LIGHT DOCUMENTATION
My entry into designing this project was through studying light.
On our first site visit we were introduced to the existing building, Finney Library (built in 1953 in a mid-century modern style).(1) This style is exemplified through the existing ribbon windows facing North Ave and Sherman Blvd, creating a beautiful source of natural lighting within the space. My first steps were to document the lighting conditions, both during the day and at night. While some of the daylighting strategies (such as the ribbon windows) were well designed, the 1970s addition in the back of the building left a lot to be desired. I made repeat trips to gain an understanding of the lighting at night, visiting the stretch of along North Ave on two separate occasions during the semester just after nightfall. The first time I took note of the public sidewalks and the quality and presence of light in the area. I found that the public street lamps and closed businesses that lined the street created a pervasive dim orange-cast of lighting, with a feeling of emptiness and abandonment. No, the lighting was not very good, and it created an inability to recognize the faces of people as they walked by. This feeling was not nearly as perceptible during the day time hours when some businesses were open and the sun was shining. So, I documented. My milieu diagram became a tool showing the daily shadows, outlining the public street edge (of which Finney Library was a part of, on all facades), and the working street lamps that lit up at night. The maintenance of the street lamps and good lighting was a clear problem for safety in this area, one that Christie Melby-Gibbons and Matt Bohlmann both remarked on. They both asked for different solutions to the same problem: make the county maintain the lights, or, in Mr. Bohlmann’s case, blast the nearby area with spotlights. Now, there have been a series of studies done on creating bright “gas-station-esque” lighting.(2) The main issue being that it creates pockets of blinding light, creating vulnerable areas around the edges as your eyes readjust. But, this was not the only problem. Tied to this issue was also the issue of businesses closing early. When this happens, they take their light and surveillance away from North Ave, creating a perfect setting for criminal activity. I noticed most the empty dark windows that expand along the busy intersection at North and Sherman Ave. If the Old Finney Library building remains empty, this critical intersection communicates to crossing traffic that it is unsafe and vulnerable for criminal activities. However, if you fill it with light and people during various parts of the night, this communicates with people that there is indeed a community of people present, and deters criminal activities. So, for a successful food landscape to survive, this very complex problem would need to be addressed. This is how light a part plays in the design of the new Finney Market Place. |
1. Kentowski, Daniel. “Washington Park Library.” Milwaukee Public Library. Accessed December 12 2017. http://old.mpl.org/file/branch/washington.htm.
2. Jones, J. H. 2009. "Gas Station to Tone Down Lighting, Signs After Receiving Complaints." McClatchy - Tribune Business News, Sep 05. https://ezproxy.lib.uwm.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/457598764?accountid=15078. |
My intentions within the space were two-fold: I designed a space that plays with light in an interesting and subtle way, so that as people walk and drive by, they see the layering of light and program within the space while also creating a safe public walkway that creates a sense of community from inside out. Again, the goal is not to merely drench the sidewalks with blinding light (a strategy that the nearby Domino’s Pizza chain uses), but offer a variety of lighting strategies that communicate with those outside that there is a community that cares inside the building and in the surrounding neighborhood.
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ECONOMIC IMPACT
This version of Finney Market Place has a diversified economic scheme. There are 3 separate rentable components that allow local business owners to interact and become a part of the Mark Place: Yearly Food Kiosk Rentals, Weekly Brewery Equipment Rentals and Monthly Retail Space for local artisans selling wares. The Food Kiosks are equip with all cooking, baking, storage and plumbing within each, making yearly turnover within these spaces less costly. The Brewery Equipment rentals would allow for more flexibility, and provide a space for local home brewers to scale up production, providing them with a space to sell their brews as well in the Beer Hall. Finally, the shop area featuring local artisan's work would have rentable monthly table and shelf spaces that would have low rent. As a business incubator, these businesses would hopefully grow a following within the market that would follow them as they got on their feet and spread down the Food Landscape Corridor along North Ave.
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