Enchanting Future- LaCrosse Brewery

After researching LaCrosse and doing case studies of micro-brewery, we then worked on developing the design. We are trying to preserve the rock houses as they are significant historical heritage and it symbolize the hard time they had when exploiting the town. I added an extension and incorporate fenced outdoor area into my design in order to attract people's attention. I would love to grow more trees in LaCrosse especially areas surround rock houses because there are currently no enough shades. The fountain at the front will provide a nice space for people to rest and it is also a visual interest. For the interior, the wine holding tank are visible in the wine tasting area to create a more engaging atmosphere. I would like to create a family style brewery where people love to go and there is a children's place besides the brewery for children to play in. Although there are limitations within the brewery theme, it seems to be a project with high potentials of promoting the town and bringing economic growth.

LaCrosse Inforgraphic

LaCrosse, WA

LaCrosse is a small town in Whitman county. The rock houses were donated to LCP (LaCrosse Community Pride) so they were hoping to utilize the space and property in a meaningful way. Before we get start on the project itself, we research the town and try to understand different aspects of the site. It is important that we understand the culture of the town and consider what kind of design would fit the community very well. I like how straight forward a inforgraphic could present to the viewer and how icons become a the subject matter instead of wordy description. LaCrosse is a town that born because of the railroad and there are abundant natural resources within the town. Interestingly, the median resident age is 51.8 and there are only one convenient store. With all of the promising proposal we have for LaCrosse, we are hoping to construct a better future for the town and make rock houses become a turning point for the community. 

Micro-Brewery Case Studies

Because we are trying to turn the rock houses in a small town called LaCrosse into a small brewery, it will be beneficial for us if we look at other successful brewery story. To my surprise, this now well-know brewery actually start pretty small but eventually get to a very successful business. It reveals the potentials of a micro brewery in a small town such as LaCrosse. Brewery provides a place for people to retreat from their daily work and immerse into a cheerful and encouraged place. I also see how the green actions a brewery take to preserve the earth serve as a strong model for the community to follow. The belief and commissions a brewery follow shape and influence the community in a great sense. I hope to learn from this case and take those positives into our brewery project in LaCrosse community. 

Allagash Brewing Company is another case I chose to study because they did an amazing job in inventing new flavors of beer.The ability to keep developing a business and moving forward is the vital element behind a successful business. The founder Rob Tod start from a small 15 barrel brewhouse but finally became a fantastic brewery with lots of great beer in their portfolio. They are a company who really cares about the community and sought to provide a enchanting environment for the town. They also contribute some of their profit in supporting groups and organizations in their home state. It seems that a micro brewery could be a very good choice for LaCrosse to begin with and it could be a driven force to improve the economic of the town. 

Harmonious Balance- Atrium Space in IT Building

Harmonious Balance- Atrium Space in IT Building

     We got a chance to design the atrium space in Information Technology Building. This atrium space used to be an outdoor space that connects to the natural environment; however, due to the new construction of the VIP Building for football game, the atrium became an enclosed area and it can no longer achieve natural daylight. As designers, we were asked to come up with design solutions with focus on workplace design, place theory, and light and color effect. Our goal is to construct a new atrium that meets the needs of office users and becomes a place where design classes can be inspired from. Because there are lots of office units surround the atrium space, the interaction between these two space is very important and thus we need to make sure the activities happen in the atrium will not interfere with people working in the office and people inside offices are willing to open up their curtain to enjoy the innovative atrium.
     In order to understand how officer users feel about the change from an outdoor atrium space to an enclosed are, we conducts several interviews to discover problems and possible solutions. We also showed clients our preliminary designs to see what we can improve. Working with real clients helps us understand the important role of being an interior designer. Interior designers are responsible to take clients' needs into consideration and come up with the design strategy that is beautiful while practical. 
     
      My idea came from "Rainforest Cafe" where people enjoy dining in a rain forest environment with aquarium surround. I would like to use this concept to develop the current atrium and let it successfully mimic the atrium of the past and remind people of the natural world. I would let the atrium become a wonderland where people can find inspiration, innovation, and creativity. I hope the atrium will be a place where people can rejuvenate themselves and become productive after a rest in the atrium. The artificial plantings and trees placed on the ceiling establish the rain forest atmosphere and because they are not real, people do not need to take good care of them. The aquarium bar counter further reinforce the idea of a wonderland. 

"Light in Action" Physics Principles

“Is it real” is the most impressive experiment which a solid frog seems to appear in front of our eye but it is actually inside a bowl beneath the virtual frog image we perceive from above. I am going to use this concept on the base part of the water fountain. Putting objects like star, fish, inside this reflective bowl and let people who see beside perceive the virtual image. However, when people try to touch it, they will understand this trick. 

“Color Mixing” is another lighting idea I am going to installed around the water fountain. Having different light beam surround the fountain, the result will be marvelous as different light color mix with each other and present a new color. 

Boundary County Library Project- Personal Poster

Boundary County Library Project- Personal Poster

We are asked by Boundary County Library to help them with the extension project which have planned for several years. Boundary County Library is one of the most important facility of the town and it is an essential element for reinforcing their education. They believe that education is a way for their generations to establish a better future. We actually went down to the library and talked with representatives from other facilities suc as university of Idaho, Boundary County Economic Development, and Northern Idaho College to make a further understanding of their expectations. Because of the culture and spirit of the town, they are not looking for something like Seattle Central Library but something moderate but express their spirit very well.

Workplace Case Study

Workplace Case Study

     Because we have a chance to design the previous atrium space in Information Technology Building at WSU, it is better for us to do a case study regarding innovative and creative workplace design in advance. This workplace design is based on a limited budget, the result turned out to be very modern and energy efficient. What I learned from this case study is that there are possibilities of constructing a marvelous workplace even though the budget and the space is limited. It also lets me think about an effective air ventilation for the atrium design. Case study helps me think outside of the box and have a thought of designing something different. I would say case study is an essential part of the design process and it is the element that makes the design successful and practical.

Library/ Community Workshop/ Fab Lab Case Studies

Library/ Community Workshop/ Fab Lab Case Studies

     We got an opportunities to do case studies about fab lab, community workshop, small town library, and city library to develop our understanding of different specific facilities. These case studies play an important role in design process and they help us build up the Boundary County Library project. I didn't know what a fab lab should look like until I did the research and the community workshop I found is quite interesting and impressive because of their organizational goal. I enjoy doing case studies to discover innovative design solutions and strategies.

     Doing case studies gives us a chance to understand different project, facility, and organization and how designs serve different function of the spaces. We learned from the cases we studied and applied them into our future projects. Constructing a further research let us have knowledge of particular facilities we are going to put in our library project. I realized how decisions were made and how people can change and imporve their build environment.