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ADA on Campus

2011
12.01

Bowling Green’s campus seems to be severely outdated in their ADA requirements.  It is evident by the lack of handicap students that attend the school.  In my four years of being on campus I have only seen maybe 3-4 handicap students that are wheelchair bound.  I understand that my observations could be wrong but the fact that I don’t see more handicap students seems to be troubling.  Many of the buildings on campus are old and outdated which means that they most likely do not require certain ADA specifications.  A prime example of buildings on campus that are not ADA appropriate are the Conklin Greek Units.  Granted, a high population of the students at BG do not step foot in these buildings but the fact that there are no elevators, no ramps, and no level entrances is very disheartening.  Every unit has at least one step to get into the building and then in order to get into the rooms, bathrooms, computer labs, etc you have to walk up one or two flights of stairs.  Recently, a fraternity brother of mine was on crutches.  He had to live downstairs in the lounge because it was too painful for him to walk up the stairs.  That meant he couldn’t do laundry, go to the computer lab, take showers when he wanted, and would have to wait for someone to help him if he forgot something in his room.

I know that the university is trying their best to accommodate ADA requirements and I think they are doing the best they can.  There are just some updates that I feel the university should do to help attract more students and ease students that have had injuries.

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Scholarly Article Critique

2011
12.01

http://0-search.ebscohost.com.maurice.bgsu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=31557611&site=ehost-live&scope=site

*For some reason I can’t get the link button to work from my Dashboard. I apologize for the long link.

 

The above link is for a scholarly article entitled Permanent Land-based Facilities for Tourism in Antarctica: The Need for Regulation.  The article is primarily about how Antarctica can be used for tourism and how difficult it would be to build land-based facilities (i.e. hotels, resorts, restaurants) that would be used solely for tourism.  It is designed to inform readers about how to best think about going about the process to increase tourism and to get tourists to stay longer throughout their stay.

The article was pretty well-written for a scholarly article.  The authors did not hold doctorate degrees, however, their credibility has been proven through other various research articles done on this field of research.  The article was not the typical research in which samples were used and surveyed to gather a conclusion, rather it was primarily done by gathering estimates and assumptions about the feasibility of building facilities in Antarctica.  The article was not the most exciting article to read but it was nonetheless interesting and thorough.  It includes the various regulations already set in place in Antarctica, the definition of land-based facilities, countries that have already claimed land there, and the future impacts on land-based tourism in Antarctica.  It seems to have covered all the bases in the research so as to distinguish it from an amateuar article to a high-regarded scholarly article.  The article lacks graphic representation or any sort of visual aides to help the reader understand the material.  Instead, the authors chose to break up the material through short sub0sections and bold titles in order to aide the reader in finding the material that he or she is looking for.  It seems that the article draws good conclusions based on the research and that it is useful in determining the impacts of land-based tourism.  The article does a good job of sticking to the topic and offering a non-bias representation of their findings.  overall, the article was well-done and seems to be very useful in the advancement of education in the field of tourism in Antarctica.

 

 

 

 

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Ice Arena Reflection

2011
12.01

After visiting the newly remodeling BGSU Ice Arena, it was clear that the arena is on the uprise once again to being a top-notch facility.  I think that for the new renovations to the multi-purpose room, the locker rooms, and the team meeting room, everything has gone very well.  Compared to how the building used to look and what it looks like now, it is a great place for both the Bowling Green community and the BGSU community.

Looking around the building, it is obvious that the flooring and walls have been redone.  The flooring is now more practical with the inclusion of the rubber flooring that goes all the way around the facility.  The facility used to just have a cement floor that was unable to accommodate skating blades.  The rubber flooring allows skaters to put their skates on in any part of the building and walk to their destination in any part of the building.  The old flooring style only allowed for the skaters to take their skates on and off to walk to the various destinations within the building.  According the textbook, this type of flooring seems to be a relatively good choice for the arena.  The rubber flooring scores high in strength, thermal insulation, moisture protection, and abrasions resistance wearability.  Scoring high in those categories seems to very important for an ice arena considering there are sharp blades constantly wearing down on the floors, the area is always cold, and the blades will almost always be wet due to melted ice bits on the skates.

The walls of the facility have not necessarily been remodeled in the sense of material remodeling, however, they have been decorated more with the renovations.  They now include what looks like painted-on advertisements and mural-like paintings throughout the building.  They have also been spruced up with retired jerseys and old team photos throughout the years.  The walls are still a basic cement block style with a neutral off-white color to them, but the addition of paintings and pictures really adds to the aesthetics of the building.

I do believe that the facility is meeting the needs of the community and the students now more than ever.  Before the remodeling was put into the place, it was a hassle to rent out skates at the pro-shop located within the facility.  You had to get your skates from a little window that was inefficient for the workers to work fast and the same window was used for returns as well.  This all created a lot of congestion within the facility just for a basic skate rental on busy nights.  now, the pro-shop has been completely remodeled with new skates and a new desk area that allows for easy access and a more efficient way to get the skates to the guests.  The remodeling of the locker rooms were also a huge benefit to the facility because it helps attract more community events and tournaments that will in turn generate plenty of revenue for the facility.  It seems that the remodeling has really opened up the facility a lot and these two examples only scrape the surface about what all has been done to improve the facility to benefit both the student and residential community within BG.

The newly renovated pro shop at the ice Arena features an easier ice rental process, new skates, more equipment, and a concession stand.

 

 

 

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AutoCAD vs. MacDraft Pro

2011
11.29

AutoCAD and MacDraft Pro are two very similar programs in the drafting and design category.  The biggest difference between the two are the quality levels and price ranges.  The MacDraft Pro is the top product within the Microspot company and will run for a price of about $350.  It is a relatively basic program running on 2D software and seems to be a cheap alternative to the more expensive and intricate AutoCAD.

AutoCAD will run for a price of about $11,000 for the top line of product.  It is 3D and of a much higher quality.  This software is primarily used for businesses in which the software is vital for the survival of the company.  It is highly intricate and detailed.  It is not something that seems eay to learn and can be mastered by trained professionals.

As a student or amateur at building design, it seems to be much more useful for me to buy the MacDraft Pro instead of the AutoCAD software.  It is much cheaper and still allows me to do what I want to accomplished.  The MacDraft is also compatible for the AutoCAD which means that if a colleague has AutoCAD and needs to send me a file, MacDraft can open the file.  I think that for the price and usage of the product, the macDraft is the product for me, however, if I were a professional or owned a company that needs a higher-quality software, I would definitely go with the AutoCAD software because of its detail and reliability.

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Capital Planning

2011
11.11

Capital planning is a career field that has many rewards, such as: seeing a campus grow, planning for the future, helping recruitment efforts, and beautifying the campus. It also comes with many struggles, such as: budgeting, lack of funding, difficult choices, and making decisions that can last for decades.

The rewards are all intrinsic to a capital planner. It is a job of pride in a job well done because they want to see the campus grow and succeed. They have an opportunity to create history within a college campus and to have an impact on the layout of campus that can stay for generations to come. These rewards are what helps capital planners go about their days in their career and motivate them to keep planning the campus’ future.

On the other end of the spectrum, capital planners must make difficult decisions. They have to decide whether to preserve history at a high cost or demolish history at a low cost. They have to decide how to properly spend their limited budget resources and what buildings are beyond the point of repair and remodeling. Capital planners have to make these difficult decisions in order to reap the benefits and rewards of being a capital planner. If they make the right decisions then their job is very rewarding. If they make the wrong decisions then their job can be a disaster that could have a long-term impact.

I think that BG’s capital planning is closely related to Akron University’s capital planning of a few years ago. I remember when I was doing a college visit over there 4 years ago they were building quite a few new buildings, including a new football facility. The tour guides said that a lot of the buildings were built in the past few years in order to beautify the campus and keep up with other university’s capital planning spending. The campus looked really nice and modern once it was completed and almost had me as a student. I see Bowling Green as being like Akron because of all the construction and new facilities on campus in order to better attract incoming freshman.

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No Impact Man

2011
11.11

The event I went to for the No Impact Man author visit week was the author presentation. Author Colin Beavan discussed some motivations for writing his book, anecdotes to help explain some key points, and some statistics to help support his ideas. The presentation lasted about an hour and wasn’t too bad. I especially enjoyed the anecdotes that he told to relate the topic to us as college students.

The presentation influenced my thoughts on how the Earth is impacted by people such as myself in a small, but meaningful way. I never really thought about how much I waste through everyday activities. I often just throw things away and I don’t look at how much waste I actually accumulate. I have started to look more at how much waste I have been using and what I could have recycled. I think that taking it in small steps to change my lifestyle will help me out in the long run. I have never been one for recycling and reducing waste, so changing from that lifestyle to the opposite lifestyle will be hard. I think just realizing how much I waste and what I can do to help the Earth is a good step and a good influence on changing my lifestyle.

I think that this presentation related well with the course concept of building facilities according to LEED certification standards. The entire presentation was on how we can be more resourceful in the environment and reducing our waste to a near zero level. LEED certified buildings are about as sustainable as they get and they help reduce waste. It fits in well with the presentation because the author talked about how we need to start taking responsibility for our own waste and start the trend of being sustainable. LEED certified facilities help start that trend in the hopes that more facilities will follow the trend in the years to come.

Unfortunately I was not able to obtain any materials to prove I was at the presentation. I forgot to grab a pamphlet or a photo from the presentation. It was in the ballroom in the Union and I st on the left-hand side facing the speaker. There was a book signing booth directly in front of my section and the podium was in the middle. There were a few hundred people in attendance but certainly not near the amount of people that there was seating available for. Hopefully that kind of proves that I was there.

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Perry Field House

2011
10.27

Last week, the class took a facility tour of the Perry Field House on campus.  The field house is a relatively new building on campus, built in 1992 as an indoor track facility and multi-purpose area for the campus and surrounding community.  The building is used for various purposes, such as indoor track and field competitions, collegiate football practices, intramural athletics, and even conferences or expositions.

The layout of the facility is easy to navigate and very wide-open.  Walking through the lobby in the entrance, it is clear where you should be going because the two main rooms are visible from that point.  The information desk is located directly through the doors and one must pass by the desk in order to enter either of the two rooms.  One criticism of where the desk is located is that it is too far from the entrance and if there is a line or the attendant is busy, it is easy for someone unauthorized to sneak in the facility.  For safety concerns during large events, it would be recommended to close that gap and put tables near the entrance for check-ins.

Along with the layout, the general aesthetics of the facility are appealing.  The turf room looks very cool and still modern even though it is nearly 20 years old.  The basketball courts still look somewhat new and the colors of the facility fit with the campus.  Unlike the Rec Center on campus, the Perry Field House has aged pretty well over the years even though it is about a decade younger.

Another concern for the facility that was obvious through the tour is the lack of storage.  The builders of the facility did not take into account how much equipment would be used for the facility.  The walls in the basketball court area was lined with equipment that could be potentially dangerous to people.  There are signs posted and people know that the equipment is clearly off-limits, however the equipment is distracting to the whole building.  It looks bad and makes the facility look cluttered and unorganized.  During track and field events it could be especially dangerous because the equipment is so close to the running areas.  Also, for larger events where additional space is vital, the access equipment takes up that extra space and can lead to a crowded feel among the crowd.

Finally, I felt that building could use at least one more bathroom facility.  I did not get a chance to look into the bathrooms but as far as i could see there was only one bathroom facility.  The facility can hold a lot of people during large events  and those people have to go somewhere.  It seemed to me through my observations during the tour that in the case of a large event, the bathroom facilities are probably over-worked with too many people, long lines, and trouble staying clean.

Overall I enjoyed the facility and I loved knowing that is is nearly 20 years old but it still feels like a new building on campus.  The building has aged well and is still a staple on campus for students to use for some sort of function during their 4 years.  It may have its faults, but for a 20 year old building, those problems were probably not thought of at the time and are hard to fix at this point in time during the building’s history.

For a super awesome video of the facility, click on the following link (couldn’t get the video to embed at the moment so I’ll have to go old-school for now): Super awesome Perry Field House video

 

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Stroh Center

2011
10.20

A few days ago the class visited the Stroh Center, a new multi-million dollar athletic facility that houses the Men’s and Women’s basketball teams as well as the Women’s volleyball team.  The facility was impressive in its sustainable practices and general architecture.  The most obvious, striking thing to me was the reserved parking spaces for “Fuel Efficient Economy Cars” that plastered the first two rows leading into the main entrance.  I had never seen anything like that before and thought immediately how this building was going to be great in its sustainable practices.  The outside of the facility is very intriguing as well, the front of the building looks very modern and artistic, while the sides of the building look dull and have a sort of warehouse-esque to it.  The inside of the building could use some more decor and color, but time will help heal that process as more memorabilia and ideas emerge.

The functional layout for the facility seems to be pretty good.  The locker rooms were located in an area that is hard for fans to access during the game, and there is a practice court that is open 24/7 to all players.  Everything a student-athlete needs seems to be within the building.  When there is another event within the building, the athletes still have a place to practice which makes it easy to reserve court times and keep a consistent practice schedule.  There seemed to be ample storage within the facility so ease of access to the equipment seemed to be pretty good if an athlete wanted to come in during off-hours to practice on their own or with a small group.

In comparison, I think this facility matches up pretty well with any other facility.  It meets the needs of the athletes and surrounding area.  It only seats a little over 4,000 people for any athletic event which is concurrent with the population size and fan base.  The General Manager even stated that it was nice to have a smaller facility because it was easier to fill up which adds to a more exciting atmosphere.  If I could compare it to any other facility I guess I would compare it the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.  The Quicken Loans is highly versatile; holding concerts, ice hockey, and other special events.  The seats all fold up or are stored elsewhere to make for more room and on basketball game day it provides a big atmosphere without too much seating.  While the Stroh Center does not have the versatility the Q does, it does have the proper amount of seating and the comfort of the Quicken loans Arena.  It seems that both facilities meet the needs of all the parties involved and that each is different in their own way but yet the same in other ways.

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Technology

2011
10.18

In general, technology has taken over the western society’s culture.  Today’s generation of young adults, teenagers, and children have grown up in a world of vast technological expansion and a world in which all they know of is new technology.  Nearly everyone has a computer in their home, TV’s all have HD or 3D capabilities, cellphones are more prevalent than ever, tablets and mp3 players were introduced before anyone even knew they needed one.  Every industry has been affected by technology for both good and bad reasons.  For the purposes of this blog post I will focus on the specific industry of the food and beverage industry of tourism for what technology has done for this industry.

The major benefit of new technology in the food and beverage industry is the ease of Point-of-Sale systems (POS).  They are computers that the servers input an order and it is sent directly to the kitchen.  Gone are the days of paper tickets and hand-written orders in most restaurants.  Orders can be brought back up, specialized, and help with analyzing product data.  This is the first benefit of technology, ease of managing inventory and cost procedures.  The POS helps record all purchases and will give revenue print outs at the end of each shift or year.  The major drawback to this systm is that it takes loner for the food to get back to the kitchen.  With a hand-written order, all the server has to do is write the order and put it in the kitchen for the cooks to make.  The POS forces ever server to write the order from the table and then go to the POS and type everything back in to send to the kitchen.

Another way that technology has improved is through the use of the internet.  Small businesses can post their websites to come up on Google which allows people unfamiliar with the area to type keywords such as “sub shop Bowling Green” and up pops Mister Spots, Dave’s Cosmic Subs, and Jimmy Johns.  it helps the local businesses be seen more by outsiders rather than the visitors having to search throughout the city for a sub shop.  The downside to this is if you dont have a website or have a website that is outdated, it can turn away business because people can’t locate you easily or can’t receive any information by themselves, leading them to go to a familiar place such as Subway in this example.

The Aloha POS produced by NCR Corporation is a software program that helps professionals in the hospitality industry manage their inventory, prevent theft, and ensure speed of service throughout the location.

The strengths of this software program are:

  1. Speed.
  2. Organization.
  3. Order accuracy.
  4. Higher Sales.
  5. Easier Accounting.

The weaknesses of this software program are:

  1. Expensive.
  2. Hard to use.
  3. If it breaks down then you might lose everything.
  4. Difficulty receiving quick service support.
  5. Will not last as long or will soon become outdated as technology grows and expands.

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Cedar Point Dinner

2011
10.06

I thought I would do a post on a cool experience I will be doing for the next few weeks that involves a facility.  I work s a server at Cedar Point and they are going through Halloweekends until Sunday October 30.  Every Sunday I work as a banquet server for the G.A. Boeckling’s Eerie Estate Banquet.  The banquet is a fine dining dinner that consists of your choice of lobster tail, filet mignon, crab legs, and a special desert.  The really cool part about the dinner is the facility in which its placed in — an actual haunted house in Cedar Point!  The beginning of the dinner  starts with a lighted tour through the house which provides behind-the-scenes information about the haunted house and the history of some of the decorations.  At the middle of the house is the dining area which seats between 3 and 25 people.  Guests are seated in a very creepy looking room and the meal is hosted by their tour guides and banquet servers — all of whom are painted and dressed like monsters.  The meal lasts about an hour and then they go about the second half of the house and back into the park.  The haunted house then opens up to the public shortly after clean-up.  The cost?  A very affordable $68.95 a person. In terms of the facility, I just felt that it was one of the coolest facilities I have seen a while.  The theme was spectacular and the guests really enjoyed it.  It was very cool to see the place transform into a dining room and then back to a haunted house again.  Hopefully as the weekends go by I will have some pictures of the facility to post on here.  For now I will leave you with the photo of myself and what I look liked during the event.  Enjoy!

 

UPDATE: 10/24/2011

Uploaded all the other pictures and put them in a gallery.  There is also a great news article with more great pictures at http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201109/2669/

 

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Risk Management and Negligence

2011
09.29

After reading the Steinbach article about the increase of track & field event injuries/deaths I believe that there was negligence throughout the majority of the article.  The article explained a numerous amount of incidences of field related injuries and deaths, however, in general I felt that there was some negligence in most of the cases.  To support this opinion I will review the four elements of negligence that ultimately define what is negligent and not: Duty, The Act, Proximate Cause, and Damage or Harm.

Duty:

Many of the incidences occurred at either a high school or college level event.  There is a duty by the coaches and the event officials to oversee that the event is ran properly.  It was brought up through the article that the officials would only govern the field when the actual competition was going on — not during warm-up or practice times.  This meant that the players, some of which might have been inexperienced, were allowed to throw their objects at any given time.  The officials and coaches have a duty throughout the event that everyone is safe, no matter when the competition is being held.

The Act:

The throwing and field events are inherently dangerous.  However, not many people see them as dangerous because incidences are thought of to be rare.  The article even states “Still think such incidences are far-flung?  A single track practice…resulted in unrelated injuries to two students.  One, a 12th grader, was impaled through the chest by a javelin.  Minutes later a 7th grade shot-putter ran out to retrieve his throw when a shot hit him in the head.”  Since many people do not realize that such incidences are common, it is up to the people in charge to make sure that they know.  Between 1983-2007 there were 59 total direct, catastrophic injuries resulted from field events alone.   Yet, only in recent years have they started to post warning signs and make the play of field safer with more netting/fencing and bigger “safety areas.”

Proximate Cause:

For proximate cause, it is likely that the event in which officials were required to watch over and regulate warm-up times, many of these injuries would not have happened.  Coaches should have also made stricter rules on the time intervals and safety when it comes to throwing the objects.  It would have been safer to say that you can’t throw for 2-3 minutes in between throws to allow ample time for the field to be cleared.  Many of the incidences were caused by people not having enough time to clear the field and as a result, the thrower would throw the object, unaware that someone was walking across the field that wasn’t there when they began their throw.  Tighter safety observations would have prevented many of these injuries.

Damage or Harm:

Obviously many of these incidences were very serious.  There were fractured skulls, comas, stitches, impalement, and even death.  The harm done to some of these individuals can never truly be compensated for because of the extent of their injuries.  some of the injuries required reconstructive surgery or resulted in brain damage.  The negligence of the event staff for the field events were ultimately at fault for failure to recognize these safety concerns that resulted in damage and harm among the individuals and their families.

 

The facility itself plays a major role in the safety of the contestants and onlookers.  It is difficult for an official or a coach to protect everyone at the facility if the shot put area is within 15 feet of the long jump area.  If that were the case then it would be very difficult to make sure that no errant shot puts go near the long jump track.  The way the facility is designed and its proper use of signage plays a major factor in how to keep everyone safe.  In Chapter 2 of the book, it is recommended that “at the very least, the jumping and vaulting runways can be placed outside the track.”  This can be to make room for the other field events or the same recommendation can be for the other field events if space is willing to accommodate.  The major factor within a high school facility is that there is often not enough room to move all field events outside of the bleacher area so they must make short cuts in order to keep all field events within the football field confines.  A way to also prevent injury and death if the space is limited is to simply add signs warning people of the potential dangers of flying objects.  With these signs it is very important that they be placed near the throwing areas or before entering the field.  Since the age ranges of the spectators and competitors may vary, the book suggests “it is also important to place signs in normal sight lines.  Placing signs too high, too low, or off to the side makes them less visible.  It is important to remember that sight lines vary according to the user’s height.”  It is difficult to gauge who will be reading the signs, but it is important for facilities to put more signs in more places to avoid people overlooking them or not seeing them at all.

 

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Sustainability Advancement Opinion

2011
09.21

Water Harvesting: Doing some basic research on this topic has led me to believe that this is a great idea for the advancement of facilities.  It is a great way to avoid some municipal costs of getting city water and avoids putting chemicals in the ground.  The basic process is shown below:

Depiction of Rain Water Harvesting

As seen in the image above Rain Water Harvesting is relatively simple and sustainable.

For larger facilities, this process is genius to help conserve water costs and make sure that the landscaping is receiving natural water.  For facilities that might experience droughts this system helps preserve the little rainwater that happens to fall down or can act as a long-term storage system before the drought hits.  Since all of the water is being put back into the earth at some point or another, the mass production of these storage tanks shouldn’t disrupt any sort of water cycle over a period of time either.

Natural Lighting: This when a facility decides to incorporate more windows and glass structures to help light the building during the day and avoid high energy costs associated with heat.  It has also been proven that natural lighting help with overall mood and energy in some facilities such as nursing homes and hospitals.  I do believe that this is a great advancement with new facilities, however, it would be costly and time consuming to produce the same effect on outdated buildings.  If facilities can incorporate natural lighting into their building structure then there could be a significant reduction in energy being used and that in turn will help the environment and help create a sustainable facility environment.  To read further about this topic and a case study conducted by the University of Florida and Emory University, view this PDF website:

 

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Program Statement – Eppler Complex

2011
09.19

The Eppler Complex, located to the right, is a three story academic building that features gymnastics rooms, a basketball court, and many classrooms and office space

The Eppler Complex, located in the middle of campus near Olscamp Hall and the Bowen-Thompson Student Union, is home to the Tourism Leisure and Event Planning (TLEP) offices and advisers.  It has a full-size basketball court, gymnastics rooms, an indoor track, and some weight lifting equipment.  The building was originally two separate buildings that included a Men’s Gymnasium and a Women’s Gymnasium.  These were built around 1927 and were not connected.  Between 1979 and 1980, renovations were completed to connect the two buildings and completely form a new building, the Eppler Complex (BGSU, 2011).  Seeing as it has not been renovated since 1979-1980, the building is relatively outdated and seems to have much of a defined function, especially since the Rec Center was built around the same time the building was undergoing renovations.  Part of the planning process is the Program Statement which is a detailed description of the requirements to build a new facility or renovate an existing one.   The top ten elements of my proposed Program Statement would be:

1.) Objectives:  The main objective in the renovation of the facility would be to define the purpose of the building.  The purpose would be a building would be to combine recreation and academia.  There would be classrooms just outside the recreational facilities that still exist and the offices would be relocated.

2.) Basic Assumptions of the Facility:  The facility would be used solely for the purpose of classroom instruction and learning within actual recreational facilities.  The building is confusing right now with the mixture of offices, recreational facilities, classrooms, labs, and resource centers.  The building needs to be a strict classroom and educational recreational facility.

3.) Factors Affecting Planning:  The biggest factor that I would see that would affect planning is the size of the building.  The renovation that would take place would take offices out of the building and leave rooms vacant.  The building is a very large building, however, the size of the building also adds to the confusion of the building.  I would tear down some walls and expand some of the classrooms into mini-lecture hall classrooms.  If need be, the South and Center sections of the building would still be connected but the North end would be walled off from the building and made available for other departments or the remaining office space.  This would not be the first option though.

4.) Explanation of Current and Proposed Programming:  The building would still be open to rent the gymnasium and other recreational equipment on the weekends to all students.  The primary focus of the building would be to create a recreational learning environment for those who have to take classes that include recreational activities.  With the facilities being renovated as well, it would certainly serve as a secondary location for rented space outside of the Rec Center on campus.

5.) Space Needs and Allocation:  The current building is very confusing with the long hallways north-south hallways and the maze-like hallways that run east-west.  The renovated building would need to seek a solution to the confusing layout by re-evaluating the floor plan and wall structure to see if there is a way to tear down walls and make the hallways and classrooms easier to navigate.  The classrooms need to be bigger and have varying classroom spaces.  The current building has a few dozen rooms that all hold between 25-40 people and are in long rectangles that make the learning environment cramped and uncomfortable.  Classroom space would definitely be a major concern for the renovation.

6.) Purpose and Use of Auxiliary Space:  The auxiliary space would be used classroom learning objectives throughout the week and then be of use during the weekend for campus organization rentals.  The auxiliary space would be newly renovated so it would be an attraction for students to want to rent out the space and could potentially attract outside sources for rental.

7.) Service Facilities:  The renovated building would include newly renovated bathrooms and locker rooms for the gymnasium and areas near the classrooms. It would also include a front office that would be in charge of the building and the rental information.  The office would not take up much space and would be more a “welcome” desk for any visitors that may have questions about the facility or renting equipment.

8.) Spatial Relationships:  As mentioned earlier, the renovation would have the classrooms more centralized to the gymnasium and other recreational facilities within the building.  the classrooms would be connected to the facilities and would require the soundproofing feature to be added so as to not disturb any classes.  The classrooms would be bigger and would be shapely to help students focus and be more comfortable in the classroom setting.

9.) Environmental Necessities:  The newly renovated building would include an updated lighting system, heating system, and water/sewage system to help ease the costs to the environment.  Lowering the amount of energy used and the resources used to operate the building could have a significant impact on the environment and could help set the example for other buildings to start updating their energy conservation plans.

10.) Equipment and Furnishings:  Virtually everything in the building is outdated or uncomfortable.  The gymnasium does not need to be state of the art but the floor should be replaced, the lighting needs to be brighter, and the walls need to be renovated to be more acoustically pleasing.  The classrooms need to be re-painted and the desks need to be replaced.  Many of the desks are mismatched, broken, and highly uncomfortable.  The chalkboards need to be replaced by dry-erase boards and the sporting equipment needs to be updated as well.

Program statements are extremely important to the development of buildings and facilities because it lays out the project’s purpose and what the expectations are for the development.  They are meant to guide the planning process and give a general visualization of what the building will be like after it is completed.  It is meant to be more of an outline and generalized statement then a fully-detailed plan and that allows for the flexibility of the master plan for the building.

 

 

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BGSU Rec Center

2011
09.12

This past Thursday, September 8, my class went to the BGSU Rec Center for a facility tour.  The Rec Center is complete with a cardio floor, weight lifting, full-size basketball courts, two swimming pools, a rock climbing wall, and many, many racquetball courts.  The various features of the Rec Center are, for the most part, up-to-date by current standards.  It was obvious at first impression that the building has been remodeled countless times over the past 30 years but it has still remained a fully functioning Recreation Center nonetheless.

As highlighted in the tour, we visited the Rock Climbing Wall.  The Rock Climbing Wall was built in 20o2 to meet the recent demand to have rock climbing walls in various recreation centers.  Mr. Long mentioned that Ohio University has a rock climbing wall that is the focal point of the entire recreation center.  BGSU was unable to compete with this design due to the overall age and architecture of the building.  Instead they decided to remodel on of the gym rooms called the “Racquet Room” and install a 35′ rock climbing wall.  Due to financial constrictions, the Rec Center could only afford to install the wall and the ensuing safety equipment.  The rest of the room remains as it was when originally built and even doubles as 500 person bleacher stadium for swim meets.

Although, the room is not very aesthetically pleasing to the eye, it seems to have met the requirements as set forth by the textbook, Facility Planning and Design. The textbook states that the climbing walls should have color-coded handholds to properly show the routes that depict a certain difficulty level.  Judging by observation, there seemed to have been quite a few difficulty levels and routes.  It was mentioned by Mr. Long that the Outdoor Program, which is oversees the rock wall, would like another rock wall of even more difficulty that included miniature “caves” to climb through.  It seems as if the Rec Center could do all that it could given the limitations of space and money.

The other highlight of the tour was the swimming areas.  We specifically looked at Andrews Pool which is the leisure pool and spa.  Andrews Pool has been around since the opening and has had a few remodeling features since its opening.  The most notable remodeling feature was the flooring.  The floor was originally a green turf that surrounded the entire pool.  It was hard to maintain and after a few years it became out of style and not very practical.  It was replaced with a brown tile that is easier to maintain and more aesthetically pleasing.  The second renovation was the removal of the diving board.  The diving board was getting old and it was deemed unsafe by the administrators due to the lack of width in the pool.  it was also removed to add to the desired atmosphere of a leisure pool.

The pool seems to be within requirements of the textbook’s standards.  The flooring for the pool that would be ideal would be a 1″x1″ tile.  This type of tile is “the best non-slip, attractive, and long-lasting surface” according to the textbook.  Another feature of the pool is the lighting.  The pool features both natural and electric lighting sources.  The natural lighting comes from the windows along the far wall and the electric lights are normal fluorescent lights.  The natural lighting gives the feel of being outside while the electric lighting allows for the use of the pool after daylight hours and provides additional light for seeing clearer.  The natural light seems to be dimmed through the windows so as to not cause a distracting glare on the water and to not excessively heat the pool area through natural sunlight heat.

Below are the Recreation Center Industry Standards that I felt upheld the highest quality of facilities within a college recreation center.  The first is Ohio University’s Rock Climbing Wall.  The second is Texas Tech Leisure Pool.

***Click on photos for links to websites***

Clearly the focal point of the OU Recreation Center and a recreation standard that BGSU tried to emulate with the building of their rock wall

The Texas Tech Leisure Pool that cost over $8.4 million and features a swim up cafe, spray pad, a 25 person hot tub, and a lazy river.

It is pretty obvious while comparing the pictures from the ideal facilities and industry standards that the BGSU facilities do the basics in order to get the job done.  The pool is nice but it is still only a small heated pool with a hot tub.  The Rock Climbing wall is 35′ and hidden in a former multi-purpose room that doubles as a bleacher stadium on various occasions.  With time – and money – the BGSU Rec Center should be able to boast a few industry standards and ideal facilities that could compare to the two pictured above.

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Blog SWOT – Cedar Point Blog “OnPoint”

2011
09.04

The blog I chose to do a SWOT analysis of is Cedar Point’s Blog “OnPoint.”  It has been in existence since June 24, 2005 and has around 40-50 posts per calendar year.  It gives behind-the-scenes interviews and pictures to help give the average Cedar Point guest a unique viewing experience outside of their time at Cedar Point.  Here is my SWOT analysis of this blog:

Strengths:

  1. Behind-the-scenes information
  2. Authentic
  3. Easy to navigate
  4. Simple
  5. Up to Date
  6. Responds back to questions and comments promptly
  7. Personal
  8. Official
Weaknesses:
  1. No “About” section
  2. No “Search” feature
  3. Lack of visibility within main homepage
  4. Doesn’t automatically go from blog-to-blog
Opportunities:
  1. Good Public Relations
  2. Help with other social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
  3. Easy communication between management and guests
  4. Promotional advertisement
Threats:
  1. Other websites
  2. Negative comments
  3. Not enough views
  4. Outdated form of social networking
The blog really is well-done and professional.  I think it has an appeal to readers who have a genuine interest within the tourism industry and cedar Point specifically.  It is very informative and helps answer a lot of questions brought forth by guests.  It is a good blog with a lot of great attributes.
My link button still isn’t working.  Total Bummer 🙁

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Favorite Facility – Newport Aquarium

2011
09.01

Newport Aquarium located in Newport, Kentucky is located directly on the Ohio River just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio.

My favorite facility is the Newport Aquarium in Newport, Kentucky.  I have only been here a few times but everytime I go I am always amazed about how great this facility truly is.  My most memorable experience at this facility was for my sister’s wedding.  She had the wedding in January of 2010 and it was a great experience.  The facility has a multi-purpose room that can be used for just about any banquet style of event and holds up to about 200 people.  Renting out the facility also includes free tours of the aquarium and other various perks for you and your guests.  The thing I loved most about the facility was the atmosphere and uniqueness.  Nowhere else can you have an event and then during the event walk around the aquarium with h’orderves and a glass of wine or beer.  The facility is very large and includes plenty of behind-the scenes space for any event.  The location is also a huge plus because it is located directly next to a mall and the Ohio River gives a stunning view during the day and night.  If you’ve never been there or are looking for a great venue for your next event, this is the place to go.

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