Marie-Noelle Taylor
2283133
GDES 2B03
Martha Ladly
Small Idea: University of UN-locked Doors
It is a common opinion among students that we do not have a good space where we can work and meet. During the summer many students gather in Butterfield Park, but this is not the best workplace, and it is not a possible meeting/working area during the winter. This thought led me to wonder why the big room used for yoga and other activities located directly beside Butterfield park is never opened for students to meet, relax and work. It is a very large room, with great lighting and would be a very simple solution to the our problem.
I had a discussion recently with the grounds keeper here at OCAD and he told me all about the inside courtyard with the pond that used to exist here at the school. He described that all the students used to love meeting and working here, in close proximity to nature, while remaining inside the school. While we are privileged to have a bigger space to display artwork now, I wonder what it would be like if students still had such a great space to meet, work and draw inspiration from.
One of my teachers recently joked that OCAD is the “University of locked doors” and that security must always be called to get into any room in the school. This leads me to wonder why we have such a great space that remains unused most of the time. I have so often heard students mention that we do not have a good place to work and meet that is big enough to accommodate many, and this would be a very simple that would require absolutely no renovations or construction, just a few tables and chairs and a key to open the door!
2283133
GDES 2B03
Martha Ladly
Small Idea: University of UN-locked Doors
It is a common opinion among students that we do not have a good space where we can work and meet. During the summer many students gather in Butterfield Park, but this is not the best workplace, and it is not a possible meeting/working area during the winter. This thought led me to wonder why the big room used for yoga and other activities located directly beside Butterfield park is never opened for students to meet, relax and work. It is a very large room, with great lighting and would be a very simple solution to the our problem.
I had a discussion recently with the grounds keeper here at OCAD and he told me all about the inside courtyard with the pond that used to exist here at the school. He described that all the students used to love meeting and working here, in close proximity to nature, while remaining inside the school. While we are privileged to have a bigger space to display artwork now, I wonder what it would be like if students still had such a great space to meet, work and draw inspiration from.
One of my teachers recently joked that OCAD is the “University of locked doors” and that security must always be called to get into any room in the school. This leads me to wonder why we have such a great space that remains unused most of the time. I have so often heard students mention that we do not have a good place to work and meet that is big enough to accommodate many, and this would be a very simple that would require absolutely no renovations or construction, just a few tables and chairs and a key to open the door!
Access to this room would also greatly improve wheelchair accessibility to the school as there is currently only one entrance to the main building through the front doors. Creating another entrance/exit would add much needed convenience.
This thought led me to my BIG IDEA:
A Greenhouse =A Greener City
I feel that a big change should occur at OCAD that would not only benefit the students at the school, but help the students contribute in a positive way to a growing problem in the city of Toronto. For many years now, the health of the trees and small forests in the city has been in steady decline. The introductions of such harmful species of insects such as the Asian long-horned into our ecosystem, and the growing pollution in the air due to booming population has contributed to the death of many small forests that are no longer capable of regeneration.
My Big Idea for OCAD would both benefit the students as well as the tree population in the city. My idea is to build a small greenhouse, which can be done for as little as 2000$-5000$ at the very minimum and grow all kinds of trees and plants from seeds, cutting and clones until they are big enough to be planted. This would allow students to offer a personal contribution, as well as help to create a greener city.
A greenhouse at OCAD would not only benefit the tree population, but would also very positive for the atmosphere at the school. A greenhouse attached to the school would radically purify the air that we breathe, offering us all cleaner air. It has been proven that having plants in an environment drastically improves the air quality and this is an important issue, especially for people who spend a lot of time in the heart of downtown.
Not only would a greenhouse improve the air quality in the school, but it would contribute to daily relaxation as well. If it were to be built adjacent to a space where students can work in relax, the simple sight of a greenhouse filled with plants and flowers is a very soothing experience. Walking through a warm greenhouse filled with plants and trees and flowers, and breathing the light, wonderfully scented air is an experience in itself. If there were a Greenhouse at OCAD, I envision that all students would be able to contribute to caring for the growing trees by contributing a little bit of money towards to purchasing of seeds, of signing up to be ‘monitors’ that could water and care for the plants on alternate days, helping plant the trees when they have reached an adequate size, or by simply walking around and having the pleasure to watch things grow. It is thought that plants and trees respond to care and I believe that the plants and trees would greatly benefit from having the care of the students at OCAD and vice versa. The greenhouse would also be a good place to draw inspiration and ideas. In my first year drawing class we went to the botanical garden to sketch all kinds of organic shapes, and a lot of inspiration can come from drawing shapes from nature. Paired with the improved air quality, the plants would offer more than just a green place, but a place for relaxation and inspiration.
I believe that if this project were to ever become a reality, the greenhouse should be located in an area that is easily accessible to students, and where all students could benefit from the sight, smells and improved air quality provided by a greenhouse. While thinking about the possibility of accessing the large room adjacent to Butterfield Park, it occurred to me that this would be a good place to build a small greenhouse. The greenhouse could be located between the two yellow crayons, and an entrance could easily be created where there is already and existing window.
An insulated greenhouse is functional year round and therefore it would be possible to keep growing throughout the winter.
I believe that if every university in the school had a similar greenhouse program, the tree population in the city would greatly improve.
This thought led me to my BIG IDEA:
A Greenhouse =A Greener City
I feel that a big change should occur at OCAD that would not only benefit the students at the school, but help the students contribute in a positive way to a growing problem in the city of Toronto. For many years now, the health of the trees and small forests in the city has been in steady decline. The introductions of such harmful species of insects such as the Asian long-horned into our ecosystem, and the growing pollution in the air due to booming population has contributed to the death of many small forests that are no longer capable of regeneration.
My Big Idea for OCAD would both benefit the students as well as the tree population in the city. My idea is to build a small greenhouse, which can be done for as little as 2000$-5000$ at the very minimum and grow all kinds of trees and plants from seeds, cutting and clones until they are big enough to be planted. This would allow students to offer a personal contribution, as well as help to create a greener city.
A greenhouse at OCAD would not only benefit the tree population, but would also very positive for the atmosphere at the school. A greenhouse attached to the school would radically purify the air that we breathe, offering us all cleaner air. It has been proven that having plants in an environment drastically improves the air quality and this is an important issue, especially for people who spend a lot of time in the heart of downtown.
Not only would a greenhouse improve the air quality in the school, but it would contribute to daily relaxation as well. If it were to be built adjacent to a space where students can work in relax, the simple sight of a greenhouse filled with plants and flowers is a very soothing experience. Walking through a warm greenhouse filled with plants and trees and flowers, and breathing the light, wonderfully scented air is an experience in itself. If there were a Greenhouse at OCAD, I envision that all students would be able to contribute to caring for the growing trees by contributing a little bit of money towards to purchasing of seeds, of signing up to be ‘monitors’ that could water and care for the plants on alternate days, helping plant the trees when they have reached an adequate size, or by simply walking around and having the pleasure to watch things grow. It is thought that plants and trees respond to care and I believe that the plants and trees would greatly benefit from having the care of the students at OCAD and vice versa. The greenhouse would also be a good place to draw inspiration and ideas. In my first year drawing class we went to the botanical garden to sketch all kinds of organic shapes, and a lot of inspiration can come from drawing shapes from nature. Paired with the improved air quality, the plants would offer more than just a green place, but a place for relaxation and inspiration.
I believe that if this project were to ever become a reality, the greenhouse should be located in an area that is easily accessible to students, and where all students could benefit from the sight, smells and improved air quality provided by a greenhouse. While thinking about the possibility of accessing the large room adjacent to Butterfield Park, it occurred to me that this would be a good place to build a small greenhouse. The greenhouse could be located between the two yellow crayons, and an entrance could easily be created where there is already and existing window.
An insulated greenhouse is functional year round and therefore it would be possible to keep growing throughout the winter.
I believe that if every university in the school had a similar greenhouse program, the tree population in the city would greatly improve.
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