Mcdonalds Site:

-1 Story Unit/ Close to footprint of cafe site

- Made out of brick

- On the corner of Douglass Street and Massachusetts Ave

- A lot of pedestrian circulation in front of

Quest Diagnosis Site:

- Large 3-story unit attached to one story curved space

- 1 Story curved space connects with the public sitting area

- Largest Space/Building Footprint- allows plenty of space for the new NuVu and 

   plenty of options

- Made out of brick with trim details

- A lot of pedestrian traffic in the front especially around lunch when people are

   walking to the public sitting area to have there lunch on a nice day

Hubway Bike Station:

- Lafayette Square Station

- Offers people the opportunity to bike instead of walk places

Lafayette Square:

- Outside sitting area for the public

- On a nice day people seem to come out and eat their lunch

- There isn’t much shade so the people that were sitting there on their lunch

   break were sitting at the tables with umbrellas on them

- On a cloudy and gloomy day there seemed to be no one really occupying

   the space

- The hardscape is nice but on a hot day it seems to get really hot because it is black

   and heats up in the sun

- The hardscape also had rails on it so people can’t skateboard, there needs to be a

   better way so that we don’t have to do that

Cafe and Restuarant Site:

- 1 Story Unit/probably the smallest building footprint of all our sites

- Made out of stone and detail stone work

-  Open directly out to the public sitting area

- Allows for optimal use of space by having a cafe that can open out and occupy this

   public space

Parking Lot:

- On the back side of Quest Diagnosis

- Provides parking for people who work in the area

Alleyway:

- Public alleyway/walkway that connect the parking lot to Massachusetts Avenue

- Has more parking beside the walkway

- Can see the existing NuVu studios in the background

- You don’t feel sketched out when walking through this walkway or alleyway since

   it is so open.

- Possibility to make this like the one down the street that houses art

Work Shop:

- Very small

- Would like to have more space so they wouldn’t get in each other’s way

- Would like to have more equipment to house more than one laser cutter, CNC,

   3D printers, and other shop tools

- Since they only have one laser cutter, a lot of times students have to wait around to

  use it and therefore have nothing to do

Office/ Admin Space:

- Serves its purpose really well

- I only really noticed Saeed come out of the office and interact with the kids

- Everyone other than Saeed stayed in their office and barely left unless they had to

   for a tour or to go get a drink, or go to the bathroom.

Sound/ Recording Studio:

- A student noted the fact that while recording most people don’t like to be looked at

   and that was an issue she saw that she thought should be addresses.

- The acoustics of the space aren’t the best they need more of a permanent space

   that has sound proofing to better the acoustics and recordings.

- When you are in the space it is suprisingly quite compared to when you are on the

   outside of this “Fish Bowl”

- They were also using this space to cut fabrics on the floor and use the sewing

   machine.

Independent Learners:

- More of a one on one working area. Everyone work by themselves and the teachers

   comes around to speak to each of them.

- Desks are in groups, but students work independently and have the capability of

   talking with their former students around them

- It was a lot more quite over here than in the collaborative work are

Storage Space:

- Seemed to be treated as large storage spaces for past projects or projects that are

   currently being worked on.

- Where they assemble their final models/projects

- Some of the desks right up against the glassfish bowl where being used to place a small 3D printer on top

   of in order to have space to 3D print.

- The 3D printer seemed to be small and placed at the tables only when it was

   needed. That being said they need to have a more permanent space for 3D printing

   in order to prevent the students and/or instructors having to move it from space

   to space.

Small Work Space:

- These two desks set against the fish bowl was being used to right music

- The two kids seen in this picture were using a keyboard and headphones to write

   music

- It would help if we were able to give them a space for just recording

Square Boxes:

- Serve as divider for noise and space

- Also serve as a stage that they can put LEDs under to make glow.

- Divide collaborative work space from the storage area

Collaborative Learners:

- More of a collorative-working environment

- Instructor works with all the students of the studio at once

- Noticed that there still was some separation among the studio. There seemed to be 

   a larger group up front speaking with the instructor, with a smaller group or two

   in the back.

- Probably the loudest space in the whole entire school

Kitchen:

- Way too small

- Need a larger Professional Kitchen for certain studios

- No stove or oven to cook in

- Not enough space for more than one person at a time

1:00pm

• Noise level is considerably less today.
• Lots of them are working with headphones on MacBooks.
• Some of the staff in cubicles were also wearing headphones.
• Staff (and students?) ride bikes to work
• No storage for that
• Printers on carts pushed to side.
• Good even lighting everywhere.
• Easily cleanable hard concrete floors. Practical.
• Bright chairs.
• Moveable furniture.
• Food out on desks.
• Teacher moving from desk to desk.
• Hanging storage from Ceiling.

The Shop

• Lots of storage.
• Large and small bins everywhere.
• Large mop sink.
• Kids coming in and out a lot, but not staying.
• Moving very freely.
• Vacuums, amps, batteries, bearing, buts, bolts, tools, wires.
• Soldering.
• All tools were tabletop and moveable.
• Paint supplies.
• Shop seams more like an in and out space, kids didn’t seem to linger unless they were using the laser cutter or the 3D printer.
• Most found what they needed, left, and later brought it back.
• Teacher is not sitting up front of students.
• Need clothing storage.
• Possibly make it an accent wall. Dual storage and display of student work.
• Delete rolling racks that seem to clutter space.

“Side” Studio in back.

• Instructor showing 2 students how to use new software.
• He’s sitting up front with them, his computer is hooked up to a huge monitor, and the rest of the class is at their tables working.
• Someone working in the back with music software. Constant boomboomchick in the background.
• Learning as they’re working, doing work on their computer while teacher is showing them his work. No lecturing.
• Small 1-2 teacher-student talk.
• Perspective parents in the administration office.
• Visitors must be common.
• Learning through trial and error.
• Seem to “casually” eat all day.
• Move around very freely.
• Need better storage, everything is everywhere in piles.
• Some very group oriented, other working solo with headphones on.

“Main” Studio

• Kids seem younger (but I am a very bad judge of children’s age)
• Working together a lot more than other studio (is this because of age? Or studio type?)
• Teacher is moving around more, and engaging everyone.
• As opposed to other studio where it seems the teacher is only talking to students who ask.
• Music playing, very active environment. Nice background noise.
• All seem un-phased by visitors, focusing on their work, not distracted by us or other studio.
• In a typical school environment anything out of the ordinary draws immediate attention.
• The “older student’s” teacher (previously at large screen) has now moved into fishbowl with same two students. Rest of class still working alone.
• Are some working totally independent? Only three seem to be working on music.
• Webcam watching 3D printer in back.
• Photography equipment everywhere.
• Need one spot for that stuff.
• Three kids making music right next to kids programming, no one seems to mind.
• No one is watching any of the students, but no one seems to be goofing off… why?
• Is it because the work is their own?
• They have control over the project?
• They’re really interested?
• Because they’re working with friends?
• Student teacher (?) also moving among students.
• Using garage band hooked up to computers.
• Constant music beat coming from somewhere. Where? Not music students.
• One boy just sitting with headphones working all alone at table, not sure what studio he belongs to.
• Girls working together and laughing near him
• More males than females.
• Females are a lot louder than the males.
• Is there independent study here?
• Sometimes it’s hard to tell what studio kids belong too
• No one sits near the windows, is that because of this specific space? Or is it set up that way.
• Asked a student: there are two studios.
• Whiteboard partitions
• Writing on glass walls of fishbowl
• Would they light magnetic walls? Chalkboard paint? Or is that too messy.
• Some jump from one instructor to another, from computer to modeling, multitasking.
• Ages in classes seem to range, but I also have trouble with ages, so this may not be accurate.

2:30pm

• Boys are now wrestling in the shop.
• End of the day goofing off.
• Waiting for the laser cutter.
• How do they train kids for the workshop? 14 y/o with drills and saws and no one is watching. Do kids ever get hurt?
• Now more kids are using the shop verses 1pm.
• Actually staying in here and working.

2:47pm

• Kids starting to pack up, just put computer away, grab bike (bikes are student and staff), and leave.
• Don’t talk to anyone or check in at the end of the day.
• No “end of day discussion”
• Other kids don’t seem to notice the time.
• Side note: wall with photo shopped pictures of all students and their names. Neat project.
• Student’s high fiving between each other and then leave separately.
• One parent has arrived.
• Most kids leaving alone, a few in groups of 2/3.
• CEO is now by the door, saying goodbye to some.
• The only parent that has so far come in is now speaking to CEO about another one of her children.
• CEO is now talking to girl about how her programming went today (she was one of the ones in the 1-2 teacher-student meeting.

2:55pm

• Teachers doing a “wrap up” meeting in “older” studio. Talking about where certain students are their progress.
• Going over their notes for the day.
• Only two “younger kids left. Waiting for parents?
• Saw these two, teacher and student, on the subway after. They are in fact father and son. That is why one of the kids was there longer.
• Was the other kid also someone’s son?
• Now two groups of professors are having “wrap up” meetings. One for each studio.
• Don’t clean up; just leave things out to come back to.
• Someone is double-checking the shop, making sure everything is shut down.
• Some teachers talking about the feasibility of one project, too much work? Too much cost? Not sure what part of the feasibility they are worried about.
• Emptied out very quickly.

1:00pm

• Students everywhere, hardly any at their desk.
• Lots of kids in fishbowl today.
• Using the flex space between studios as well.
• Lot of bikes still here.
• Is the project farther along long? (Later got the answer, it’s due tomorrow).
• Staff cooking in kitchen today.
• Much less “structured” today (if that’s even possible).
• Sewing machines out in fishbowl.
• Lots of soldering.
• Everyone is looking for sewing pins- better storage.
• Cameras around for everyone’s use.
• Different techno beat today.
• Drastically different today.
• Very spread out.
• Everyone is working on something very different.
• Soldering, sewing, 3D printing, lot of computer work, laser-cutting, picture taking.
• Lots of groups of two today.
• Teacher is asking/telling kid to really start putting things together now.
• Really need more table space and more open floor space.
• Kids on top of each other.
• More about the function of projects than the looks- it’s about process.
• Small movable tables would be nice (TV tray like design).
• Working in chairs with stuff on laps and on floor instead looks awkward.
• Stuff everywhere.
• Lots of activity.
• One group combined two very different personalities.
• Did they choose?
• All working on same robot just different parts?
• CEO working with students 1-1, does he do everything?
• Teachers are very hands on today, before they just let them work, now they’re more involved.
• All the kids are so polite, and really seem to know how to share and work in groups.
• Girl saying she’s coming in early to work.
• Talked with CEO.
• Confirmed project due tomorrow.
• Demo review tomorrow.
• 26 kids.
• They do have summer sessions as well.
• One-week “genius” week explaining how to use shop and programs.
• Urban design studio next with Andrew Todd Marcus!! Wentworth teacher (talk to him later).
• Also a portable music machine studio.
• Spring semester most popular. Why?