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Position. As architects, landscape architects and interior designers, there is an inherent distance between the product of our daily work (drawings and representations) and the eventual product produced from our work (buildings and spaces). Put simply, we don’t build airports and parks, we draw them. We represent for a living. Accordingly, we must intensely consider the most effective ways to produce our product; to see all that drawings can do, from construction documents to conceptual renderings and parti diagrams to program matrices. The example below shows the process HAA used to apply this realization beyond the design of buildings and spaces to the analysis and demonstration of data.
Questions. What is the most effective method for presenting the analysis of statistical information to a variety of audiences? Should different methodologies be employed to analyze qualitative versus quantitative information? Can the use of multiple methodologies result in a cohesive, comprehensive presentation with clear direction? The Woodward Avenue Action Association provided Hamilton Anderson an opportunity to investigate these questions using Woodward Avenue as a laboratory.
Background. Woodward Avenue is Michigan’s “main street” and thread of economic vitality in the southeastern part of the state. It is home to more than 300 historic sites, 150 annual events, 55 major attractions and contains the world’s first mile of concrete highway. Beyond Detroit and the other 10 municipalities it intersects, Woodward’s iconic status as a roadway and destination is understood regionally and nationally. The Woodward Corridor was designated as an Automobile National Heritage Area in 1998, a Michigan Heritage Route in 1999, and in 2002 the National Scenic Byways Program included Woodward Avenue (M1) in its exclusive list of America’s Byways®: 125 distinct and diverse roads with special designation by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation based on archaeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, or scenic qualities. (more…)
