capstone

Leading up to this project I had framed my CEP courses around taking classes in the built environment to better understand the big picture of it – focusing on urban planning, construction management, architecture, landscape architecture, and real estate. And I can confidently say that I could point out in my project where I implemented the information I learned in any one of the courses I took while CEP. So, for me, this was very cumulative – and I’m glad I did it that way. I’m glad that I did it that way because it really made each of my classes more valuable and challenged me to apply them in a new way. For example, having to figure out how to make the stadium more community friendly required me to lean on some of the Urban Planning courses I took in Spring 2020. Or, the 3D modeling and rendering, I had to look back at some of the material I learned in the architecture courses I took. Or the inclusion of biophilic design, I had to look back and site the information that I learned from the Biophilia in Architecture class I took in Spring 2020. Without these courses, I wouldn’t have been able to have such a successful capstone project.
Another big take away for me was that the imaginative designs are pretty common – a lack of peoples ingenuity and creativity to these issues are not the problem. Stadiums are not designed for daily use by the people of the community because those who are investing millions into the stadium might not want people constantly on the stadium grounds, because it would be expensive having to pay staff to be there all the time, or to clean and maintain the stadium on a daily basis – and having it open access to people for general pleasure is not going to make those investing in the stadium any money. So the question becomes, how does this make economic sense? This is part of my project that I didn’t go into too much depth, because it could be a whole other capstone project in itself. This is also a question that one of my reviewers at senior project night asked me, “how do we do this economically”? I don’t know the answer, but I think it lies somewhere in policy. Coming up with some sort of incentive for developers to build stadiums that are sustainable and serve the communtiy could drive developers to want architects, urban planners, and landscape architects to implement design ideas in the stadium. I think what it really comes down to is the city taking a look at how feasible a new stadium is, and if it is worth subsidizing with tax payer dollars if the stadium is not going to be having a positive daily impact on the citizens of the city. If it’s not, than a new stadium that is going to take up hundreds of acres of land in an urban core should not be constructed, because that plot of land could be used for buildings that are going to make a difference in the citizens lives – prioritizing the construction of a stadium can only be legitimate if it’s having major positive impacts on the city it is serving.