Factory Floor Ideas

This is the first of my reading analysis as this is the first free time I have had this semester. To me this book acts as a diagram in paragraphs. Each chapter descriptively moves through the design process even creating bubble diagrams to elaborate on detail. These chapters assessed the players involved within the design field, clients and users.  The later chapters in the book described ways to view space and to assess the value of potential areas as well as the shaping and molding of sensation imbibed during circulation. Out of all points highlighted within the text I believe motivation is the most important.

Design theory is the backing behind successful and failing projects. Take for example the Industries of the Blind. The building itself displays no design theory other than that of strict purpose based construction. I don’t consider a structure like this to be architecturally competent in concept. Any contractor can buy plans and build a rectangle based system with casual consistencies in building form. For example standard door dimensions and uniform grays in color of material. The dull boring circulation exists only to sustain simple lifeless organization of manufacturing robots. I make the comparison to robots because of the mechanical resemblance of people working tediously to those of lifeless cogs in a geared machine.

To correct absence of life and emotion one must define personal space. Thus is the purpose of defined aedicule. To shear the open void into separate rooms each one containing its own experience. This is pointless on the factory floor. But what about a uniform working station that can be aligned to form canals where each worker has a sense of possession no matter where the station is located. Adjacent placement of the singular desk forms a working circulation while displaying uniformity and decreasing the mechanical element. Texture and color of this desk must be warm to relax the worker and increase the fluidity of the working process. The desk cannot contain an overhead unit due to fire suppression systems that hang from the ceiling I beams. Any overhead compartment might be impeding fire suppression as well as affecting the dispersement of light from overhead fixtures hanging from the ceiling. Any overhead compartment above the desks would block the viewing distance and be in the way of moving production units. All storage must be on the sides of underneath.

To touch on concept again; it is all metaphorical. To release one consistent metaphor throughout the whole of the structure is successful architecture. Even if it is the gears of production, define it well and not just the bare minimum.