I could use some help figuring out how to best present something for my urban planning class. The backstory is that I’m an undergrad studying architecture and design. I’m taking my first urban planning course this semester, and it’s extremely difficult. This particular class focuses on municipal zoning regulation, which is a surprisingly complicated topic–and also really obscure to anyone outside the trade. Every few weeks, our professor arranges a panel of peer students from a counterpart class and forms mock assemblies. Small groups have to present a topic to the group and are graded on their ability to share the topic both convincingly and accurately. The exercise is much harder than it sounded at first because students get assigned topics. Anyway, our group was assigned modular mezzanine design. We’re supposed to define it, explain its importance, and give examples or make some up.
This class sounds tremendously important despite how challenging you consider its curriculum. You couldn’t be more right when it comes to the obscurity of zoning laws, which transcends state borders. Some consider urban planning one of the most crucial modern disciplines because of the seemingly exponential growth in global urban density. Researchers at the United Nations project that by 2050, 66% of the world’s population will be concentrated in urban areas. Most countries and the cities within them will be unprepared for the mass influx of permanent residents.
This is all to say that urban planning, architecture, municipal law, and a whole slew of other related disciplines will become increasingly essential to the post-modern world. It’s unfortunate that several don’t have a reputation for being all that popular with younger generations. Almost everyone is guilty of taking these things for granted yet we all rely on them each and every day.
You’re lucky because modular mezzanines can most definitely be presented easily to a completely uninformed audience. Beginning with a recognizable example might be the best strategy. Mezzanines are rather ubiquitous for their advantages. Most have set foot in a movie or stage performance theater (e.g., the Sydney Opera House, the Kennedy Center, Madison Square Garden, the Colosseum, etc.). Other examples include airports and train terminals.
All of those structures make use of mezzanines, which is defined as an intermediate floor resting between two major floors. The mezzanine level is often the balcony in movie theaters, for instance, whereas in public transit terminals, they often serve as processing areas for patrons (i.e., where travelers pay service fees). In reality, however, anyone might wish to exploit the value of a mezzanine. Businesses and other organizations with limited real estate must sometimes consider building their own interior mezzanines to expand storage space.
There’s no shortage of design approaches to choose from, either. Advancements made in technology have migrated into construction. One example is modular design and construction, which has taken the industry by storm. A modular mezzanine only enhances the inherent value because it means the efforts will likely be less disruptive and also adaptable in the future. That’s an attractive proposition for anyone with limited space.
You could probably find more examples online and use visual aids to help with the presentation, too.
“Don’t let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning.” — Robert Kiyosaki
