my issues/ apology

Hi group,

i thought i better post as i don't think i articulate myself properly today, i got to stressed and what i was trying to say didn't come out particularly well.

Basically the problems I have with the way the design has gone are as follows;

1: MARKET:

initially we said that the market would be modular. this as i understand it was for two reasons. one so that the market could be adapted and added to as the scheme grows, and two so it could be adapted to keep this area included into the night. This was a point that all the tutors picked up on and said that they liked and was a key point on our proposal, and as far as i can see that idea has completely gone. there is now a shelter, and then just allocated spaces- like a car park. this is used during the day and then is dead at night? well that gets rid of the 24 hour idea, and keeping the site included in the 24 hour city.

2: GRASS SPACES AND PATHS

the way the site has now been split up there seems to be alot of grass land. this seems more to me like an English park than a Spanish piazza and i think that has taken away from the idea we had to open the space up.

the amount of crossing paths are such an English thing- the piazzas in Spain and the rest of the med are open and spacious and dissected into differing areas purely by function. I thought we were trying to open up the site so users can see right through the site, and that people were going to be guided into areas- through lighting ect rather than being told where to walk. I understand that the paths put in are wide so this may not be an issue.

the grass also will dry out. and Madrid has a shorter of water. so how will this be kept up and maintained? i think there needs t be green areas but not dispersed all across the site maybe.


3: CHOICE OF MATERIALS AND ADDITIONAL SCHEMES:

I think that some of the additional things that are being discussed and implemented are things that are being thrown in as a bit of a novelty. I think that these are overshadowing our key schemes and key attributes to out site- the webcam thing for example is purely a novelty, there has been no indication in research that this is needed or even wanted, yet it has become a key point? I like the idea of call centre but i think this can be included in the building, and not just available for everyone- because who then funds this.

4: MULTIFUNCTIONAL SPACE NOW AT EDUCATION CENTRE:

Now it seems becasue we couldnt adapt the market area to include a multifunctional space, there is now a space for performance under the shelter at the education centre. this is a confusion of the two spaces i think- and that the reason for having this "performance" or exhibition space in the market area was so that it was given a focus point that would then allow people to sell mixtures of food, drinks ect in the same area and create a lively atmosphere where people could spend the evenings. with this separated now it feels like a festival site. I am also not sure how this space would facilitate films, or art exhibitions. if you can let me know this that would be good.

5: LIGHTING:

i am worried that the lighting scheme is going to go to waste. i like Esteban's design, but with the material we are looking to use there are a number of things that need to be taken into account. the material needs to have a large surface area in the sun- this is so it can absorb the maximum possible sunlight. it being in a pole shape i don't think will work. Also as you were talking about using the paint based material. this can not be applied to metal, it can only be applied to concrete or woods. also the thickness of the material effects how much energy can be absorbed and stored. therefore a layer of paint may not do the job.

I mean to be honest it seems like all the core points of our proposal have just been completely overlooked and there has been no questioning of how the area functions and works, but its all just gone back to what it looks like. because certain things were challenging it seems they have been completely dropped. the system we came up with i felt was extremely strong and i feel we have lost alot of our core values.

I am fine if things are changing as long as the changes are for clear reasons. i mean as far as i am aware most of the group are happy with how things are but i thought it was important to at least put down what i was trying to say earlier- but because I'm ill it didn't come across very well. i am happy to help build the model and help with the graphics and stuff. to be honest i think it is too late to change too much now but the design proposal needs to be rewritten as our solution no longer supports our design proposal in my eyes.

i dunno, let me know what you think anyway, and apologies for being a dick today.

joe