5 Elements of the city...inside

According to Kevin Lynch's The Image of the City a city having 5 distinct elements make it easier to navigate and mentally map. A question posed in class was can those elements be translated into interior spaces and if so how would they work. To explore this I am going to think about the main building here at SCAD Atlanta and how those elements translate into space in the building at 1600 Peachtree St.
Paths. The routes along which people travel
In any interior environment one could say that hallways could be thought of as paths. For 1600 Peachtree I'll take it a step further. Some of the corridors and other main areas that students traverse everyday are wider than the typical hallways. In those areas a path with in a path exists. For example, the hallway outside of the Hub, during a case study that I performed last year I discover that the majority of students come from the hallway that leads from the parking deck and cross it diagonally into the Hub. This is a path within a path.



Edges. Non-traveled lines
In any interior space the walls automatically serve as the edges. At 1600 Peachtree this holds true, however; once you get into individual departments walls may not exist. The edges are then formed by the way that furniture is arranged which then serves as an edge by defining a certain space.


Districts. Moderate-sized areas that city residents identify as having a particular character
Districts in an interior environment can be defined in a number of ways: materiality, spatial organization, and function, to name a few. This is demonstrated at 1600 Peachtree. Each department forms a district. In that way there is an interior design district, a fashion district, a photography district and so on. These districts are frequently defined by being on their own individual floors and each floor is then defined by a different color: the 2nd floor is orange, the 3rd lime green and the 4th floor is pale blue. These districts are thoroughly defined using materiality and function.


Nodes. Well-known points that people travel to and from
At 1600 Peachtree the primary node would be the Hub. Its name is rather appropriate. To traverse from one section of the building to another one must pass through the hub. It is a large open space that houses the cafeteria, coffee shop and a lounge area for students that includes pool tables and chairs for napping. The hub is frequently used as a point to orient one's self and it is an area where people frequently gather in and around.


Landmarks. Easily viewed elements, even on a grand scale
At 1600 Peachtree the term Landmark and Node could be interchangeable. The hub also serves as a landmark. When given directions people are told to go to or thru the hub to get to where ever they need to go. The elevators may also serve as landmarks because they are located on every floor at the same place on every floor. The elevators could also be considered nodes. In other interior spaces landmarks could vary such as a large atrium or another focal point.