Courtyard and Student Store

Courtyard Goals

The Courtyard of Ralph Rapson Hall is a central space in which to view the activities of the building occurring around, and at times to be viewed as the center of activity in the building. In its current state the courtyard is sadly dysfunctional. It is Greenlight's goal to work on the programming and development of the space to have this major portion of the building contribute to the activities and the assets of the Architecture and Landscape Architecture community within the building.

Given the considerable size of the courtyard, and the activities that occur through out the year within the space, the layout and programming must be flexible. Interior landscaping, such as potted plants, should be included in the plan for this space. The courtyard has access to daylight throughout the day and seasons, making this a prime opportunity to bring the outside in. Lighting and acoustics need to be addressed overall in the space along with the development of the programming and design.

Develop programming requirements for the courtyard:
•  begin to look at a “student” space within the courtyard, which can relate to student store
•  explore logistics of student space
•  consider opportunities for better pin-up space
•  address lighting in the courtyard
•  hire professional acoustician assessment of courtyard

Find faculty to partner with for Courtyard Development Project design and budget.

Student Store Goals

Short-term
•  gain overflow storage space for student store
•  research examples of student-run stores (examples at U of Milwaukee, etc)
•  utilize other academic disciplines to lay out a “framework” for the operation of store
•  research best location for student store
•  sourcing student store materials – where will we buy from and what will be purchase
•  possibly work with AIAS on establishing coffee shop – as they have been working on this for several years
•  financial logistics of student store
•  generally establish guidelines to follow for the future design/implementation of the store

Long-term
•  establish/design student space over summer
•  revise guidelines and propose workshops/studios that address the courtyard/student store
•  continue to monitor successfulness of implementations