We analyzed different ways to make Owen a better place from the facilities stand point, a place more conducive to learning. Based on our budgetary constraints and time constraints, here are a few that we thought can make a significant difference:
- We have a great courtyard. And after a long morning in classes, who hasn't felt like they could use a place to sleep? What say we add a few hammocks to the beautiful courtyard, so we can take a short nap and rejuvenate?
- It has been a long day at school, and we have a longer evening filled with group meetings and assignments. You need to relieve yourself and go to the restroom, only to see the toilet seat dirty. Frustrating isn't it? Why don't we have toilet seat covers in there?
- Don't you think the trash-cans are ugly hunks of grey and blue? We spend so long on campus, so why do we have to keep staring at such ugliness? Why not cover the trash cans with some interesting art that makes it aesthetically appealing and also encourages people to use it more?
We are trying to improve comfort, hygiene and appeal of the Owen facilities. Let us know what you think.
-Ani Kidambi, Ilya Tokhner, Jonathan Sockell
These are such fun and clever ideas! I'm very impressed at your group's creativity. Re the first idea, I definitely think that hammocks would be utilized and enjoyed. My only question is about whose responsibility it would be to maintain them for cleanliness and safety, and to take them down during inclement winter weather? Re the second idea, it would be neat if Owen would be willing to install those covers that O'Hare has, in which you wave your hand in front of the sensor to get a fresh new cover, but covers would certainly be a cheaper alternative. Would the custodians be in charge of restocking those? I think the last idea is really interesting, but never really notice the trash cans, so I feel that the first two ideas would best support your plan to improve comfort at Owen.
ReplyDeleteI would prefer the automatic covers that coil around the seat and when a new person comes in it rotates.
ReplyDeletei am all about the hammocks....but how and where will they be hung?
ReplyDeleteI love all of your ideas, its refreshing and answer our needs. Some comments:
ReplyDelete1. Hammock is great, but as Chaodogg32's concern, how you are going to do it, consider the weather/light/wind/winter...i would consider blocking 1 hour (lunch time) for half of the library rooms to make temporary sleeping rooms. The foldable beds can be put in there. Spa music can be put into there too.
2. Toilet: not only its dirty but its also ugly and poorly-maintained. I would put flowers, air-fresher into it, redecorate it and change the doors (which is difficult to close or open most of the times).
3. Trash can: this is easier to renovate and is less costly also. Go for it !
An Nguyen
I think the trash can idea is fantastic. There are so many surfaces in the building just waiting for some creativity (walls, trash cans, windows...). Would you consider pulling a little "consider recycling" theme into some of the designs? (We heard at the Net Impact conference last week that 60% of all waste going into landfills is paper...)
ReplyDeleteI think all of these are great ideas that could be easily implemented! Small changes that have significant impact. Well done!
ReplyDeleteI love the hammock idea but it wouldn't look good to recruiters and visitors if they see students sleeping during the day.
ReplyDeleteThe toilet seat cover idea is a no brainer. Unless it is too expensive, the school should offer covers to students. Good suggestion
The Owen courtyard is a great place to start, are their other ideas you have about ways to spruce up the courtyard? Hammocks are great, start but with the recent weather I'm wondering what else we could use the courtyard for during inclimate weather?
ReplyDeleteI like all of these ideas. I think the seat covers for the restrooms would be the most utilized. I agree with Pete that the hammocks are a great idea, but not they wouldn't get much use during the winter and summer months. (And the only person I've seen sleeping is you, Sockell... hmmmm :)
ReplyDeleteI like where you're headed with idea #1, the courtyard is underutilized. What about rocking chairs? Personally, I would use those more than a hammock. Improving the seating capacity of the courtyard would be huge as there are only a few tables that get ridiculously hot in the late summer and spring.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, if you guys got a couple of rocking chairs out there, I wouldn't want to leave this place on a nice fall day. Only concern is theft, but you could probably bolt them in with a chain or something.
I think there is a huge opportunity to improve the courtyard. In addition to just improving seating (hammocks, rocking chairs etc), I wonder if there is anything else that can be added, art? activities during the day, etc. And as Pete said, finding something to do in the courtyard during bad weather or the winter.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of hammock at courtyard is fantastic but limited by seating and weather. So maybe you could consider setting a relaxing room where we can have some enjoyable activities or facilities.
ReplyDeleteLove the creativity! I like the idea of spicing up the trash cans... and maybe even the recycling bins! I think it would be a great way to not only increase awareness that DUH! the trash can is right over there in its bright, fun form, but as you mentioned, it could be like "artwork", pretty to look at and it might even help stimulate our minds when we get tired of staring at all the dreary colors at Owen.
ReplyDeleteI too think the toilet seat covers are a must! Whatever variation you choose, I think these would help make the Owen facilities more comfortable (and clean!). :)
The toilet seat covers are a good idea, though it would be useful to determine what the cost would be on a annual basis, and determine how much the paper and dispensers amounts to. Also, there are a number of sustainability initiatives in our bathrooms at Owen, and while few function properly, additional trash may be met with resistance from student and administrative stakeholders.
ReplyDeleteToilet seat covers would be great, but another option would be to put disinfecting spray in each stall so that users could spray it on tissue paper and wipe the seat themselves. Most of the public restrooms in Japan have these sprays. Garbage can art is a creative way to brighten up Owen, how would the art be chosen? I'm not sure what is appropriate for a trash can.
ReplyDeleteI love the rocking chairs idea! I don't think many students would ACTUALLY sleep on the hammocks during the day. Most people want a place to relax but still be somewhat productive. It would be hard to set up your computer and papers on a hammock. A rocking chair, however, is a relaxing, still professional option that would provide a nice touch to the courtyard!
ReplyDeleteI really like the toilet seat cover idea! I agree that it would help to make the bathrooms more comfortable, but I also understand the point that there is a tradeoff with more waste created.
ReplyDeleteAlso - the hammock idea is nice and creative! Yes, it would have to be seasonal, but I would really enjoy them during the summer months. Might make it a little hard to implement in our timeframe though.
Love the ideas!
I love the trash can ideas. I also think they are ugly...And we can periodically change it if we want to deliver certain messages. That would be very interesting, and we need those little surprises!
ReplyDeleteOne of the problems of toilet seat covers would be they are easily running out. I like Jeniffer's idea when you leave it, you make it very clean for next person's use. Actually we are spending the same time - clean it first then use it. Why can't we do it in reverse order to benefit everybody?
I like all of your ideas. As Lexi said small changes enrich our school life. I am not sure that hammock is feasible but I would like to have a few rocking chairs or massage chairs in some place.
ReplyDeleteToilet bowl covers, in my opinion, only add to the mess, particularly if you don't have very frequent cleaning staff visiting the bathroom to clean them up.
ReplyDeleteI'm not very bothered by the appearance of our trash cans. Indeed, I worry that adding artwork to them will only draw additional attention to them.
So, that said, I love -- LOVE -- the hammock idea. Even disregarding the utility of having some hammocks in the courtyard, it'd be visually entertaining and speak to the sense of community at Owen. I'm envisioning students with laptops propped up in their laps while lounging on a hammock in the courtyard, and it's a good visual. As Tom mentions above, however, this might not be entirely feasible. If not, Tom's suggestion seems spot on to me -- implement something for relaxation in the courtyard. We have relaxing spots in the first floor lobby but the lobby is not a relaxing space.
We would need to have some way to control the temprature outdoors.
ReplyDeleteYay for toilet seat covers! Seriously though. Now if we could only compel more people to wash their hands and actually use the trash receptacles, we could make some real progress.
ReplyDeleteToilet seat covers are a great idea. This would be a very practical project, and it fits perfectly with your goal of improving Owen's facilities.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how feasible the hammocks and trashcan art projects are. The administration would probably veto both ideas because the possible "eye sore" factor would detract from the Owen brand.
I would love it if you could make the hammock thing work. And while you're at it, could you look into some more comfortable seating arrangements? Maybe take away some of that shrubbery in the middle to give us more seating space (sorry, green-lovers)?
ReplyDeleteI'm just curious though...where would the hammocks go? There aren't really any other trees aside from the one that's near the library. Are you thinking the non-tree-dependent hammocks?
Like the trash can idea for its sheer impression...
ReplyDeletethe seat cover idea seem much more doable..
I don't know about hammocks in the courtyard. However, more comfortable chairs in the lobby could be a course of action. I would love to sit in a comfortable chair in between classes and just doze off for a few minutes. This would be even better if the chair reclined.
ReplyDeleteToilet seat covers would be nice, but I'm not sure it moves us in the appropriate direction keeping sustainability in mind. I do think, though, that the art on the trashcans is a great idea. I think it would be cool on the recycling bins, too. Have you seen the user-generated artwork for the PBR beer campaign? You should check it out. Something like that would be really cool for this.
ReplyDeleteI do think the trash cans are an eye sore and like the idea. But the art must be a good fit as well by not 'sticking out' too much either. May be easier said than done.
ReplyDeleteTrash can is a winner, sounds like. But what does a beautiful trashcan look like? Before you start, find out why they buy the ugly ones now (and account for that in your solution).
ReplyDeleteIf the toilet seats are dirty, then someone wasn't taught how to use it properly or in a sanitary way. Maybe a class in etiquette would be another approach.
Hammocks are an interesting idea. There are some interesting cultural understandings around taking naps during the daylight hours. Some cultures find it perfectly acceptable, while others interpret it as a sign of general torpor (i.e., not a good thing). What would the interpretation be here at Owen? What would it feel like sleeping in the courtyard - what would recruiters think?
These social constraints would be worth exploring.
Excellent work. I would like to see the hammocks idea come to fruition. I wonder what liability that would pose for the school and if that would be a stumbling block. It seems to me that we signed our lives away at the beginning of school so I think you may be okay on that front. How much does a hammock cost? Can that fit within your constraints?
ReplyDeleteToilet seat covers seem to be the most likely of your ideas to gain traction. This seems like a sanitation need. Who knows what kind of cooties you're spreading without them? The expense cannot be too much and they could probably be covered by the maintenance budget.
Artwork on the trash cans seems interesting. Could you use pictures of students having fun, studying, working together, etc.? I think that would actually look really cool if you were to put them on the rectangular trash cans. This is the one that would be cool to see. I think that Owen needs to appear more hospitably. Think about a better hotel, they actually have interesting artwork; think about a crappy hotel, they usually have generic, terrible paintings. Which does Owen showcase? Generic, terrible paintings. Go for this one!