In reflecting on this project as a whole, the greatest challenge we were faced with was definitely coming up with a cohesive final design and composition while juggling seven different hands designing four different spaces. This lack of cohesion was our biggest challenge throughout all phases of the project. However, I think our concept was strong throughout each individual space. Even though we were working with so many separate parts, we communicated enough from the beginning to make sure we worked on a schedule and managed our time well. I learned that concept development could continue to occur well into the project and design phase. Although it took a while and went through multiple iterations, I believe our concept was the strongest aspect of our final project. Next time, or next large group project, I would like to work more initially to apply the concept to the entire space, rather than just going straight to incorporating it throughout each individual space.
Thinking about color harmonies that you learned in ID 263, how did you apply color in the monastery, especially in your assigned space? How did color affect the user experience in this space? Are there any changes or adjustments you would make to color application in this project after receiving feedback? Why are these changes important?
Color is one of the foremost elements of design that impacts the user’s experience in the space. In the Benedictine lifestyle, neutrality is especially important. The neutral backdrop we supplied in our space becomes transparent, placing emphasis on the monks’ spiritual journey and relationship with God. Through the soft grey colored walls through out the monastery, focus can be realigned to their prayer and work in the surrounding Hanga community. Especially in the community center, this blank background is especially important. It assumes the characteristics of water, colorless, only to reflect the colors and activity that happen around it. Attention is then focused on the learning and holistic community improvement that happens in the space. Emphasis is placed on the windows, the primary source of light that the walls reflect. This connects the monastery and specifically the community space to the outdoor environment, just as the monks’ work is symbolically connected to the surrounding village. Reflecting on this design and these choices, it may be possible to incorporate subtle color that would stimulate learning and academic engagement. This change would keep the neutrality crucial to the concept, while giving the community center added warmth to draw in the people of Hanga as a beacon of nourishment and knowledge. How did you use materials to significantly impact the overall user experience and concept translation? What
The users in this project were situated in a unique cultural and socio-economic context...how did your assigned space within the monastery respond to African and Monastic cultural traditions and lifestyles?
Our monastery design reflects the simplicity and naturalism of the community and surrounding environment. While it reflects this environment, it also stands out and reinforces the monastery’s presence in the community. We wanted the layout and furnishings to not only reflect the simplicity of the monastic lifestyle, but also the naturalistic culture of Tanzania and the Hanga village. Empathetic deisign strategy was used in order to understand the needs of the monks as well as make a complex that was cohesive with the surrounding landscape. The St. Maurus’ Hanga Abbey monastery lives by the words “Pray and Work.” Their practice is built on their engagement in social development and humanitarian service in the local village. By designing a community center and an open chapel, the monastery is created to support this balance in a monk’s life. The Hanga Village was taken into great consideration through the learning spaces and the visual presence of the monastery’s Clean Water Project. Local artistic elements were also applied through the implementation of carved ebony wooden benches. These are culturally significant to the primary art forms of the southeastern region. The application of these elements in these spaces only reinforces the Benedictine presence in the community. What was your design concept? How was it translated in 3D? Was this effective? What changes could you make based onreflection or feedback?
Our design concept focused around the idea of a wellspring, and the healing qualities the access to clean water can have on a community of people. The central idea was based around the nourishing qualities of water, and it’s uses to clean and refresh. We developed this idea based off the monasteries vast efforts to enhance village life through education, tourism, and most importantly the clean water project. This, incorporated with the religious significance and spiritual qualities of water, allowed us to translate it throughout our parti and the monastic space. The parti embodies some of the more physical qualities of water. It accumulates in a pool at the bottom, only to rise up in a font, intertwining and reaching out to the world surrounding it. It is smooth, cool, and reflective, exemplifying the relieving aspects of water. These same principles were then translated to the chapel, the library, the refectory, and the community center. This was effective through ideas of nourishing and obtaining knowledge, as well as in our physical water filtration columns. Based on our reflections about the project, we could have revisited the floor plan and brought this idea throughout the space as a whole, rather than just focusing on how the concept was expressed in each individual portion of the monastery. |
Emily CornerA collection of works and thoughts pertaining to Interior Design Studio I and Intro to Digital Media ArchivesCategories |