On every floor of the GSU dorms there is a space for the residents and their guests to hang out and socialize. Take the elevator up to the tenth floor, step out and to the right is a double-doorway leading to the gathering area. Hallways leading either direction to the dorm room suites. On the tenth floor there is a four-foot-tall white table, about five feet long, two feet wide. High chairs surround the table, occupied by loud teenagers. The shy boy who seems too big to be a freshman smiles bashfully as he interacts with his neighbors. He tugs on his white tee shirt and fiddles with his iPhone. Adjacent sits the star struck little Hispanic girl, dark creamy skin contrasting with the sparkle in her eyes. She stairs up at him with a wide smile. She is far from shy. She’s loud and confident. Probably only four feet tall and has to strain her neck to look up at her crush. across the room in the purple lounge seats close to the ground sits a diverse group of five chatty friends, excited from a game a Bullshit. Cards fly and everyone belts out in laughter after a friendly showdown, trying to decide if the card placed on the round, grey table was in-fact a nine. The lean boy with a blue button-up collared shirt and salmon shorts sits up, back arched, ankles crossed, and a grin across his face so wide his eyes crinkle on the exterior corners. His African American bone structure paired with mocha colored skin, pearly teeth, and bright turquoise eyes creates a strikingly unique beauty. To his left sits a stocky, pale girl in black leggings and an oversized tee shirt. She watches everyone intently, amused by their behavior. She’s more reserved but projects well when she speaks. She holds the cards close to her chest and peaks down during each turn. Her dark brown hair pulled back in a high pony tail and glasses resting on the bridge of her nose. She giggles with every challenged play. Then sits a thin pale boy with a pinkish complexion close to a dark chocolate colored girl with a strong jaw line and big eyes. His jeans are more loosely fitted while hers are painted against her skin. Finally, sits a boy who has to look up at everyone. His skin is medium brown with an ashy complexion. His hair was thick and incredibly curly. A thin beard stretched across his face and his glasses were held high on his nose.

           The floor in Life Time Fitness consists of carob brown carpet and grey rubber depending which section the occupants are in. Rubber for the dumbbells, and carpet for the machines.The dumbbell weights start from five pounds reaching to ninety pounds in increments of five. The ends of the dumbbells are black, in the shape of a decagon, and have the weight written in white on them; the metal handle between the actual weight is silver and rigid. All of the dumbbells fill up black racks from small to big in order to support the various sizes of weights. In front of the racks, there are three chairs and three benches that can recline or decline.The framework of the seats are metal and white; they also have ruby red colored cushions about two inches thick. The rest of the setting is filled with machines to work out all the main body parts labeled: abs, shoulders, arms, back, and legs. The machines are all made from Life Fitness with the same framework and cushion as the chairs. The weight adjustment for the machines are controlled by a pin and pulley system which have plates in increments of seven-and-a-half pounds. The ceiling is a white scaffold setup with a popcorn ceiling and rectangle lights.

           A variety of people come to Lifetime Fitness, but there’s a certain standard to lifetime and the members pay a significant amount for it. People with a middle-class financial status or higher occupy most of the memberships here at Lifetime. But physically speaking, the people range in all different sizes depending on how long they’ve been coming here. From fat to skinny, and muscular to scrawny, people come to this gym with the same purpose. During my observation, I saw a man grunting who almost three times my size towering over me and because of his greying hair and wrinkling skin; it led me to believe the man was middle-aged. Excluding his massive size and build, the amount of workout equipment led to the assumption that he has been a long-term member. Only a couple machines next to me, a girl half my size was texting on her phone for an thirty minutes and didn’t even touch the machine. The amount of muscle the girl had obviously correlated with the amount of work she put it. This showed me that the occupants all view the gym differently; some come to focus and work hard while others come here to relax.

               The occupants come to lifetime for various reasons, but they used the objects for a common goal: to get stronger. The dumbbells and the seats are used to put people in the correct posture for the movement of the exercises as they push against a certain amount of resistance; this area is called the free-weights zone. The machines allow the people to use more resistance than they could with the dumbbells because of the pulley-system that the machines use. The occupants use these objects in order to put stress on their body so that they can gain more strength. These objects control how the occupants interact in the space because there is a certain motion for every exercise and there are different locations to do each of them

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Here I am again. The lights are bright as ever, but this particular space is more empty than usually (√). The lights are for studying.  The reason why is because it is a Sunday today, and not a school day.(X) I look around and see only two other people outside the study room that are focused on their computer screens. One of them was a girl in front of me and she was on Facebook looking at her news feed. She had blonde hair and her shoes were colorful. (O) She was drinking some coffee, and eating some fruit snacks. The second guy was focused as well and studying for human communications. I saw that he had the orange book that I also had for human communications, so I knew that he was studying for it. He had a vibrant red shirt on that had a nike symbol in the middle of his shirt. (O)He had some nike Roshe runs on that were bright red.  The bookshelves were still on the left side of me. The shelves were black and the books all thick. I looked to the right, and saw the study rooms. Study rooms are for studying and also for friends to just have privacy. There was a group of guys in there studying and writing equations on the board. (O+)All four of them were working on math together. At one point, they all got up and left and went to go buy coffee. The coffee shop was called Saxby’s and just around the corner. I could not see the shop, but they all came back with the cups.(X) The bottle was clear and filled with brown coffee. There was no one behind me the whole time, but only empty tables with empty chairs. As I looked up again, I saw that the girl was leaving. However she forgot her headphones. I got up, and I went and gave it to her and told her to be careful next time. We talked for a bit and I decided to interview her.

I look around and see many tables, so many that it would be hard to count. There are about four tables that correlate with every table. There are many rooms to the right of me that are for study groups. They have clear, glass walls so that I can see through them. To the left of me is many bookshelves that have books ranging from textbooks to novels. There are lights in this area that shine up the whole entire area.

The rectangular tables and the chairs are for people to come and sit down in the library to do whatever they feel like doing. I am currently doing that exact same thing. The rooms to the right of me are rooms that mostly study groups occupy. I see a average of two to three people in each room. The rooms a good way to let the study groups have their privacy. The clear glass walls lets people know that if the room is occupied or not. Of course, there are bookshelves and books. This is an library, and there are always books in a library. It lets people know that the library is an environment for studying and learning. The lights also brings that point up. People sleep in the library all the time, but with the bright lights, it is harder to sleep.

The people in the space are focused and all look serious. The girl in front of me is on her laptop and watching a movie with her headphones in. She is focused on only the movie and nothing else. To the right of me, there is a group of people on their laptops doing work. It is in the study room with the glass. There are loud people behind me that are talking really loudly. It would be nice if they got into a study room because they are distracting me.

The girl in front of me is a girl that likes to watch movies and needed a quiet place to relax and watch movies. She chose the library even though the library is for studying. She is sitting still and enjoying her movie. The group of people next to me are focused intensely on their computer screens doing whatever they are doing. They would not want me to distract them. Movements are at a minimum in the study rooms. Behind me are people that just keep talking. I do not look behind because that would be weird. They are talking about engineering and computer stuff, so they are in a class about computers or engineering. I ignore them and continue my work.

The space that I observed was an Advanced Algebra math class. As I looked around the room, I noticed the alignment of the desks. The desks were in even rows looking as if they were combats about to go to war. I noticed the whiteboard that hung in the center of the classroom that looked as if blood was all over it because of the red marker that the teacher was using. The four very modern computers was an object that caught my attention first. It was one of the most up to date things that was in the classroom. The white bricks that looked very bumpy caught my attention, as well.  Lastly, I noticed the gray and black fan that was in the back of the classroom making a lot of noise. 

Each of the objects in the room had a specific purpose and sent a message to the students. For example, the alignment of the desks was to prevent the students from talking to each other and engaging in activities that they weren’t suppose to do. The whiteboard was used as an instructional tool for the students and the teachers.  The whiteboard is essentially where the student’s attention should have been at all times.The modern computers were there for the students to use. Being that, we live in a very tech-savvy world, it’s a necessity for the classroom to have some sort of technology.

The people I saw in this space consisted of about 17 not engaged students and a very, very talkative teacher . The students were spread all across the classroom sitting in their desks. I noticed a group of about 3 or 4 boys in back of the classroom talking about the most recent football game. There were 3 girls sitting up front talking among themselves about something that I couldn’t quite hear.  There was a couple sitting next to each other drawing on each other’s arms, giggling and smiling. The other 8 students were engaged in other activities. They were either texting, doodling on on the desk,or even sleeping . There was this one guy sitting in the back that had totally taken the whole classroom over because of this snoring .  Then, there was the teacher.  He was dressed in a purple button down shirt, with ashy black pants and black dress shoes . He stood at the center of the classroom with a red marker and a worksheet in his hand. He was trying to teach his students how to expand binomials. He was,however, having a hard time trying to grasp the attention of all 17 of his students.

There were several different types of people in the space , as well. There were the inattentive students that weren’t paying attention to what the teacher was saying. There was the unprepared student that reported to class with nothing in hand and the disrespectful student. This was the student that went toe to toe with everything that the teacher said. Lastly, there was the teacher that was supposed to be teaching and instilling knowledge in his students. Instead, he was basically babysitting a bunch of teenagers. The students chose to occupy the space because they wanted to be accounted for. It’s quite obvious that they weren’t there to actually learn because of their behavior. The teacher was there because he wanted to instill knowledge in his students. The teacher remained at the center of the classroom the entire 90 minutes teaching to a bunch of  not engaged students. 

When I first arrive what stuck out the most was how natural the area was. The large grass field surrounded by trees whose heights could compare to some of the buildings surrounding them. These accompanied by the sound of flowing water coming from the fountains gave this space a much more down to earth feel in a highly industrialized city. The next thing that stuck out was the “AtL” children’s playground. Its segmented wood pattern finish suited the vibe of the rest of the park nicely.

Any public park has trees and flowers and grass fields to give its attendees a reason for being there. Those who walk by a park that is ill kept will not want to step ten feet near it. The “AtL” actually does a few things. First, it acts as a sign to let people know exactly where they are and what kind of a city this is, and second, it acts as a reason for parents to bring their children. It’s inviting earthy tones and the fact that it almost doesn’t look like a playground makes it that much more interesting.

There were various types of people at this park. There were musicians, business personnel, park cleaners, families, and some who were just there to take a nap. In particular there was a father of about average height with a medium skin tone and rosy undertones who had came with his daughters who had appeared to be 6 and 2-3 years old. The sisters chased each other all around the park on the outside and inside. Going through every obstacle in this maze like jungle gym that they appeared to know very well all while their father sits and enjoys watching his daughters have fun in a safe environment.

The majority of people who were in the park seemed to be of a lower financial status. Some appeared that they may have been struggling while others looked like they’d already given up. Public institutions like these are a “feeding ground” for these kinds of people because for some, they have no home to return to and no money to buy food, so a table and trash scraps don’t seem so bad.

As I walked through the glass doors of Georgia State’s recreation center for students attending Georgia State, I happened to forget my basketball shoes back at my dorm. Leaving my basketball shoes in my dorm forced me to not be able to play basketball, so I decided to take a seat in the only comfortable chair left remaining in the lobby. Having nothing to do at the moment, I start noticing that the recreation center is gigantic and is filled with a vast pace of people walking in and out. I see big brown desks with computers on them for the workers to use throughout the day. Marble floors shine as I decide to get up and make my way to the high tech steel turnstiles which can only be opened if you have a panther card.

Sliding my blue panther card through the card scanner, the turnstiles open up and I am able to walk through. The turnstiles only open up if you have access to a Georgia State Panther card. Before walking through, I ask one of the attendants what’s on each floor. Her long brown hair swaying left to right, she tells me that we are currently on the second floor. The second floor consists of the game room and the smaller fitness room. The first floor has a larger gym where you can play racket ball in a concealed area with three walls. You can also get your heavy lifting in, with things such as bench press, squats, curls, and dumbbells. The third floor contains the well-structured basketball courts with the Georgia State logo placed firmly on the middle of the floor, and dance studios.  The fourth floor barely gets much attention, but is surrounded by a nice size track, and a volleyball court for intramural volleyball/other sports. As I walk through I noticed the two elevators to the left of me, and the stairs straight ahead. Being lazy, the elevator was the best thing to get me around at the moment. Currently still by the main lobby, which is the second floor, I take a look around before entering the elevator. A sign appears with the words game room labeled on it, in a funky font. You’re filled with exciting things to play such as, ping poll, a normal size pool table, a foosball table, etc. when you walk into the game room. Across from the game room, the first fitness center appears. A weird smelling aroma of the fitness room hits me as I walk into the fitness room.

The fitness room is occupied by a lot of people that come in different shapes, and sizes to use the nice equipment provided by Georgia State.  Looking around, people are using the treadmills properly and treating the equipment with care. Caught in the moment I recognize how some people wipe off their equipment with alcohol/Lysol after using that specific equipment. People living in this space love the workout and stay healthy.

As I take my final steps throughout the fitness center, I notice a short brown hair girl running on the treadmill. You can tell by the sweat drenching down her face that she came to the gym to put that extra work in. Throughout the day people go in and out of the recreation center building, either to work out in the gym, find fun activities, or even play basketball.

In this space Starbucks, there were people coming to order coffee and sat down for some relaxation or do their school work while some came in, got their coffee and ran out. There were also people behind the counter with matching uniforms taking orders and making coffee. People had to wait in a long like to order coffee so I had a good look at what they look like, one was a tall man with a a grey suit, glasses, a briefcase and had newly shaved face. Also when I was in line, the person taking my order had a bunch of acne and he was short and chubby.

In my observation, I see chairs and tables, the equipment, and the glass doors and walls. The black metal chairs and tables are used to let customers stay and enjoy themselves. The equipment is shown to the costumers or future customers that they make their coffee, like how they made my grande vanilla bean frappuccino with the shot of espresso. Depending on what drink or size, determines how long they have to wait, hence the purpose of chairs and tables.The glass doors and walls serve a purpose for people walking by, to see what they have to offer and what kind of environment they have.

In this space I saw a person in a chair with her laptop on the table wrapped in a warm sweater, wearing glasses smog by the steam from the coffee she ordered, doing a class assignment of some sorts. All I see her doing is moving her mouse back and forth, typing, and sipping her hot coffee. Across the the room is two people, probably on a date. One is wearing fancy makeup and a nice red,yellow, and brown  dress on while the other had a nice rock band tee-shirt with ripped pants. They seem to be drinking coffee and laughing every five seconds and when the lady was about to leave, she gave him a kiss and left. He was still there when I left, scrolling through his phone calling people and finishing his coffee.

In this space, many kinds people occupy it. There are people of many races, ages, and ethnicity to come to Starbucks. People come to meet friends, family, a date, do homework, rest or just to drink coffee. 

As I sit in one of the pristine and quality chairs in the Georgia State University library I observe how the space is filled with numerous types of plush and comfy furniture, along with austere and stern looking desk that students clearly try to avoid. The warm mahogany brown book shelves fill up the 3rd floor and give off a warm and homey feel. The windows in the library provide a view of the rush of Atlanta traffic and serve as a barrier from the roaring engines and piercing sound of horns honking.

The objects in the space, such as the study rooms or desk top cubicles, serve the purpose of giving students options as to where they want to study or complete whatever task they wish to. They give off a message that students aren’t confined or limited to just a chair and a desk. The objects allow students to spread out and fill every corner of the library. These features make the Gsu library an attractive place for students to spend their time for hours on end.

As you walk into the library you are greeted by men and women dressed in navy blue, collard, button down shirts with matching pants. The polished gold badges on their chest provide a sense of security, and after they ask for your panther ID and to swipe your card, you enter a study haven. I look to my left to see a girl in vibrant green sweat shirt, leaning on her arm, with a banal look on her face clearly uninterested in her assignment, and I wonder if i will be the same. As I move towards the stairs, i cant help but feel self cautious of the squeak my shoes gave off, being as the library seemed undisturbed and still.

The people in this space are all intrigued in whatever they have in front of them. You can see groups of 3-5 college students, male and female, conversing about their various assignments in the study rooms provided. Across from me I can see a girl in a burgundy hoodie clearly taking a break from her work to enjoy an episode of a show she enjoys. Most of the people that occupy this space seem to be here for relatively the same purpose.