Ice Arena Tour Reflection
Part 1 – Examine the flooring and surfaces in the BGSU Ice Arena (locker rooms, hall ways, lobby, lounge, walls, ceilings, etc.) for their efficiency.
While on the tour of the Ice Arena I did notice the new renovations that have been made. Although they’ve been somewhat small, they are noticeable. A large part that was pointed out throughout the tour was the flooring. The new locker rooms had specialized flooring in the changing areas and in the bathroom areas. This makes for easier clean up and the resistance of germs/diseases. The locker room floors were nicely remodeled, but as pointed out in our tour, the floors in the main rink weren’t up to par. The new floor materials put in for skaters to be able to walk around was randomly cut out in one large triangular section. This made the flooring look odd and undesirable and made parts of the floor susceptive to damage from skates.
The new flooring in the main entrance hallway was one of the first things I noticed when I walked in. It looks nice and new and really makes the area look better than it did before, even though it’s a small change. The flooring adds a fresh look to the entrance and that’s important because it is what visitors are first seeing when they enter the facility. There was only one section of the flooring that really turned me off and that was in the lounge area. The new renovations added nice neutral paint colors to the wall that look sleek, but the floor pattern and color chosen drew you straight to them. It was a gaudy design, ugly colors and it just looked outdated. I was shocked to hear that it was new carpeting!
Part 2 – What is your overall impression of the BGSU Ice Arena? Does it meet the needs of BGSU and the Bowling Green community or are other updates necessary?
As I said before, I noticed the small changes that had been made so far, but I think the Ice Arena still has a ways to go before it’s a sharp, up to date facility. The new lighting features, locker rooms, and curling ice are great features. They give a nice feel to the ice arena, but the other phases need to be completed before the Ice Arena comes out of the 1960’s. As of right now the facility meets the needs of community members and students, but further renovations need to be made so the building looks complete and put together. Once this happens I think the Ice Arena will become a larger part of the campus facilities and will be recognized/used more often.
For more on the BGSU Ice Arena:
http://www.bgsu.edu/map/buildings/page19793.html
Perry Field House Tour Reflection
The Perry Field House was built in 1992. Its original focus was on academic classes and sports. The reason for this focus was to obtain more grants in order to build the facility that we see today. During the tour that Scott gave I learned a few things about the Field House I had never known; the first being all of the intricacies in the track room. The track is built on top of concrete. This means that the surface is less absorbent to people running on the track and running on this surface over time can cause painful injuries such as shin splints. Scott had suggested that they use different materials when first building that would have cost more to begin with, but been worth it in the long haul. The surface is also wearing away because of runners mainly using the inside of the track. This will be difficult and pricey to replace. Had they have used a more expensive material to begin with, as Scott was suggesting; they wouldn’t have these problems to deal with now.
A part of the Field House that I frequent is the back storage room. This part of the facility defiantly does not meet the standards that have been identified in the chapters. The area does supply room for extra equipment and materials needed for repairs, but it’s a cold, gloomy, garage-like area that isn’t where anyone really wants to go. Storage areas aren’t supposed to be the highlight of a facility, but they should be designed with a little more subtly. Instead of having fencing for separating the storage area, walls could have been used. There are also some areas where supplies are unorganized and all over the place. I also noticed a bucket strung from the ceiling under a water logged tile. This didn’t look safe and the way it was fixed was pretty rinky dink!
The turf room is the most frequently used space in the Field House in my opinion and with good reason. This room of the facility is utilized in so many ways. The area is versatile and this helps the program directors fill time slots and make more money. The field is made with synthetic turf which looks good and is applicable for more than just football players. The field also has dividers so multiple different activities can be happening at once or if you put the dividers up you have a very large space for marching band, football, and cheerleading camp!
Another advantage of the Field House design is the placement of classrooms and offices. These are nicely organized in the building and are in two centralized locations that are easy to find. The signage throughout the building also helps with finding your way around. The building is fairly new and you can tell throughout with the use of neutral design that’s very modern. This helps the building be more comfortable for visitors because it looks fresh and it is easy to navigate your way throughout. Renovations are needed in parts of the building and that was clearly seen during the tour, but that takes a lot of money. The Recreation and Wellness department isn’t a largely highlighted part of the Master Plan, but maybe in the years to come some positive changes can be made in the building.
A link to BGSU’s Historic Campus Tour(Perry Field House):
http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/library/cac/uarchives/uatour/page49536.html
Technologically Disabled
Technology is a growing part of our society. Everyday new technology is being patented and sold to people across the nation and the world. Technology is affecting many businesses/companies in both positive and negative ways. Some of the positive effects of technology in Event Planning include the ease in storing information in one area (planning software) and the rapid movement of information.
In the past Event Planners have had to use loose papers filed in cabinets, desks and address books. Since technology has advanced there have been many kinds of planning software introduced to make keeping information organized and easy to access. You can simply type what you need into the computer and it is filed away in the software. Planners no longer have to worry about where addresses have gone and what reservations have been made. The technology stores all of this in one piece of software were there are different pages for all kinds of information to be stored. This technology also allows for rapid movement of information. Planners can send out information to caterers, venues, and guests of events via e-mail. They can get information out fast and in mass amounts to everyone. This is important because changes can be made at the last minute and you have to be able to contact people fast to deal with these changes that arise.
There are obviously downfalls to the increase in technology use. People spend less time face to face conducting business. Without this face to face time some experiences can be lost. If planners only meet with clients over the phone or internet they can mistake what the client wants. They can also confuse small details that may not be able to be fully understood without face to face contact. Information can also be skewed between planners and venders. If the wrong amount for seating is sent out then charges can be made that aren’t supposed to be or there will not be enough seating for all guests. By talking over the phone or in person these mistakes can be caught. It is important that if you use technology you are double checking your work and making sure numbers and information you give out is correct.
Some useful software that I found on the internet called EZ Event Planner can be used by event planners to help make their jobs easier. Some benefits of the software are:
• Keeps information safe/organized in one area
• Can be accessed from anywhere in the world
• Its accessible to both the event planners and guests to events
• Can help to plan over 30 different kinds of events
• First 3 months of use are free and then it’s only one yearly payment for use anytime
http://www.ezeventplanner.com/
“Safety Net”
1. I don’t think that anyone is really at fault for the young girl in the Popke article. No one was demonstrating negligence. I do not feel that anyone was clearly demonstrating any form of negligence in the Popke article. As defined in class negligence is an unintentional tort that injures an individual in person property or reputation which may occur because of fault in duty, the act or proximate cause. All of the girls who were on the cheerleading team knew that there are risks involved in their sport, but they practice often and weren’t necessarily practicing for a stomach condition. There could possibly be an argument against negligence because it was known that Ashley Burns had stomach issues, but it couldn’t have really been predicted that it could lead to her death.
2. I think that the facility doesn’t really play much of a role in this case for the fact that they were outside and the only elements that could have affected the cheerleaders was the track. I think the most responsibility would rely on the coaches. If it was known that a student had a preexisting medical condition there should have been assessments of possible risks. If the family and student were not worried about this condition at all than that should have been noted and the coach would not have to face any charges for not keeping a watchful eye on her condition. In our class text book author Thomas Sawyer discusses how well designed facilities will only require a small amount of staffing while facilities that are not designed well will have to have much more staffing. In the article, however the facility is not designed poorly. So the fact that there is only one coach to the cheerleading team fits with what Sawyer discusses in the text. The coach was just doing the job that was asked and there was no negligent act in the case. It was simply a horrible accident that happened to an innocent young girl.
Source: “Safety Net” by Michael Popke
Sawyer, Thomas H. Facility Planning and Design. 12th ed. Champaign: Sagamore Publishing, 2009. 19-25. Print.
Filed under Assignments | Comments (2)Program Statement
Goals
To design a higher quality Eppler Center that provides great services and classroom time to students on campus. Goals also include making the building visually appealing to students and visitors to the campus.
Objectives
• Create an easily navigated layout of the building for all users
• Add a computer lab for students who use the building on a regular basis (SMRT students)
• Update the classrooms with latest technology and provide more lecture style classrooms and smaller classrooms
• Create one centralized administrative office area and divide that one area into different sections for different majors
• Update the gym areas in the building by adding new flooring, better lighting all throughout, wider track/new track flooring, create seating areas in gym areas so the space can potentially be used for other events (club, intramural, even rent out to high schools)
Trends of the Facility
• Making the rooms in the building able to support multiple different types of users. (Multi-purpose rooms)
• Trying to eliminate the amount of energy the facility uses by choosing eco-friendly options when possible and using natural lighting.
• Choosing handicap accessible options instead of choosing just to meet the expected requirements.
• Even though Eppler has somewhat of an athletic feel to the building instead of academic, adding a computer lab to the facility seems to be a trend that all other buildings on campus have done besides the SRC.
User Characteristics
• Students in Sports Management and Recreation/ Tourism and Foreign Language
• Teachers in Sports Management and Recreation/ Tourism and Foreign Language
• Fencing
• Dance
• Gymnastics
Projected Space Use/ Needs
• Classrooms will be the main focus. Classrooms will be used by the above stated student groups
• An area strictly designed for administrative offices for the professors/advisors of students in the above stated groups. This will be all in one, but separate from classroom/gym areas. Will have one or two meeting rooms for all of the faculty to have necessary meetings
• Gym strictly designed for gymnastics
• Gym strictly designed for dance students/can also be used for outside users
• Large sports gym for sports such as basketball and volleyball with space for spectator seating
• Computer lab for students who are continually using the building so they do not have to travel elsewhere
• Instead of separate locker rooms and gyms the locker rooms will connect two of the gyms, the larger gym and one of the other two most likely to be the gymnastics gym. These will also all be on the same floor of the building (all gyms).
• Almost all aspects of the building will be able to be used by outside users that are either on campus or off
Program Statements are crucial for facilities for numerous reasons. They help you to better understand what the facility may or may not currently have and what it will need. You get a sense of who your audience will be and what will accommodate their needs the best. A program statement helps designers to recognize what their goals and objectives are for a facility. This a great building block for a successful and useful facility of any kind. A program statement is like an outline to a paper. It’s not all exactly there and precise, but it’s a good guide for what you expect to happen throughout the entire thing.