Taylor Myers

   In order to complete my schooling, each student is required to create a thesis project on a topic of their own choosing. After spending a few years living in student residence both through the college and separate from it, I felt that there was progress to be made here. I chose to focus my project on how to create a sense of place for college students who are living in temporary housing. 

   Sense of place can be described as a feeling of ownership, belonging and overall wellbeing that certain spaces hold for certain people. Traditionally residences haven't been able to create that feeling for students because they are considered short term housing. Sense of place is very important for everyone to feel in their home but is especially important for college age students because they are going through a transitional period in their lives and are still growing, changing and finding out who they are. They aren't able to do this successfully in a home that they don't feel comfortable in.

   Within the design solution I've presenting there are two types of space; private and public. Within the private bedrooms I've designed a built in bed, desk and wall component that allows student somewhere to showcase their personal belongings without damaging the walls. Each bedroom also features a chalkboard wall so student and their friends can personalize that way as well. Through the research I've conducted I've found that students tie their ability to express themselves with their ability to personalize their space so I chose to make that the main focus within the private spaces.

   In the public spaces the main concerns that help create a sense of place were privacy and control. The two go hand-in-hand. Privacy is not about being by one's self, it is about feeling that you have control over how you're being seen. To give students a sense of privacy and control I gave them options. There are multi-storey lounges and study spaces to connect students across different floors. These lounges all tailor to different needs. Within a regular student lounge, nothing is dictated. Students can use these spaces as they see fit whenever and for whatever they would like. I took inspiration for these spaces from Google offices. There are lots of bright colours, unusual themes and different activities that can take place in each like an outdoor or arcade theme. Then there are study lounges. These spaces are designated to be study space only but students still have the option to work in groups in these spaces so there is the possibility that they could get a bit loud. Finally there are individual study rooms. These rooms are for one or two students who want to be in a more social setting but still want privacy to use. On top of these spaces there is also a cafe and outdoor courtyard to students to take advantage of during the warmer months. 

   My hope is that through the design of spaces like these, students will feel a stronger sense of place, make stronger connections and have a better sense of overall wellbeing.

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All renderings were created using Revit and supplemented using Adobe Photoshop.