Mapping Out the Details

June 7th, 2011, 10:46 pm

Kristen suggests ideas about final presentations.

Today, the media team went around to each group to discuss what we would like each group to have ready for Thursday, June 9th. We gave each group ideas of what we would like to see on the day of the exhibition. Each group will provide the media team with photographs of their prototypes and the work that has been done over the course of the semester.

Kristen gave each group a list of things they need to have done by Thursday. We are on a strict deadline which means we have to double and triple check to ensure things run smoothly.

Media Team examines the gallery space and dimensions.

A walk through the gallery gave the team an idea of the space we would be working with. We went over ideas of how we would arrange things and move walls. We also drew out a site map and jotted down additional notes.

The Media Team goes over additional ideas.

There will be enlarged photos, working prototypes, and interactive demonstrations.

Media Team Makes Progress

May 26th, 2011, 8:49 pm

Since last class the #MediaTeam has made a lot of progress. On Tuesday, we discussed some tasks that needed to be focused on in order to execute great results. The group then went on to form a Facebook page with an event titled “We Like You, You Like Us”.This is a way to spread awareness and engage our audience.

The “We Like You, You Like Us”, event page on Facebook

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New “Likes”, on Facebook.

We managed to track our progress using a feature on the Facebook page which tracks our progress since the Winter 2011 semester. The Facebook statistics show that we are reaching a demographic of mostly females who range from ages 18-24. We have also reached people within the community as well as across Canada and outside of Canada.

Target Audience and other demographics.

In terms of social networking we’ve been live tweeting and have organized a tweeting schedule. We have members tweeting 10-15 times each. We have set goals to reach higher numbers of followers on twitter and plan to tweet over 1,000 times by the end of the semester.

The Media team has increased its follower numbers.

Every Media Team member is pleased with the work that each member has contributed so far. As a collective group we hope to reach a larger audience on a national level and continue to educate others about the Green Corridor.

Collaboration and Construction!

May 24th, 2011, 9:24 pm

Today the group started off by meeting with Rod Strickland to gain some more insight into the simple methods by which Earthships function. He discussed thermal mass and geothermal heating and ventilation. This was incredibly helpful to understanding the natural technology behind how Earthships work and therefore making it easier for the group to affirm our design strategies and material needs.

Our group managed to pool together a substantial amount of materials to begin the experimental build: tires, shovels, recycled bottles, cans and a whole lot of dirt.

We had another visitor from the architecture department, Thom Provost, to help the group finalize the ideal and practical design for our prototype. Today’s collaborations will benefit the group considerably, we thank all of our visitors!

Our team and a volunteer from another team unloading some of the earth we'll be using in our prototype.

Our architect Jon and visiting architect Thom going over design ideas.

The Earthship Launch!

May 17th, 2011, 10:14 pm

Our project aims to lay the ground work for the construction of an EarthShip. An Earthship, as described on Earthship.com, is the most versatile and economical building design in the world. Earthships can be built in any part of the world, in any climate and still provide the conditions needed to sustain life. The building method is called Biotecture. There is possibility of a greenhouse as a static structure becoming a living structure; a conceptually reciprocal relationship between structure and occupant. We have an eclectic mix of skills pertaining to group objectives; knowledge of: architecture, environmental studies, computer sciences, community activists, art and communications studies. We’ve consulted the previous team’s legacy report and drew up a list of contacts of local greenhouses and suppliers pertaining to our project; our members are working on contacting these for Thursday. Each member of our group has elected to sketch design concepts for the structure we are proposing. One of our group members has volunteered to speak with the head of the architecture department and get a head start on the site analysis.

Earthship YouTube Channel

The Earthship architecture group has a brainstorming session!

The Earthship group discusses design concepts for legacy project!

Guess who’s back?!

May 12th, 2011, 9:46 pm

by Kaitlyn Quigley, pictures by Kristen Mastrodicasa

Brewing up some media/promotion related ideas through our mind map.

Kaitlyn and Catrina turning ideas into sharpie marks.

Hello and welcome to a new chapter in the Green Corridor!

We are the media group for the 2011 Intersummer course composed of students from all spectrums of the academic community. After hours of collaboration we have come up with our most important issues to take on. Our overall goal is to chronicle all of the projects occurring in the Green Corridor. We will accomplish this by using various social media (Facebook, Twitter, and this blog) to track our progress. Also, by planning community events, we will allow for the residents of Windsor to become involved with our mission!

Get ready for two events happening this month! We’ll keep you posted on what’s going on so stay tuned!

–Media Team

“Video Blogging” and Event Planning

October 17th, 2010, 3:54 pm

This week we decided to get updates from every group and log their progress through creating a video blog. This form of blogging will log the major events of each group and their progress throughout the semester in the form of a video for major events along with taking photos. These videos will be posted to the website for everyone to view.

We also have been going over invite lists and media contact outlets for the opening event for the Poet’s Blox. Many media contacts were gathered from previous legacy reports and then updated. We also discussed dates for booking the Gallery for the grand opening as a place for our guests to engage with the contributors of the project and everyone involved. The opening is aiming for mid-november.

 

Decisions, Decisions.

September 28th, 2010, 9:59 pm

From one task bloomed several designs and ideas. This week we are deciding the size, height… where should the sign go? Should it be angled? Should it be long and short, or big like a billboard? Should the sign have a lot of pictures or more information? What pictures should we have? The ideas are endless, but we have to shorten them down to one. It’s harder than it sounds.

As for the design, Christina and Sarah are collaborating together, polishing their ideas to be able to make just one sign. Meanwhile, we have Vic and Sarah figuring out the wording, what kind of information should be on the sign and how it should be presented. We want the words to be eye catching but informative.

Then we have Yiyao, Mengjia and Akiyo researching. We want to be able to inform everyone about the purpose of the Ecohouse and Green Corridor. Did you know not only is this a class, but it’s also a non-profit organization?

Next step is to put all the information together and form simple paragraphs and then put everything together as one sign.

Long Live Legacy

June 19th, 2010, 6:55 pm

Six weeks seems so long, but not when the time is short. From assisting a local community garden, to exploring urban gardens, vertical farming, container gardens, and finally signage, the Urban Agriculture group took quite the ride to the end of the six week long Green Corridor course. Our project ideas were ever changing and growing. This week concluded the chaos, with a presentation of our final piece; the signage. The journey of the signage was not easy either. From traditional poster-style-bulletin-boards, to banners, to stencil and lights, the signage evolved to the cedar post bird houses unit that it is now. Through it, we hope to achieve an artistic and aesthetic appeal, as well as to draw our audience to the ‘urban arts community’ – our temporary name for the site located between the ecohouses on California Ave.

The signage was originally modelled with 5 posts of differing heights to represent a hand, on top of which text and items were to be placed. From here the birdhouses concept was borrowed towards the new and final signage. The choice of using no text, but rather birdhouses was to turn heads twice, and have a symbolic meaning. Through the clustering of the birdhouses on the post, we hoped to achieve our initial goal of representing community. The presence of local birds, we hoped would make the piece interesting, eye-catching, and representative of how we felt of the land, Green Corridor, and its surrounding environment.

At the conclusion of our six weeks with Green Corridor, the Urban Agriculture group shared their experiences of frustration, satisfaction, and accomplishment. We built our project on the basis that it would be functional, with or without our presence. We hope for future students of Green Corridor to build upon (and improve) what we have initiated, allowing for this project to be an inspiration to the community for years to come.

COME MEET CLAUDE!!!!

June 14th, 2010, 3:40 pm

Just a reminder we are having an exhibition on Wednesday June 16th at Phog lounge at 6:00pm!!! BE THERE!!
We will be showing are indivdual pieces that we have been working on as well as our live stream web cam of Huron Line ( The Green Corridor) will be projeted into the space.
COME COME COME COME!!!

GETTING THE TURNING TREE TURNING

May 21st, 2010, 6:12 am

Galileo by Noel Harding                                                           Photo by Walter Willems

Galileo by Noel Harding is a solar powered kinetic sculpture built in 2008 with the assistance of Green Corridor students and volunteers.  The piece generates electricity from solar panels to power the turning tree mechanism, demonstrating the integration of engineering and nature.  Located on Huron Church Road, the main purpose of this mechanism was to help produce awareness for solar technology.

Team A+ removes the worn V-belt                          Photo by Emmanuel Asamoah

The current status of the mechanism was uncertain as the “Turning Tree” had stopped turning. Team A+, made up of engineering and art students, is determined to “GET THE TURNING TREE TURNING”.  In-depth analysis of the “Turning Tree” helped identify the problems associated with the mechanism. After several months of exposure to the elements the Galileo requires a new V-belt and some additional lubrication.

The “Turning Tree” mechanism is not only a reflection of engineering concepts, but it is also a testament of hard work and determination by students and professors at the University of Windsor.  Throughout the semester (Intersession, 2010) Team A+ is dedicated to “GETTING THE TURNING TREE TURNING” once again.