Express Yourself

through

your

art

[US]My Sisters House

This week I had the chance to visit a newly completed housing unit completed by another iarc urban studio. The project is called My Sisters House and it is housing for teen moms in downtown Greensboro. I was very impressed, and I hadn't even entered yet. The building has a very modern facade and is LEED certified. Although it stands out from the community it is in, it sort of symbolizes a refuge to me. It is a home for struggling mothers to provide for their child in a safe interior environment. Once inside, it was impressive to see the work that my fellow classmates had completed. It really inspired me to want to further my design work, and reach out beyond the studio for a greater cause. It fits in well with this semester because all the projects we have done so far have been based on this principle of humanitarianism and community. One of my favorite things about the space is the lighting and windows. They function almost as frames of the outside world because of their strategic placement. There was also very interesting cabinetry work and design. However, although the house has a very striking appearance, what made the most impact on m was what it symbolizes. I am truly very inspired by the efforts of the students to use design to create such an impact.

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.

An impact beyond the shelter...

As we are completing this project in studio it is important to keep in mind why we are. First off, we are creating awareness for those who might not already know about the tragedy that has occurred. Secondly, we are showing how areas that have lost everything can still use what they have left to create structures until they can find a new home. Also, it shows a lesson of sustainability, and how we can reuse what we already have in new ways rather than always having to buy new. This not only fosters creativity, but it saves the planet at the same time. Beautiful pieces can be created by what we already have. There are so many struggling countries that are not nearly as blessed as we are and this project gives hope that they can also have the ability to create structures for themselves. Most importantly, I think it teaches a lesson of humanitarianism, and shows how design can be used for things much larger than what we believe. One of the greatest joys someone can have is being able to help others.

so what i'm really trying to say is:

Using my design work to both grow and inspire through the use of humanitarianism.

This is a house designed by the South African design firm MMA that recently won in an international affordable housing contest. The house is made completely of sandbags and wood timbers. The house cost just over $6,000 to make and needed no complicated building systems to construct. I think it is a great inspiration and a wonderful example that ties into our project.

[CONSIDER].process.design.

I am extremely excited to start this semester off because a huge focus of studio is on designing for a cause. I can think of nothing better than using my work to help not only create functional and interesting spaces, but more importantly designing them for a cause bigger than the work itself. Our first project is [makeshift shelter], which is inspired by the recent tragedy in Haiti. The project focuses on using trashed materials to create a livable space that could support atleast one person doing a selected task. I am in a group of five people who are: myself, Kalani, Tracey, and Felicia. The activity that we must design for is studying. Our first step has been to gather materials which got our creativity flowing. When we first started off we thought of the main considerations that we needed to account for. [natural light, comfort, originality, outdoor conditions, materials, construction, aesthetics, height, and needed furniture]. We also have been thinking about how we can use common objects in more creative ways like a flashlight lamp and others. In my last class however a curve ball was introduced which is only 5 materials can be used and only 2 binders. I like to think of this as an even bigger challenge with even more reward in the end when it is complete. More updates soon...

A few reminders of why designing for a cause is so important..