spring break what what

soooo been awhile, had a bit of a downer for a day, but i think i'll now be able to handle working with people that completely disregard my opinions.

i'm on the road! i decided this may be one of the most productive breaks ever. the plan: st.louis-carbondale-charlotte-dc-columbus-st.louis. about 40 hours of driving, w00t. plus great people along the way. and an interview. more later.



For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

i feel so weak and defenseless.

so im entering this competition

“If you’d ever unwind / And relax for then maybe / We could have a good time / And this will help." - The Rosebuds

I had my review for the rest area design on Wednesday. First reaction, "this isn't really architecture, i don't know how to talk about it," second reaction "this could be a thesis project." I'm not sure how to take it, but I'm assuming that if I had more than a week to work on the actual design of the space that I would have gotten farther than a landscape design and diagramic model of the rest area. However, I reallly liked the idea, and I got a lot of praise for the depth of research and understanding of the site. This is the sketch for the site.
Idea: re-establish a wetland that had been crammed into 8' pipes under the highway and create a rest area above the wetland, to avoid drainage complications and create an identity of place. because this site is right outside of st. louis and the stream feeds into the missouri, then the mississippi, then the gulf....

and now the competition... annie and helen, you'll love it!... The idea is to redesign a sustainable rest area that will work completely off-the-grid, meaning all the energy required, like lighting, would be gathered from the site. The site is in the San Joaquin Valley in CA, but the project should be applicable to any other site along this highway, CA99. An existing problem is vandalization. And most interesting- the population of the area is more than 50% hispanic, a majority immigrants. About 15% live under the poverty line.

...SO how can i design a sustainable, state-maintained, rest stop and still feel as though i've addressed the social issues. Actually, how do you even address a social issue in architecture without just relying on the programming?