Makeshift Shelter 180

How good would it feel to know that the work you do helps reach people around the world? With this new semester came new challenges and further growth in my individual design journey. One of the greatest things I learned was the importance of humanitarianism and its place in design. With the recent devastation in Haiti, the class was asked to create makeshift shelters that worked to serve a purpose, while at the same time using the least amount of found materials possible. A focus was to be put on how “interiors shape experience”. Overall, my groups studying shelter turned out very successful. It had a strong structure and several interior elements that brought it to life. As a group I think we were able to capture the essence of the project, as well as in my personal work.

The first step in my individual process was sketching and formulating notes for the design. Before I even got into hands-on building I wanted to focus on what were the main things that mattered in the shelter. As a group we came up with points such as: natural light, comfort, construction, height, and ,of course, material selection. I started to also think about how we could use everyday items in unique ways, like cardboard chairs and bottle lamps. Before we found out about the material limitations I also started to think about creating a bookshelf out of interlocking pieces we had found, which unfortunately had to be taken out of the plan. We all had to create solo reflections and sketches that portrayed our shelter, and were used on the final composition. In my reflection I used the sayings, “I feel one with the earth” and “I am welcomed by my surrounding cocoon”. These statements were thought about in our design because we began to take a very organic approach. While I was getting caught up in the project I wanted to take a step back and think of the reasons of why we were dong it. The tragedy in Haiti ruined millions of lives, but it was wonderful to see the support that the world has given them. I love to see how people have provided outreach, and how by doing this project we were also helping out. While doing research I also stumbled on Toms shoes. What makes it so great is that for every pair of shoes that someone buys, the company will donate another pair to someone in need. This project has opened my eyes to such great foundations such as this one.

Throughout the process of creating our shelter I had to help with important design decisions. The first of which was with materials. My group had a hard time with limiting down the number, so in the end some ideas had to be scraped. I knew from a previous project that trying to curl cardboard into the organic shapes we wanted would take forever and, therefore, told the group to use paper as one of the materials. I also had to take part in throwing out some ideas such as the paper cups and glass bottles. I also helped think of ways we could create the chair and table. I really wanted to use stacked books in the design because it captured the essence of studying and they were readily available, and we did to create the table legs. However, the main design decisions I worked on were with the structure since I was one of the main builders. We worked with alignment, height, construction, inside lining, weatherproofing, and assembly. I was in charge of cutting pieces as well as screwing most of them in. I would mostly consider building and hands-on work my strength and my weakness was the visual composition. Although I did individual work, it was the work of the whole group that got the project completed.

Our design was both functional as well as had a pleasing interior that provided shelter. There was a mix of structure with artistic pieces to accent it. I think what made the project so satisfying is that it was done with a greater cause in mind. It also taught a lesson on using what you have and working with as little as you can. I really enjoyed working with recycled materials, knowing that we were helping the planet and my wallet. In conclusion, I am walking away from this project with a greater design knowledge and a love of environmental design.

We started this project with this quote in mind said by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, “A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." I think that my group, as well as others has achieved this with our makeshift shelters. We used as little as we could to make a big impact locally and globally. We took what we learned about Haiti and applied it to our community in Greensboro. As a class we looked further than design for aesthetics, and focused on what is really important which is the people. I hope that in the future I will be able to work with similar projects that inspire change.