Category: Uncategorized (Page 5 of 9)
During the third trips, we are mainly focusing on the architectural side of the building. As we walking around the square, we found some similarities and differences between each building.
first of all, all the building are modernized and has glass window on the first floor, and most of them are selling foods. One interesting difference that we notice is the height. some of them are super tall and some of them are only few stories high. we also discussed about the positive and negative side of the square. It’s convenient for the people who are in the square to walk between the building and the people from outside of the square have easy access of the square.Inside the square, there are chairs set for 4 people, which is the representation of the social, and there are chair only fit for one person, which is represent non-social. Since the building is business wise, the negative side of the square is that the place will feel empty after 5PM.
This trip was different from the other one we did before. In this trip we focused more on the architecture of the buildings. We were able to see the difference between old and modern buildings. There is a big difference between the two of them, the old building were more unique, you could see details and different type of design. This is important because these details require more people, work, and more money to be done, for example in the Offerman building which was built in the 1890 you could see the unique design with the arches and the windows between each store, when in the other hand the modern buildings require less labor to be done and is cheaper. The one problem you could see with modern building is that most of them is that they are not unique, most of them look the same. Similar designs and similar materials are used in the modern building we have today. We also practice more on the observation skill by doing voice memos and analyzing metro tech on how people move, the idea behind how it was built and more.
In the third trip, we were more focus on the architecture styles of buildings in Metro Tech. We visited the Offerman building which built by 1890 in Duffield St. The ground floor of the building is used for the retail space and the other floors is used for the loft apartment today. The Offerman House recognized a landmark building right now. It is a kind of Romanesque architecture building, and the design is the symmetry style. Its exterior decorated by limestone, buff-colored brick and soft terra cotta. In the ground floor, each line stone is between the windows, and the arches are decorated above the windows. Also, the windows in the ground floor and arches are different scale. On the left side of the building, the Corinthian order columns is supporting the horizontally lintels in between the double-hung window. We think the window in the retail floor is bigger than others because it could invite people to come inside to visit and shop.
The other things we focus on is the buildings in Metro Tech are changing. The new modern building close to the Offerman house is built with steel and curtain wall. That building is the art work and high-rise building. And based on the map of 1940, we can see many houses and building between Duffield St and Willoughby St. But today, there is only one big masonry building in that block and the JP Morgan Chase takes the entire building. At the left block of the JP Morgan Chase, we still see there are two wood material houses but without people live there.
According all the material we examined in the Metro Tech, we could see there are some old style building renewed and replace for the other stores or apartment, and some building is already gone and built the new style buildings and use new material to instead in some areas. We are glad to find out the cheaper, faster, more convenient material to build the building. We know how to use different material to resolve the heat, light, fire and air problems. But sometime if we destroyed the ancient building, we will hard to rebuild again because of limited material resources and high price.
In the trip we focused on looking at the different architecture. Looking into the architecture we noticed the differences between the modern building that have more of a simple modular design and the design of a historical buildings that have a complex design focused into details that were made uniquely. We understood how they modernized those historical building by changing the use of it instead of destroying it and starting a new building. Then we moved on to take about the proportion of the building in the area some building would take up the whole block and on the other block you would see houses that are 3 family houses next to a tall and big company building. the building building that takes up the whole block creates it own disadvantage because there is a back to the building where they want to create commercial stores and most people aren’t interested in have their space at the “back” of the building. – Jennifer
During our third walk around trip, we focused mainly on the architectural aspects of the buildings in the Metro tech area. As we walk around the area, I can see that the older buildings have more character than the newer one. We can see in the old buildings that it has more details and more designs in it. We also learned that some of the older buildings are being renovated and used for a new purpose. For example, the 1890 – 1891 Offer man building is now being used for lofts and studios and underneath it is a retail store. Seeing how even though the buildings are older, they still find a way to restore its history and keep it standing rather than demolishing it. – Rikkie
Our second visit to MetroTech was just as exciting as our first but we looked at MetroTech from an Architectural standpoint by analyzing buildings that were built in the 1900s and those that are being built today. The first building we looked at was the Offerman building which is now used for retail space and apartment complex. We also examined the well-detailed exterior and noticed the floral detailing in the stone cornices, Corinthian order columns that supports stone lintels running horizontally, bricks used in the common bond style followed by double-hung and clerestory windows. The second building we looked at was the MetroTech Center. This building is owned by JP Morgan Chase and before this building was built the lot had smaller lots with three to four-story buildings now there is a heavy masonry building that covers the entire lot, with an extension connected by a bridge that uses the ground floor for a public plaza. It is strictly a commercial building that doesn’t have much retail space on the lot we examined, it seems to only have a barbershop on the ground floor. The rest of the building is used for office space. The exterior is made from brick that is placed in the common bond style with soldier brick around the lower window bays. On the ground floor, there are large marble tiles that range from the first to the second floor. So far I think our exploration through the MetroTech area has been fun and also a wonderful learning experience that will definitely help us with our group research.
This was our third day examining the Metro Tech area. As expected, we acquired information that gave us more insight on the architectural differences in buildings and how the change in time has allowed building construction to evolve over the years. We examined an older building near the Fulton Mall area, which by all appearances was constructed in the 1800’s. This building stood out because of its construction. It was clearly built in a time when zoning laws were much more rigid since it wasn’t nearly as tall as the high rise buildings going up in the surrounding area. The attention to detail and design also indicated that a lot of time was spent laboring to build it. It was constructed out of bricks which is also a more predated practice. We learned that buildings like these are referred to as Romanesque Architecture and we also saw some Floral Gothic Architecture which featured more engravings of naturalistic forms.
 Much of the surrounding buildings are made out a more metallic or glass looking material. These more modern buildings take less time to be constructed and are used for various purposes whether a residential or commercial sometimes both . We learned about how the architecture impacts the surrounding community. The scale of the buildings; how big they are and how they relate to the ones surrounding them are determined by the developers. Building developers often seek uniformity for the buildings on one block as they want the city to have a more consistent/sterile look and feel.
The new high rise buildings which are now under construction are catering to a particular section of the population; the ones who can afford such “luxuries.” This will eventually affect the cost of living in the community which will become significantly higher than it was before. Thereby forcing out the current inhabitants and making way for new ones.Â
Wednesday’s tour through Metrotech center was extremely informative and at the same time interesting. Taking a look at the different building structures around the metrotech area had me really thinking in depth about the importance of historical buildings, and the vast change in the architecture of buildings in Downtown Brooklyn. The most interesting of the buildings in my opinion was the Offerman building on Albee Square. The building design was quite marvelous and extravagant. The patterns and materials used to build the building were really beautiful. If I had passed by this building on a regular day, I would’ve never thought to stop and embrace the beauty of this design. The Offerman building in contrast to the tall newer building directly across the street were extremely different in structure. With the Offerman building it is clear that both artists and architects worked together in order to design the beautiful arches. With the newer residential building it looks pretty dull, there aren’t really any unique artistic designs.
My partner and I used the last portion of the class to gather pictures and notes on the Metrotech area. I went around and took various pictures of buildings, and areas that stood out to me. My partner Basant took voice memos of our observations of the surrounding area. When we came together we discussed the different building structures mainly the mixed-use buildings around the Metrotech center.
My walk around the Metro-tech area was very informative. I noticed that there was quite alot of changes of streets, Avenues, as well as, the buildings. As we moved further into our walk I was trying to get an idea of what was there before what I was now seeing. I had some glimpse of memories as I stood across the street from Flatbush Extension and Myrtle Ave. I remembered riding the B54 Myrtle Ave Bus straight through what is now the start of Metro tech Center. Myrtle Avenue has been cut off and has ended from this point. As I circled the area I noticed high rise buildings, a supermarket that just look so tiny and minute to the luxury tower buildings, and a set of silver benches that’s dead center, ( no Pun intended) in the middle of Flatbush ext. and Myrtle Ave. It look so out of place to me with all the busy traffic going pass it.
I had to think about what is the goal here? As I observed the present construction going on around me of what most likely will be luxury high tower buildings, I couldn’t help but to ask myself why is this happening now? Who is this benefiting? And at what further cost and expense will be made as this continues? I’m interested in having some concrete and in depth answers for this as I move further into my research.
Metro-Tech: Urban Structure
    Our walk around Jay Street, Metro-Tech was very informative and enlightening. We spend so much time in school but never take the time to explore our surroundings. As it turns out, this area is extremely rich in history and has been a bustling neighborhood as long as it has existed; however its many changes throughout the decades have molded it into a whole new form. Looking at a 1924 map, attempting to walk the streets as they would’ve been used almost 100 years ago, has given us great perspective and shown us that how you plan, design and execute buildings and construction, will define what the area becomes and how it will be utilized.
    Metro-Tech’s layout has multiple buildings facing one public square, on one side is Jay Street and on the opposite side, Flatbush Ave. Extension. This allowed for all the backs of the buildings to be designated as loading and delivery entrances along one service road, Gold Street. This strategic layout created physical boundaries enclosing Metro-Tech from the surrounding established neighborhoods and their respective reputations, in order to attract the “right” companies to headquarter here. Observing it as it is today, we can easily identify things that might not be working as well as they could’ve in Metro-Tech, for the flow of foot traffic as well as best use of space in general.
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