Abstract
In design education, the design studio provides an ideal forum for exploring different design practices. This paper contributes and elaborates on the so-called ‘emerging design democracy,’ launched in the present call, situating students as agents of sociable processes and incorporating participatory and user-centered design approaches. In this respect, we discuss the scope, approach, and design objectives of an on-site master design studio in interior design. Students designed and realized spatial interventions in an outworn residential building functioning as a foster home for boys aged 12-18. The main objective of the interventions was to improve users’ (residents and staff) sense of well-being. Since the building will be demolished within a few years and replaced by a new one, students could experiment and test spatial interventions based on user input. Based on conversations before, during, and after students’ design process, we reflect on students’ inquiries into the existing built environment, and how it is experienced We paid specific attention to how these inquiries informed their creative processes. The project generated new insights into the value of a thorough analysis of the existing built environment and the physical and social interactions at the site. An evaluation of the studio and the collaboration with the care organization shows the value of students’ working on-site for broadening and deepening both their own and the organization’s understanding of the site and its opportunities.
Presenters
Margo AnnemansAssistant Professor, Henry van de Velde - Interior Architecture, University of Antwerp, Belgium Eva Storgaard
Research Fellow, Faculty of Design Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Design Democracy, Interior Design Studio, On-site interventions, User-centered Design
