Summary

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HISTORY:
High Tech High School first opened its doors in 1991. However, the school did not acquire its athletic facilities (colloquially known as "The APA") until 2002. I say "acquire" because the school district actually purchased the facilities. These facilities were originally owned by The A-P-A Transport Corp, a trucking company which, at its peak, was the fourth-largest trucking company in the country (David Rounds, "Perfecting a Piece of the World: Arthur Imperatore and the Blue-Collar Aristocrats of A-P-A" Addison Wesley Publishing Company, 1993). It was used by employees to work out and keep fit. When the company closed in 2002, The Hudson County Schools of Technology - the district that operates High Tech High School among others in Hudson County - "expressed some interest in purchasing the property, including A-P-A's extensive gym and training facility, once used by the New Jersey Nets for daily practices," ("Going once... going twice... sold! A-P-A Transport holds fire sale on practically everything in sight", Hudson Reporter, 17 May 2002). Thus, my school's current athletic facilities were not even constructed for the school. It was not created with students in mind; it was not created with fluidity alongside High Tech; it was not created to serve purposes that any high school would need.

INTERVIEW with Ms. Fernanda Machuca:
Ms. Fernanda Machuca is currently High Tech High School's yoga instructor, having held the position since 2011.
Q: What is the best thing about High Tech's athletic facilities?
A: The opportunity the kids have to practice varying sports -- we let the kids pick what they like instead of forcing them to do something.
Q: What is the worst thing about High Tech's athletic facilities?
A: Worst? It's too far from the building. It takes ten minutes for students to get to class. That, on top of time for changing, takes a huge chunk out of my class time.
Q: Has your experience at High Tech as a gym instructor been a positive one?
A: Yes, it's amazing. One of the things I've seen in this school that makes it different from others is that the teachers really care about the kids.
Q: What would you look for most in a new athletic pavilion at High Tech?
A: A new yoga room! That way, I could teach more kids.

PROCESS ANALYSIS
To compile the information necessary for the understanding of the area, the class was split up and tasked to gather typical site analyses factors, including climate factors, existing structures and property lines, and photographs. We shared our findings and creations, but their meanings and overall relevance to our designs were individual endeavors. Thus, this section contains my analyses of materials that I created as well as materials created by my peers. Additionally, I created a diagram outlining the property lines of the area. Such a diagram is very important to the process because all developments must be restricted to the areas owned by the Hudson County Schools of Technology. I began by analyzing the current structures on the lots and received information from an instructor regarding which ones the district actually owned. The process demonstrated that there was a lot of unused space that could be channeled for development.

ATTACHMENTS
Attached are different images, diagrams, and maps. They all serve to collect information and inspiration relevant to the development of my designs.