Mid Term Critique

The Spinning Mule

This is my board for the mid term critique. I was disappointed with it, because I don't think it accurately reflects the work that I put into the project. I added the beer graphics along the top of the board, as suggested by one of my classmates, and I agree that it adds to the overall graphic quality of the board. 

I received very good feedback from the guests who came to our mid term critique. Specific suggestions were:

From Barbara Lipe - She suggested that where I have a single step to an elevated level, I should put two. A rule of thumb is people trip over one step more easily than two, so never have a single step from one plane to the next. This is a great piece of general knowledge about design.

Fire Inspector - He appreciated where my proposed doors are located to the outdoor seating. His concern was that if 49 people could be out there, a secondary exit would be required. He suggested that I change the swing of one of the proposed doors or shorten the length of the outdoor space. He also informed me about some of the general fire codes such as, sprinkler system and fire alarm if occupancy of 300, kitchen fire suppression (located in commercial hood), and classified wiring in the mill room (closed wiring system that cannot contribute to spontaneous combustion).

Mitch Wilds and Tim Simmons - They suggested that I emphasize the windows on the second floor more by creating wells around them with railings. Tim really seemed to like my idea about a "steam punk" aesthetic.

Sharon Frazier - My design concept celebrates both the age of the machine and the textile workers who once worked at Revolution Mill. Sharon challenged me to also celebrate where the machine and worker come together. I believe my ideas do reflect that to a degree, but I can make that aspect more conscious in my design. 

Eddie Belk - He really seemed to like the direction of my design. He made a suggestion for the second floor that I intend to explore, which is to not let the second floor go to the walls at all, but make it cantilevered from the west side of the building.

Heather Slane - Her suggestion was that I hide the elevator and make the sculpture the focal point around which the staircase winds. I am conflicted about this suggestion, however. I really want the elevator to take center stage because of the machinery, but I like the idea of the stairs wrapping around the sculpture. I will have to explore this further.

James Priddy and Shelby McLean - They both thought my kitchen design was well thought out. James questioned the placement of my mechanical room but said its placement wasn't dispuptive to the flow of the kitchen.

Kayne Fisher - He also seemed to appreciate my design, especially the kitchen layout and beer service directly from brite tanks. He helped me to understand what storage spaces I need to add for the brewery.

Board Layout

The following is a rough layout of a potential board layout.

These items are inserted as placeholders. I am not excited about the way this looks. I would like to make it more graphically appealing. We were given specific minimum measurements for some of the elements on our boards. I found it challenging to put them on the board in a creative way based on the size requirements.

Some of the feed back I received was, include the graphics from my beer labels and change the way in which materials and furniture are displayed. The class was also informed that including the menu and haiku on the board was no longer a requirement. Hopefully removing those items will make it easier to arrange the layout.

Development of Schematic Design

The following shows development of my schematic plan:

        This is the development of my first floor. It houses the kitchen, bar, and the majority of the dining space. I added two doors on the south wall that lead to outdoor dining. 

Second floor of plan includes the brewing equipment and some dining.

West section that shows brewing equipment and kitchen.

South section that shows the two added doors.

This view is how I imagine the brew pub will look from the south east corner. The photo shows the general direction of the current view.

                   

This view is from inside the brite tank storage, looking toward the north west. The photo shows the general direction.

                

This view is from the second floor looking toward the brite tanks to the west.

           

     

This view is approximately from the entrance looking toward the south, where I added two doors that lead to outdoor seating.

The following are some of the materials I envision for the space. 

      

Revised Schematic Space Plan and Site Plan

The following are my revised schematic space plan/circulation diagram and site plan for the brew pub design. The space planning of the interior is more efficient and I was able to fit spaces in the plan that were difficult to fit in the first schematic space plan, such as employee restrooms and office. I still have not quite worked out the transition from the ground floor to the 24" raised floor.

The site plan has not changed too much from my original. The changes are: two front entrances, a second level for outdoor dining, and the pedestrian bridge has been over to the west.

Natty Green Tour

As part of the research for our brew pub design we visited and toured Natty Greene on Elm St. The tour was informative but the information about how the pub came into existence was more interesting. Kayne shared with us that Natty Greene was formed and grew very organically. They did not have a firm plan for creating and running a successful brew pub. Kayne admits that, on more than one occasion, the stars aligned just right. Before the tour I did not know that Natty started on the campus of UNCG.

I visited the Red Oak brewery a few weeks before school started and found that tour very helpful for this project, too.

Revolution Mill Visit

Our class had a tour of Revolution Mill from architect, Eddie Belk. The tour was very informative as Eddie discussed previous renovations were inappropriate for the period of the building. he pointed out the strategies that are being currently employed in the renovations. Planned in the mill are: apartments, artists studios, commercial/office space, and restaurants.

The work that is currently being done at Revolution Mill is pretty amazing and inspiring. One thing that I do not like about the renovation is the white-framed windows. It seems that metal, or at least darker mullions and frames would be more appropriate.

Building I (the one we are designing as a brew pub) is AMAZING!!! The ceiling details and the monitor roof are great inspiration for the brew pub design. I will highlight them in my design.

This is ceiling detail of Building I.

This gives a good idea of the volume of the space.

Landmark of Revolution Mill.

Great original stair with contrasting current design strategy (glass wall).

Brew Pub Strategies and Tactics Matrix

The following matrices explain my design strategies and tactics for important spaces located in the brew pub.

Brew Pub Site Plan and Schematic Massing Space Plan

The following diagrams show my initial planning ideas for the brew pub. The first diagram is color blocked and shows my ideas for pedestrian circulation from the parking area across Buffalo Creek and from the apartments located in one of the mill buildings. My proposal calls for a bridge that ends in a path or walkway, embedded into the soil, made out of some sort of permeable material. It also calls for a boardwalk along the creek that leads residents to the restaurant. I do not envision the boardwalk or the walkway across the creek to end as abruptly as the diagram suggests, I don't know the parking organization or size and configuration so I diagrammed an approximate location for the boardwalk. After producing this diagram I now think the bridge would be more appropriately placed further to the west (left).

This diagram show initial space planning and circulation ideas for the brew pub. I was surprised to see how much space was taken up by the brewery and kitchen and some difficulty planning the space. We had a master brewer as a guest speaker talk to us about brewery size requirements and as a result I don't think much of this original space plan will survive as part of my final project. One feature that I do intend to keep is the outdoor seating that overlooks the creek. The reservoir on the east side of the building has been suggested as an outdoor dining space, but I think the views will be more enjoyable overlooking the creek. With the deck facing south there will be indirect afternoon/evening sunlight. The south facing location will also be an indicator for people parking across the creek of where the brew pub is located.

Spinning Mule Brewery & Pub Menu

The following is the mock-up menu for the brew pub that I designed, called Spinning Mule. The menu reflects the history of the mill, its founders, Greensboro, and the "South" in general. Many of the menu items are named for positions of the mill workers and lend an air of traditional southern "blue-collar" food. Other menu items are inspired by the heritage of the founders of Revolution Mill and named after Cone family members.

I would like to add wood-fired flat breads to the menu. I have not done that yet because I need to research commercial wood-fired pizza ovens.

I would also like to add a kid's items, mixed drinks, and desserts to the menu. I'm very pleased with the overall graphics on my menu, but I'm not crazy about the Spinning Mule graphic, it needs a lot more work!

Spinning Mule concept haiku

The following is my design concept haiku for my brew pub design. My brew pub is called Spinning Mule after the machinery used in textile mills. When I presented this haiku to my classmates they nailed my concept, which is based on the machinery used in early 20th century textile mills and the people who ran the mill. The plan is to emphasize gears, pulleys, and belt mechanisms. The mill worker angle comes into play with the names of the food and beer, and the graphics on the menu. My design is intended to make patrons feel very comfortable and relaxed while engaging their interest in the variety of textures, surface, artifacts, and equipment.

Design Haiku

The following is my design haiku. This haiku describes my design approach.