Equitability For Athletic Facility
The Rose-Hulman Athletic Department were looking to make some past due changes some of their facilities that had a lack of accessibility to sports fans. The Director of Student Accessibility Services, Dr. Patty Eaton submitted their idea to our civil department which was approved to be a design project for the Civil Freshman Design Course. The project description stated that the main goal of the project was to create a solution that made the baseball and softball stands more equitable for viewing purposes. After spending some time researching and brainstorming different ideas we had some possible solutions, however; when we hosted our first meeting with our clients, to our surprise, they did not have the same vision as the original project description given to us at the beginning. Their ideal solution was hiding behind the definition of equability and instead they just wanted a solution that allowed for the handicapped section to be raised in order to see above a black liner that originally blocked these viewers. Despite our best effort to accommodate to create an equitable viewing experience for all fans we had to do what best set our client up for success.
Our group discussed that the project description was skewed from the clients wants which required a solution that differed from our original drafted solutions. With this slight hiccup I stepped into the role of creating figures that showed 3D models of the seating design and maps that better represented the location of said seating and pathways. Additional research was a necessity when it came to drafting our design solutions and the report. In knowing this I conducted research on the environmental aspect of our project including: finding the composition of the soil, marking obstructions, brainstorming what if scenarios related to natural effects, and aesthetically connecting our design with the land. While composing the draft, I expressed to my concern group that in writing our solution was sound but the visual aid did not express the full potential of the end result. We needed to really capture our client’s vision and turn it into something they can easily envision. After coming to this conclusion, I used Google Sketchup, a 3D modeling software, to strum up a model of the facility with all the changes we made. Below you can see the model of the final design that I created for the client.
Throughout this project not only my technical skills put to the test my knowledge for working diligently in a group setting and working with actual clients looking be successful. It was an exciting experience to be able to spend 10 weeks researching and designing something that made a client successful and gain new experience every step of the way. Some of the most beneficial practice I received from this project was: the constant use of effective communication and turning challenges into opportunities rather than letting them hinder our work dynamic. Overall I feel more capable and comfortable putting great minds together in future projects to produce solutions that not only make a company successful but a client successful as well.