Free your mind: Refractive [geometries] in Metastasis....or "I can haz cheeseburger?"?

I've been thinking about light since a lot of the precedent study I've been doing. Bars and clubs use it to highlight areas (dancing, drinking, lounging, etc) for people while retail stores use it to emphasize the products and merchandise. One of the terms I remembered from Tina's class was "refraction" which refers to the change in direction or bending of a wave(s). "Refractory" is having a quality of resistance to treatment or to heat. Strangely enough, the search pointed me in the direction of cancer. Cancer is the abnormally aggressive and invasive growth and division of cells, sometimes to the host's detriment. In cancer "metastasize", "metastatic", and "metastasis" all refer to the the spread and propagation of the affected cells. So lets put that together:

Refractive Metastasis: aggressive, invasive, uncontrolled bending and changes in direction, proliferating throughout a body.

I think I might have something.

Case Study Three | Precedent and the like

What do bars, libraries, office systems, movie theaters and video game stores have in common? My project. Having spent the past few days deliberating with myself what it is I'm selling (merchandise and services), the picture of this retail store in my mind's eye is becoming more clear. I'll mention the books (and other sources) from my personal library that I used to get the rat headed in the right direction in this maze.

Plastic Design (Daab)
Bar Design (Daab)
Offices (Braun)
Transmaterial (Blaine Brownell)
Young Graphic Designers (Daab)
Tribes Scribes (Alessandro Manfredini)
Google was used for the "faces of gaming", advertisements, merchandise, and typical stores.

I used a bit of a different format than suggested by the hand-out. Instead of studying 6 retail stores, 6 places (or things) that portray something about my design have been chosen instead. I find this appropriate since there is a high probability that my specific type of store does not exist. The store type closest to mine is one that sells video games but I've found through my perusing the internet and books that those places lack the design influence that I am looking for. We'll start with a diagram...

The 5 areas scheduled for group metamorphosis: bar, video game store, library, office system, and movie theater. I listed types of services, areas, and items in each category that I felt would apply to my particular project. A preliminary list of similar items was made for the new store and then cross breeding with the other lists to see where there were similarities....

Before I go on...with the shell volume available for design (26' wide x 42' deep x 30' tall), the chance for multiple levels within is a major possibility. For now there are three major areas: admin/service, consumer/gaming, and display/circulation. The admin/service refers to any area that the employees operate from (cash rap for example), consumer/gaming includes any area where people actively play games or watch movies, and display/circulation would be pathways and entrances (horizontal and vertical) that connect the the above mentioned areas. On to the results of the cross breeding....

[Service] - bar - game store - library
cash rap
food/beverage
tech support
merchandise
Wifi

[Entertainment] - office systems - game terminals - bar seating areas
Game Terminal Classifications: Console, PC, Video
Terminal Types: Group, Personal*private and public for both*
Accommodation Types: Lounge seating, Bar seating, Normal table height
Atmosphere/Experience[bar - video games - movies]

[Circulation] - library - game store - movie theater
entrances - store front display
merchandise display - strategically scattered throughout
horizontal - delineation through floor/ceiling changes (material, light, texture, form)
vertical - stairs/elevators - same as above

[1][video game stores]



These are examples of video game stores (except for the library). There has not been much in advancement in the way games are displayed since they started to hit shelves 2 decades ago. There has actually been a slight movement towards offering games online in a way similar to netflix offers movies instead of normally renting or buying at game store. I personally prefer to go to a store to look around. I think it comes from this nostalgic feeling of when I was in 5th grade and I bought Super Mario Brothers 3 ($55 at the time, crazy I know) for the regular Nintendo. I still get the same excitement and happiness when I walk into a store ready to buy something I've been anticipating after doing research (then it was nintendo power magazines, now its the internet). I usually spend 30mins to an hour in the store browsing depending on if my girlfriend is with me or not. She can't stand the stores and I can understand why. They are cramped and packed with as much merchandise possible. The only comfortable looking place is behind the cashrap but you can't go back there (employees only!). I honestly don't like being in any sort of crowded place (unless its public transportation) because people tend to not be concerned with others around them and this is especially true in game stores around the holidays. The parents are just as insane as the little kids.
[2][game terminals]
The "gaming terminal/station" has been a staple in the video game store since consoles got on the market. It has always been a way for people to test out new games or new consoles before actually shelling out cash you saved up mowing lawns all summer. Right now the focal point of the total design is based on the types of gaming/video terminals and the interaction between them and the customer. I strongly believe these varying experiences and how they are developed to meet different needs will simultaneously help to develop the rest of the store around them. There are eight(8) possible scenarios so far:

Public: group [console, computer], single [console, computer] These would be in open areas much like internet cafes. In addition to the terminals the store would also offer wifi for those who choose to bring their laptops or other portable devices with wireless internet capability (charge a fee to connect to play games with users within the store). That type of user doesn't necessarily fall into either public or private because they can go anywhere.

Private: group [console, computer], single [console, computer] Private terminals would be any enclosed or encapsulated environment providing gaming services. These would be reserved and/or rented out much like the public stations.
[3][seating accommodation]
The seating accommodations are heavily influenced by the types of gaming terminals and the proposed atmosphere of an area. Again, it all goes back to the gaming terminal scenarios and what each one has to offer. I see the 1st and 2nd images with the "myvue" and wireless users in both public and private situations. The 3rd and 4th images make me think of types of clusters of gaming stations, sitting at bar height or normal table top height. There is also the possibility proposed by the 5th image with the use of office systems furniture (some computer gamers at home already use similar systems).
[4][Lighting]
Clubs and bars have also been a source of inspiration for lighting scenarios. Floor, wall, and ceiling fixtures will help to delineate the different areas [service][entertainment][circulation] as well as the terminal scenarios. I forsee the lighting atmosphere changing with separate day (merchandise driven) and night situations (bar/club night life).
[5] [Form]





The "pixel" keeps popping up in my head[The information stored for a single grid point in the image, a complete image is a rectangular array of pixels]. With the recent formation of a starter concept[refractive geometries in metastasis], I think pixel starts to fit even more into the conceptual realm of my store in that it provides fruitfull information about possible forms. I took color theory a few semesters ago and one of the projects was a "pixel" project. Pixel is loosely defined outside of the digital world. It doesn't have to be a square and in this case the watercolor painting we were doing at the time could have multiple types of "pixels." I intend to use the "pixel" to define diffent areas talked about previously through repetition, varying scales, volumes, and types.
[6][Texture]





Something definitely missing from video game store experiences is the tactile one. I don't forsee every surface having an actual physical texture but rather most appearing as if they do either through lighting, form, or finish.

I must be obsessed with bridges

I came across this bridge on one of the blogs I follow (or try to when I have the time). Ever since becoming interested in urban planning and urban design a few years ago, I've been trying to think of ways to mold that into a thesis project for my final studio in Interior Architecture at UNC-Greensboro. My obsession with pedestrian footbridges this semester has gotten the hamster turning in my head! I believe a bridge is a possible pathway because of the scale and its relationship to people, among other things.


I suppose the potential argument is not what Interior Architecture is but what it is not. Does a pedestrian footbridge fall into Interior Architecture? I feel there has been a push, perhaps by some of my professors, for the inclusion of outdoor environments in Interior Architecture. I believe they have a place there, as does almost every other area of design but when it comes to my thesis project I am not the one who decides what "is or is not." The words "Interior" and "Architecture" have a wide range of meaning. This undoubtedly spells trouble for those who try to narrowly define the phrase "Interior Architecture" unless they choose to use and/or display their power, the equivalent of "eminent domain", of which case they are only discouraging the creativity of the student to further a most unnecessary and unrelated cause or policy.


We know that the pedestrian footbridge falls into the category of outdoor environments, more specifically urban environments or [pathways] that people use to traverse potential obstacles or get to important [nodes, districts, landmarks]. I have a tendency to do this, to fortify my base before venturing out. In gaming they call it "turtling" and I realized its found its way into my personality, ha! It is safe within the walls but thats what this is about....

I want to get outside of the prescribed box.

I do have things to post for the retail case study, I'm just trying to narrow the scope. Enjoy the pictures...

VOTE BOB-OMB! | Challenge Four | Soup to Nuts

I decided to go with video games although the types of service provided are still in the air and need to be researched. The first two stores that come to mind are Dave & Busters (Chucky Cheese for adults!) and Gamestop. D&B has food & beer and more of an arcade style setting emphasizing consumer interaction at the store. Gamestop is a traditional vendor of computer & video games with less emphasis on people coming in to play and more on people coming to buy (to then go home and play). I also hope to investigate using AutoCAD 3-D or Sketchup's "podium" plugin for 3-D renderings. I'd like to blow people's socks off with this one, big time.

On another note...

Many people are misinformed about video games. It always bugs me when groups of people (moms, politicians, etc) try to get behind a common flag of pointing the finger at something whenever some kid goes ape-crazy killing people with guns at a school. They are so quick to blame video games and exposure to violence in society. I grew up playing violent video games and watching violent movies but you don't see me running around trying to kill people (just like millions of others). True, I might be desensitized to that material but I also know that kind of behavior is unacceptable in our society (just like millions of others). Don't blame the games, blame the parents or the circumstances of a person's situation.

The following facts are provided by the Entertainment Software Association. They more than support my reasoning for placing this type of store in the Shops at Buffalo Bridge considering there isn't one already there. I'd also like to look into the demographics of the immediate 1-2 mile radius around revolution mills. I'm confident that that information will be supportive of the statisitics found by the Entertainment Software Association.

1. U.S. computer and video game software sales grew six percent in 2007 to $9.5 billion - more than tripling industry software sales since 1996.

2. Sixty-five percent of American households play computer or video games.

3. Thirty-eight percent of homes in America have a video game console.

4. The average game player is 35 years old and has been playing games for 13 year.

5. The average age of the most frequent game purchaser is 40 years old.

6. Forty percent of all game players are women. Women over the age of 18 represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population (33 percent) than boys 17 or younger (18 percent).

7. Fifty-six percent of online game players are male and 44 percent are female.

8. In 2007 the industry sold 267.8 million units equating to $9.5 billion in revenue: 153.9 million game console software units @ $6.6 billion, 36.4 million computer game units @ $910.7 million, and 77.5 million portable software units @ $2 billion.

9. On average, 9 games were sold every second of every day of 2007.

10. Halo 3, the best selling title of 2007, took in more revenue in its first day of sales than the biggest opening weekend ever for a movie (Spider-Man 3) and the final Harry Potter book's first day sales.

11. The entertainment industry also sold over 13.4 million portable game units in 2007, as compared to Apple's Iphone which only sold 4 million units that year.

12. Ninety-four percent of the time, parents are present at the time games are purchased or rented.

Some examples of the products:

Exterior Perspectives

Revolution Mills: Farnsworth Addition

For your viewing pleasure....