Archives for June 2019

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Essen 05

June 30, 2019 by Yat Chan Leave a Comment

After two weeks in Berlin, our next journey is at Essen. Essen is more industrial in comparison to Berlin; there is the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex, which symbolizes one of German three big products: coal, steel, and beer. Therefore, our professor took us to there in order to experience the unhealthy working situation of workers during industrialization.

Our tour guide brought us to the underground, it was very dark and dirty; he showed us their “bathrooms” back in the days, they were just buckets. They had to work a long shift while suffering an unhealthy working condition. Our tour guide also let us tried to hold their driller, it was very heavy, about 40 lbs since they did not have advanced technology to improve their equipment. Plus, the dust that was caused by mining underground, which is a nearly closed space triggered health issues at their lungs, many workers had after effects after working.

Then, the tour guide took us to one of the factories, there was a platform with 2 large speakers for us to experience the working noises back in the days. It was a continuous mechanic noise; imagining working with the noises from a long period, the hearing ability is probably damaged. Nonetheless, the tour guide told us that it was only the reduced amount of noise, the real situation was like 100 or 1000 louder than that. Along with the vibration of the driller, and the danger of mining, workers suffered really bad working experiences. However, their efforts were one of the forces that push society to progress, which people appreciates a lot.

Copenhagen 04

June 30, 2019 by Yat Chan Leave a Comment

During the trip, we got free travel weekend, so my friends and I decided to visit a nearby country, Denmark. Europe is a really interesting continent, it is so small, but it contains so many different cultures and civilization. In comparison to the United States, going to DC would take 3-4 hours of driving from New Brunswick; but in Europe, going to Amsterdam only take 2 hours of driving from Essen. Everything is so close, yet so different, different languages, different food, different structures, etc. The long history and hierarchy in Europe make this land a good exploration for people to experience.

In Copenhagen, the structures look slightly similar to what we saw in Berlin, yet they have their own unique colors. These buildings tend to have more colors and look more traditional, along with the style of Nordic countries. One of the examples is the Nyhavn, it was a historical district that provides entertainment along the canal back in the days. Now it is a tourists hot spot for them to experience the Danish colors in Copenhagen.

Moreover, Danish people love their Danish royal family; we were lucky to see a Danish parade and the Danish defense on the street. It was very fun to experience their patriotism since I am not from a country that was built up with royalties. I am really happy that we got the chance of free travel weekend, which can allow us to explore more different cultures. Personally experiencing it is different than reading it from books.

What Thailand Taught Me

June 30, 2019 by Karina Bahshiyants 1 Comment

For someone who enjoys her routine more than anything, I will never regret packing my bags and traveling to Thailand. Adjusting to a new environment and people was not easy and it’s something I didn’t feel comfortable doing because it required me to get out of my comfort zone. Studying and learning about not only Thailand’s healthcare systems, but also culture, way of life, and everything in between has made a huge impact on my life. Without this program, Bangkok, Thailand would have been an overwhelming experience. I am grateful for all the hard work our professor and program coordinators put into this trip in order to make it educational, fun, and inclusive. We had something new to learn every single day, and that’s what kept me away from missing home so much. Two weeks in Thailand is the perfect amount of time to adjust and to absorb every bit of this beautiful place. I’m very happy I made the choice to be a part of this specific public health program because I think we experienced and witnessed things we wouldn’t have done so anywhere else. This trip was truly a humbling experience as well because we saw and helped individuals who had nothing, but still kept a huge smile on their face. In the U.S., sometimes we forget how fortunate we are to have basic things such as a working toilet, clean water, and air conditioning!! If there is anything that I can take away from what I learned from Thai people and their culture its to be kind to one another, to appreciate the things you have, to be open-minded, and to keep stress out of your life.

Design Charette

June 30, 2019 by Jessica MacPhee Leave a Comment

During our 4th week in Germany we have dedicated this time to do our design charette. The project site we are working on is Westpark, in Bochum, Germany. It is a post-industrial site that was dedicated to the steel industry. This site is a functional public space with recreational lawn, a restaurant, and a large building used to hold musical events. This space is very large and there are many different spots for activities as well as leisure. It is an interesting park because there is a space very inaccessible to visitors, but is a place where the locals can access. This is in the northeast corner of the site.

Our task as designers was to create a space for people to access and enjoy this northeast corner of the site. The site includes inactive, abandoned rail lines as well as 1 active train line that intersects the access path where the locals are coming to enter the site. My team developed the idea of creating microclimates are linked with the rest of the park through a continuous water system. German culture embraces the industrial aesthetic and man-made engineered systems are very common in the landscape of Germany. We wanted to embrace this post-industrial, 4th nature aesthetic and continue it very visibly throughout our design area. The design task also dealt with SoundScapes, which is the major project we are dealing with. To create multiple soundscapes with high biophonies and low anthrophonies, we are using the microclimate sites we have created to generate these pleasant soundscapes. In addition, we have also created a sound-installation that will generate pleasant geophonic sounds by using wind. This sound installation will be a man-made teepee-like structure, also doubling as an open-air shelter area. Located at the large hill 28 meters high, the high wind will blow through pipes in the sound-installation and generate organ-like noises that can be heard as visitors ascend up the hill. Inspired by the Wave Organ in San Fransisco, these pipes will be running through the soil of the hill and let out among the path that leads to the top. Wind-chimes made with wood and metal will also be a sound-generating material. Fabric will be used as well to create soft low pressure noises.

At the end of the 3 days of design charette, we were tasked to create a presentation with renderings, a site plan, ecological development ideas, analysis and soundscape planning ideas to our professors, as well as a professor from Templehof University and 2 of his students working on SoundScapes. Overall everything went very well and it was worth all the hard work and staying up late to create our designs.

I am looking forward to the rest of this week at Duisborg-Nord park, another post-industrial park. I have visited this site before and I am glad will be ending the trip on a very fun note. Stay tuned for pictures.

Main Hall building. Workers were installing these neon lights outside when we arrived.

Yokki pretending to spraypaint the art found at our site. You can see the main pipes we are using to pump water throughout the site in our proposed design

An area on the abandoned tracks that locals are using currently. This is a gathering space we are proposing to have.

Some abandoned rail tracks found at our site.

Water cooling towers. We proposed to use these as new water filtration center for the water system we proposed in our design

French Gastronomy and Food Culture

June 29, 2019 by Rachel Mahoney Leave a Comment

How does the way one approaches food reflect our culture?

In 2010, the United Nations Center for Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added French Gastronomy to their list of “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”

The gastronomic meal is a French social tradition for celebrating important events. It is characterized by all the aspects surrounding food starting from the ingredients. They will go to farmer’s markets and specialty shops to buy high-quality, locally sourced foods, and might even have a discussion with the seller. The food will be home cooked, and everybody is involved with the preparation; from sharing recipes, cooking techniques, to discussing wine-food pairings, It is important for families to pass this tradition down to the next generation. They take great care to select wines that pair with the food, and to set the table beautifully. There is great emphasis on the joy of sharing foods and eating together.

The order of the courses goes aperitif, starter, fish or meat with vegetables, cheese, dessert, and digestif. Aperitifs are usually alcoholic drinks such as dry wines, that are designed to stimulate the appetite. Starters are the first dishes served and will be a cold dish first followed by a hot one. The main course will have fish or meat with vegetables, and then the cheeses platter will always be served in the order of mildest to strongest. Lastly, digestifs are alcoholic beverages served after the meal to aid digestion. Examples include brandy, fortified wines, or liquors.

I will admit, I became very accustomed to the French way of life: small breakfasts, long, large lunches, and late dinners. I can say with confidence that I never went to bed hungry.

Here are some of the most notable dishes that I had or tried while I was in France:

⁃Escargots aka snails and snail rolls – considered a starter, cooked in a delicious parsley garlic butter sauce or rolled taquito style and fried

⁃Oeufs en Meurette – also considered a starter, poached eggs with hard bread, onions, and bacon with a red wine sauce

⁃Beuf Bourginoun- Beef braised in a Burgundy red wine sauce and potatoes in a creamy garlic sauce

⁃Chinese Food From the Cluny Open-Air Market – From the left, there was paella royale, various fried seafood rolls, fried calamari, and samosas. From the right, you can see noodles with vegetables and fried rice. From here I tried the curry samosas, the calamari, and the noodles with vegetable.

⁃Poulet de Vin Jaune- chicken and mushrooms cooked in a creamy wine sauce made with Vin Jaune – a special and unique yellow wine that is only made in the Jura mountains, served with a side of rice.