Ride, Don't Walk

The built environment can be difficult to navigate when using a wheelchair. The buildings we had to navigate had some positive design elements that made it easier to get through. The larger elevator in Carpenter is easier to turn around in, compared to the cramped elevator in Daggy. The larger hallways in Carpenter also make it easier to get around and not crash into things. Basically, more space and room is a plus when you are in a wheelchair.

I believe the designed environment should be made for everyone. Someone might not have to use a wheelchair everyday, but there are people who have accidents, surgery, or circumstances where they need assistance or extra space to get around. For example, when my dad got his knee replaced it was very difficult for him to get through the front door because of the steps. A zero-step entry might not be necessary one day, but circumstances change for everyone. That is why the built environment should be inclusive, and make it easier for everyone to navigate and get around.

Home

Everyone has their own idea of what home should be. Home to me is where I can be with my family one day, but also have the choice to be by myself. I remember running around in the backyard with my brother and going on adventures. A big yard with a lot of open space is one of my indicators of a home. Also, home wasn't necessarily a building or a certain place. It was where my family could get together and play board games, or simply watch some television. Even if we were on vacation or visiting other family.

Having some space and time to myself is another feeling of home to me. If I get too weary of seeing my family or need some quiet, I have a space I can escape to. Being able to have the decision between being by yourself and socializing with others is very important to me.

Client Brief

Being able to talk to a client brings a whole new perspective to a project. It is definitely interesting to hear their viewpoints and what they envision in a space, compared to what I as a designer see in a space. One thing I learned was the importance to design around what your client wants. You are certainly able to add elements to the design that you like or think would be appropriate, but the design usually falls back to what the client needs. I am worried in the future of getting a client that has no room for compromise, or would absolutely love something in a space that does not work. One thing I can do to improve my interview notes would be to find a better way to organize them. Perhaps different section heads or labels would be the easiest way to organize them into smaller categories.

Urban Sketchers

Walking through the Olympic Sculpture Garden to sketch was a wonderful experience. I wish we could have spent the whole day sketching there. I feel like I still have a ways to go with my sketching skills, but I do see some improvement. One thing I need to work on is adding more reference points in my drawings, such as sky, buildings, people, benches, etc. Little things that make my sketches have more meaning. Looking at the sketches the urban sketchers did was amazing. I hope that one day my color application skills will look comparable to theirs. I just need to remind myself that they have been doing this a lot longer then I have.

H4H and Knoll

Learning about the house of the immediate future was very interesting. Habitat for Humanity constructs different houses depending on the area they are in. The materials, style of building, and size of the house are similar to the houses that already exist in that area. I thought it was nice that they did not have one cookie-cutter style house that they just plopped down in different countries.

Visiting Knoll was one of the highlights of this trip for me. It was so awesome that we got to learn about all these different chair types and about desk units for offices. It is really amazing that they put so much time into learning how people function in their workplace and what works best for them. So much time goes into the development of their office chairs, it is incredible.

Job Shadow

During our job shadow at Interior Design International I learned many important things about being an interior designer. Our firm does a lot of hospitality work, so it is very important that you use the right materials for the space. For example, the flooring needs to be very durable because of all the foot traffic a hotel or restaurant gets. Furniture such as seating needs to have durable fabrics as well, but they also need to be easy to clean if something is spilled on them. While visiting IDI we were able to actually help them with a project and gathered materials that they were sending off to a client in New York. We used organizational and lettering skills and it was really cool that we got to do a little bit of real life work. While having lunch we were able to have more one-on-one time and asked questions about things we needed to learn, or would be helpful in the field. Budgeting and information on materials were two important things that they brought up. They said we should learn as much as possible about the textiles, furniture, flooring, etc. that we would be using, so we will be able to inform our clients on the best choices in the future. I thought this experience was very helpful in learning about interior design, and it was amazing that we actually got to do work for them.

Ride , Don't Walk

Some designs seen in this environment do and do not work for people with special needs. For example, placing a door switch on a ramp is very difficult to use when in a wheelchair on said ramp. Also, some ramps are way too steep and very scary to go down in a wheelchair. The designed environment should be accessible to everyone, regardless of cost. Not everyone has special needs, but there are circumstances that would require someone to be in a wheelchair for a period of time, or walk with a walker. Making places accessible for everyone should be very important to all designers. If the designed environment is not accessible to everyone, only a fraction of the population would be able to enjoy those spaces and the remainder would be alienated from this population. Designing environments to be accessible for everyone creates no barriers and enables people to interact with each other on a level field.