Field Trip to Milwaukee

Hi family!

I had stumbled upon this today and enjoyed what has been happening in everyone's life. Even if it had been a couple months ago. I think this will turn out to be such a good reminder of what has happened in our lives waiting for all the new exciting things to come!

So for my first post I thought it would be fun to show you where I was yesterday.

The people in my studio and I all piled in a fifteen passenger van to Milwaukee. Needless to say it was pretty tight. We have spent plenty of time together in studio, so being in a cramped car for a couple hours didn't feel much different. The studio that I am in is called "Hypermarket". The end goal is to design a building that is a community center and also a place for people to get nutritious food or make their own in urban gardens. Our site will be in Chicago, but we went to Milwaukee to see some examples. Oh and to just see a famous building that you all might recognize.

We started off at an urban farm that was in a residential neighborhood. It is in lower income area, so having fresh and organic food available for the community is a big deal. The place is called Growing Power and was started by a man named Will Allen. He has actually met president Obama and is making some large steps towards urban farming.

The place is pretty similar to what you would think of as an urban farm. Some of their most interesting parts are their aquaponics system. Basically a system that uses the water that fish live in to water the plants and the plants filter the water to make it clean for the fish. The plants are harvested and so are the fish. They had these aquaponic systems in almost every single one of their greenhouses.

We spent a couple hours on a tour of the place and how everything runs. Our next project, before the final one, is to design our own. Since it was winter they didn't have a lot growing but had mushrooms and some sprouts. They had also talked a lot about their compost and all the millions of red wigglers. They did have some livestock, but it was only goats, chickens, and turkeys.

Once we left the urban farm we stopped for lunch at a cafe down the street. My professor found this place because the owner bought his motorcycle. It kinda gives you a little understanding of what the place was like. It reminded me of potbelly's.

After we were stuffed, we again stuffed ourselves back in the car and drove to the Milwaukee Art Museum. As we turn the corner onto Art Museum Drive we were amazed by one of the most famous buildings designed by Santiago Calatrava. Even though I went there in August with Caleb, it took me back when I had first seen it. It still was just at intriguing. I think the pictures can speak for themselves, but there is also nothing better than actually experiencing the space. You have to go. You can go to see the art too I suppose.
This building is all poured concrete, with maybe only a little metal for the "wings" and windows. All the white looks like its metal, but don't be deceived.

In the center is a part of Calatrava's addition and the original building from the 70s is the rectangle structure. Below what we are standing on holds the actual exhibits. Calatrava's addition looks cool, but it could not hold much art work because of all the light. I think its more of a community center than what it was actually suppose to be meant for. And a structural masterpiece.

 That cantilever off the older wing of the art museum is crazy and it sits on small points from the supports. Hello modernism.

A little taste of one of the exhibits. I think mom might let us do this with her old china

Sculpture by David Chihuly

It was a fun day away from school and a sweet way to get motivated for design. I don't think I will be designing anything like this, but it's a cool way to see what architecture has become and is becoming.

I guess its time to start doing some homework. It was nice being distracted from it all for a while.

I miss and love you all!