Joey Omaid's Madison Space for Dr H. 4.7

This is a picture of the festival lawn. The festival lawn is a mini quad located behind the East Campus dinning hall on the east side of the JMU campus. One of the best things about the festival lawn is the view it allows. I believe the festival lawn is on eof the most aesthetic areas on campus. The festiaval lawn is located on a hilltop overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains. The festival lawn is the ideal example of space; it has been used on multiple occasions for the purpose of student interactivity. Late night breakfast is an excellent example of an activity that takes place on the festival lawn every once in a while. From time to time, there is a dance party or a mini concert that occurs on the festival lawn, bringing students togheter. When this picture was taken, the festival lawn was being used by a non-profit organization to raise awareness on student suicide rates on college campuses. When nice and sunny, students that live on the east side of cmpus spraw on the fesival lawn studying, tanning, or just hanging out.

Lawrence Petrakakos Dr. H 4/7

This is a picture of the stairs leading up to White Hall, located in the Village. White Hall is one of two sophmore dorms on campus and the only one with mutiple flights of stairs to reach. While the purpose of White Hall is to room students in their second year, the stairwell plays a different role in how White Hall is meant to be percieved. With the trees in bloom and the grass green blanketed in the shade it is obvious the desginers wanted to make this stand out to the JMU student. It is as if White Hall is a castle to the upper class students who at the same time live in the Village with the freshmen but sit on top of it looking down on all the other buildings. The stairwell is the gateway to the building such as any great castle as its own gateway to show its importance. While many people will probably never find their way to White Hall for me it is the place I will be living next year and when I walk up those stairs with the pink flowers falling on me, it will forever shape my image of this school and reinforce to importance of me being here is everyday.

Brandon Brown's Madison Space for 4/7

I chose Hillside Field as my space. It is used for marching band practice, archery, frisbee, and all kinds of other fun activities. In the hotter months of the year, it actually has more people on it than the quad does and is in close proximity to parking lots, Mr. Chips, P.C. Dukes, and tennis courts. It could relate to Mattson's idea of public space in a sense that it is used for so many different events. It serves the purpose of being something beautiful to look at because it is landscaped with bushes and flowers, but at the same time it's also practical because many physical activities happen on it. Something I found ironic about it involved Thoreau and how he described Walden Lake having the "Iron Horse" running through it, and Hillside Field has railroad tracks beside it as well. Hillside Field is the last green space on this side of campus if you say that the railroad tracks divide it into two. I will always remember this space since it is right in front of the only dorm I will ever stay in at JMU. Hillside Hall is the first thing I think of when I leave JMU and think of returning, and what's Hillside Hall without the field? It's the biggest social gathering area I can think of.

Natalia Porciello Madison Space for Dr. H. 4/7

This picture of festival lawn was taken an event entitled Send Silence Packing. It was a powerful demonstration that used backpacks to represent the number of college students that die each year as a result of suicide.

When I think of festival lawn in many ways I think of a blank canvas. It is utilized by students as a contact zone. Here students spend time hanging out, eating food from festival and engaging in sports and other recreational activities. The space is constructed to take advantage of the panoramic views and the brilliant sunsets that can be seen from festival lawn. This space can be contrasted to other open communal spaces such as the quad. The quad is constructed around the university where festival lawn is constructed around the view of the mountains. That is evident because most of the buildings on east campus face towards the mountains, where the buildings on the quad face each other. The image of sunsets at festival is an important memory about JMU and its surrounding natural beauty.

Here, the space is being used for a form of expression different from the everyday use of festival lawn. The amount of open unobstructed, flat, space causes festival lawn to be extremely versatile in its uses. This degree of open space allow for large scale gatherings and organized demonstrations and programs. Here it is being utilized as a way to spread awareness to students through symbols of backpacks.

Katie LeWines Madison Space for Dr.H. 4/7

This is a picture of the courtyard in between the Shenandoah Hall wings, A and B. This area is primarily used for lounging outside, bbqs at the grill, hangouts with friends, dorm activities and soo much more. It is the perfect place to just relax after a long day at class. It is also in a very convenient place. The courtyard, in a way isolates Shenandoah Hall residents from the surrounding dorms. It gives these residents a place of their own. I think this isolation allows you to develop a close knit family type of atmosphere with in the courtyard among dorm residents . The position of the courtyard allows the residents of B side to interact with residents from the A side. Most of the time, people don't normally make their way across the long hallway to the other side; it is like a foreign world. But, because of the courtyard people can come together as a whole community, instead of two separate sides to a dorm. Since, it is a newly developed part of the JMU campus, nothing has changed from the time it was finished being built with in the last year. I think the designers wanted something that would promote unity as a whole and that would bring people together. So the layout, two wings with a courtyard in between does in fact promote togetherness in my mind. I will definitely remember my experience in the courtyard as a positive piece of my JMU experience.

Amanda Thomasma's Madison Space for Dr. H

This is a picture I took of Wilson Hall from a distance. This image depicts the quad, a popular spot for students in the springtime. The quad is packing with people in the middle of a warm summer day. People come to the quad to sun-bathe, do homework, eat lunch with friends, play frisbee and just enjoy the beautiful weather. Sitting on the quad looking away from campus, a student can see the mountains off in the distance. Facing campus, a student can look at Wilson Hall and the surrounding buildings such as Harrison, Jackson, Moody and Keezel. This architecture is pleasing to look at. The quad is a great place on campus for students to come together and relax in the middle of their busy week.

Rich Barnes' Madison Space for Dr. H. 4/7

This is an image I took of Taylor Down Under. The building sits near Dukes and Top Dog, as well as the Hillside dorms. It's a fairly convenient place to go for eating and entertainment purposes. The stage is the main feature of this room, making it an entertainment-driven space. There are often musical and comedic groups that perform here, student and professional. The laid-back atmosphere provides the perfect social setting, especially since two of the campus eating establishments reside closely to it. Dukes and Top Dog are often a hassle to find a table at, and this is the perfect alternative option. Not pictured are a large number of pool tables, further providing the social-entertainment atmosphere. The comfortable couches in the back of the room provide a great spot to just chill out if you're just waiting around for friends or a class. The coffee shop in the back also attracts people, especially in the morning. The setup of the entire room revolves around the stage, which makes the entertainment purpose even more painfully obvious. I really enjoy the atmopshere this place provides.

"Casey Burruss's Madison Space for Dr. H. 4/7"

This is a picture of my dorm bathroom in Ikenberry Hall. This is a space that every single resident between the two suites’ use on a daily basis. Three sinks, two toilets, and two showers, all shared by twelve JMU freshman girls. All of the bathrooms in the Village are set up in the exact same way with three sinks facing the same wall with the two adjacent toilets and showers that are split by the wall of sinks. James Madison has set up this bathroom so that it is inevitable for people to interact. Everyone one who shares it will come into contact with each other through this common area, just as the “common room” that is present in all of our suites. The sinks face the same way to invoke connection with others who are using it, you can not avoid the person right next to you brushing their teeth. This bathroom doesn’t promote segregation or individuality, but a sense of community. I believe that the designers of this residence hall had that intention in mind even though its design was largely based on functionl use. When space is tightly constructed, interaction is bound to happen which allows for people to come into contact with those who may be different. It also evokes learning, to respect and appreciate a community centered place. This bathroom allows a group of total strangers to learn how to cope with living with others, adjusting to a world of community rather than private. I know that I have grown a bond with the girl's across the bathroom because of the way it was built and designed. The bathrooms have been this way since the Village was built and I believe that it will remain this way for many years to come.

Andrew Jones‘s Madison Space for Dr. H. 4/7

This is a picture that I took of Jackson Hall which is on the Quad at JMU. The architecture of Jackson is similar to that of several of the other buildings on the Quad. It has the bluestone with white pillars. It was named after stonewall Jackson because the students could not use the name Burruss as it was taken by another building on campus. Jackson is the building in which today History classes of all levels are taught. Academics were not the original use that Jackson was designed for. Jackson hall was originally designed as a dormitory and dining hall. It was the first on campus. When you look at Spotswood and Ashby hall’s which still house students to this day. When it was a dormitory instead of having RA’s it had a dorm mother to help the students out. The dining hall that was there serviced students that lived on and off campus just like D-Hall does today. The building had some academic uses as early as 1915; however it was still primarily a dorm until it underwent a major renovation in 1971 and then became the home of the History department. This is a great example of using a space that was designed for one specific purpose and changing it to fit the needs of the school.