people to come and invest their money into a service. To achieve these levels, it is important to create a need for various amounts of users along side great customer service to ensure a repeat clientele. Articulated through design layout, there is minimal â&#x20AC;&#x153;behind the scenesâ&#x20AC;? space for workers to linger in. Usually these spaces are not comforting to those working. It is important that the employs [those who spend the most time in the space] feel comfortable at all times. When the employees feel comfortable in a space, mood and service improves. Since the design of the building focuses on several different functions, several different types of needs in regards to customers will need to be met. It is important that all parties involved are comfortable and contribute to the space to balance out the areas within the design.

8 hour shift

30 minute - 2 hour

Employee Eric

7:00 am Early on a Monday morning, Eric does not dread heading to work at the

refresh center.

At work, Eric is treated like a customer. Since he is expected to work an eight hour shift, his schedule divides up his time and places him at

different services

throughout the building. Not only does this make his shift pass much quicker, he

gains experience in the workforce with several different jobs in one.

120

coffee lounge

convenience store

120

gymnasium

120

flower shop

8 hours

Businessman Barry y

8:00 am On the way to work and a very important client meeting downtown, Barry stops to get his car

filled-up with gas + washed.

He gets out of the car [similar to valet service] and heads inside. While his car his being serviced, Barry sits at a small table to read through his morning emails on his laptop. He can enjoying

a cup of black coffee

while getting his car â&#x20AC;&#x153;preppedâ&#x20AC;? without any of the messy work.

convenience store

coffee lounge

5restroom

45 minutes

Carmelite Camille

10:30 am After dropping her two children off at daycare and completing her daily Yoga routine at the

local gym, Camille likes to meet up with her friends to enjoy an iced latte

and a croissant sandwich for a

small lunch

before heading out to do some shopping. Camille can pick up some

fresh cut flowers

to display at home.

sandwich shop

yoga studio

20 locker rooms

5fresh flowers

child care

2 hours

12:00 pm Traveling South to Indianapolis every other weekend, Tom makes a routine stop at the refresh center. Not taking time to browse the center, Tom knows what he wants and can stop in at the

convenience mart

and grab a quick bottled drink and continue on his way. Since he is only staying for no more than ten minutes, Tom prefers to park his own car in the underground lot and not worry about the oďŹ&#x20AC;ered valet parking services.

Traveling Tom

3 convenience mart 2rest room

After school lets out, Tara and Tori always meet up to work on homework. Since

free wi-fi

is offered to everyone, any a homework question can be answered-and social networking sites can be checked. By stopping at this hang out, the study group can grab a snack after school and prior to heading home or to their next social engagement.

Teenagers Tara + Tori

convenience mart

sandwich shop

10 rest room

After leaving work and picking up her two daughters from day-care, Whitney stops to pick up

milk and bread

before dropping the girls off at ballet. Since she is able to pick up dinner necessities, she can start dinner while the girls are at practice. The girls are able to go into the to change since cleanlines rest rooms is a top priority.

The one stop shop convenience makes it easy for this family to accomplish a lot in the short amount of time they have to get from point a to b.

Working Mom Whitney

15 30

6:00 pm

convenience mart

dance studio

10 0locker rooms

10 5 child care

fruits + veggies

branding From the very first meeting, I knew I wanted to do a project that discussed image in architecture. Through a literally interpretation of image, I started looking at photography, and which eventually led me to branding. The average American in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s society can come into contact with up to 20,000 brand images on a daily basis. It is important that the image is clear, concise, and communicates with the public quick as many only will see the logo for a company for a brief second. An important aspect of this project was focused on branding the idea of a refresh center. The center is available for all to use, but puts an emphasis on those of a higher social status. People in this area, will tend to pay for service and will expect a high quality service for their payment. The building will be immaculate and will express the ideas of relaxation and refreshing the body and mind while being functional as well. The image that a refresh center would provide would be clean, simple, and sophisticated. The first attempt of a logo reads clearly and is meant to exhibit signs of rejuvenation. The first logo, I felt, was simple--also too simple. I wanted the logo to read clearly, but also to inflict emotion into the users. The second attempt seems more personable to those using the space. With more color and the hint of a smile, the second logo or image of brand is warm and welcoming. When I go back to re-examine aspects of the project, I want to spend a portion of the time looking at creating an even strong brand image.

ReFresh

refueling design | branding a new convenience

presentation + observations The verbal and physical portion of this projected was presented on April 21, 2011. Throughout the presentation and after taking time to reflection over the project, there are several items that could be addressed to better enhance the project. This project will never be completely finished--as with any design. It is important to continue to grow as a designer as you follow through with a design until it has reached itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s full potential. I started this project hoping to focus solely on branding and how it has affected architecture, and gained a whole new perspective on the topic. Through the manifestation of an actual building, I am proud to say I have added several layers of design to an original idea over the course of two semesters. Those layers will only continue to grow as I readdress and rework several issues in the design. Since this was my first pass at branding and marketing a complete project, I only hope to learn from this experience. After looking at Apple products and the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s marketing technique, I know I still have a long way to go. Eventually, I would like to get into the marketing side of architecture, and I feel that going through this task will only help in the branding of myself as I look for future endeavors. In the actual design of the project, several discussion points were brought up during the presentation. Sculpting the landscape on the site to flow around the building would really improve the overall concept of the design. Creating paths throughout the site for people to relax and to forget about the fast pace lifestyle while physically exercising to keep healthy will also will strengthen the design. Eliminating the harsh retaining walls around the perimeter of the subgrade level will make the space seem less like a parking garage. If the landscape shifted and slowly rolled into sublevel, the current layered and stagnate design would become stronger. Overall, these observations and several more will only strengthen myself and the project further. I am excited to see where this design ends up and how it returns to this over arching branding idea. Critics in attendance: Ana de Brea Matt Amore Josh Coggeshall Jason Klinker Robert Snyder, AIA NCARB Kate Lengacher

Board Presentation from April 21, 2011

ReFresh

refueling design | branding a new convenience

erin chapman 2011 MArch final creative project Ana de Brea Tony Costello, FAIA

ReFresh