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.