Dream Builders

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Floor Plan and Development of Spaces

This project has presented many challenges because of all the different types of spaces. The various types of spaces include:

Administrative
Professional Services

Counselors
Legal Services
Nurse/Visiting physician

Communal Spaces

Chapel
Dining Hall/Kitchen
Small Group Meeting Spaces
Gym/Fitness

Educational Spaces

Adult classroom
Homework centers for elementary and youth age groups
Nursery classroom
Toddler classroom
Preschool classroom
Play spaces for each age group both indoors and outdoors

Apartments for the women and children to live in for a full year
Maintenance Spaces

The unique shape of the building presented both great opportunities and some huge challenges. The different wings of the building allowed for more spaces with window. However, these same wings made it difficult to get uniform apartment spaces. My overall plan changed from the original zoning diagram first presented.

The solution is still evolving. Modeling in Google Sketchup has proven to be an effective tool for dealing with the changes in ceiling heights as well as the more thematic elements in the project.

Amiee Thibodeaux, interior designer at Chasm Architecture in Baton Rouge, has been invaluable as a mentor this semester. She has shown me how to "massage" the floor plan until it is successful.
Tracy Burns, one of the principal interior designers at Commercial Design Interiors, also assisted me with the early education childcare spaces. These are much more involved spaces than initially thought.

Of course my instructors, Matthew Dunn and Phillip Tebutt continue to push me to finalize the vision for Dream Builders.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Logo: Original Digital Art Project

This is the digital art project entitled "What is Love?" It was created with Adobe Illustrator from the doodle that is also posted. The colors and text really make this a wonderful piece, both fun and friendly. This did not translate as well into the full logo; hence, the transition to find other elements to work with the central icon.

Logo Original Doodle

This is the doodle that started it all! Sharpie marker on a magazine subscription insert card. All it took was a telephone conversation and some time sitting at the drawing table to create this now important icon.

Logo Design

The logo for this project began as doodle. This doodle became a very strong graphic element which translated into a digital art project over the summer (2009). In the fall, it became the main element in the Dream Builders logo. This spring it was reinvented again through many variations of color, text, and contributing elements. The final logo is strong and represents the spriritual evolution of a mother and her children as they rebuild their lives and create violence-free homes. The deep warm bright pink is both strong and feminine, symbolic of the mother taking a leading role in her life and no longer seeing herself as a victim. The orange is a color of activity and energy which symbolizes the path that will take all of them there. The white represents their spiritual nature which is transcendent throughtout the healing process.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Project Abstract

Dream Builders Transitional Housing Complex

Crisis in the lives of women and children of abuse can create homelessness, complete poverty, and lack of safety. Rebuilding these individuals to fully functioning whole beings through transitional housing, in-depth counseling, and life skills assistance is an answer to bring transformation to them. Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs model, the center would provide all elements to build them up from their broken state by fulfilling their basic needs of shelter, food, and safety, while instructing them how to advance to self-actualization.

Dream Builders, a transitional housing complex, would provide the place of safety and shelter. The complex would also include a facility for education and training, as well as childcare. Each family in need would receive an apartment to facilitate privacy, while keeping them close to the support network on site. Each family would partake in group-activities to increase social interaction. Members would also participate in the caretaking of the facility. Life skills such as parenting, money management, GED training, and homemaking would be taught to everyone as part of their support. Women could work on site or off depending on their situation. Childcare would be provided for those who need it, so that they may build a financial foundation for their new lives. Social and legal services would also be available. Dream Builders would bring hope to those who have none and inspire them to fulfill dreams they did not know existed, while breaking the cycle of violence for the next generation.

Client

Dream Builders is a non-profit organization that provides crisis intervention, support, and transitional housing for battered women and their children.

Scope of Project

All communal spaces and a typical three-bedroom apartment will be brought through the conceptual design phase, with further design development for the reception, child care, recreational and(typical) residential areas.

Design Philosophy

Design as relevant to interiors should always begin with the human factor. Spaces, materials, components, furnishings, lighting, and colors deeply affect the users of the spaces. Human behavior is greatly influenced by the designed environment. Therefore, all environments should be carefully designed to bring about the desired behavior for each space. Interior environments have the ability to translate its users emotionally, mentally, and interactively.