Museums

  In the eighteenth session we talked about museums. There are so many factors that should be considered in designing museums. The amount of sunlight in is very crucial. Preserving artwork or historical objects are the main responsibility of museums. So all design must be in a way to fulfill this task.

 Also, we watched a movie about Holocaust museum. That museum was very interesting. I interested in getting more information about it. So I searched for some more videos about that museum. 

                                                  Fig 1. Holocaust Museum

  I found architecture and the way that all things were displayed very attractive. You can talk with people who survived from those days in the museum. You can listen to some recorded voice to get information. Also, the idea that people can light some candles in the second floor as memorial of all holocaust victims was very interesting too.

                                                        Fig 2.

                                           Fig 3. Hall of remembrance in Holocaust museum

  Museums used to be passive places. In the past they mostly just displayed objects, but these kinds of museums that get visitors involved in the design and objects are very intriguing. These kinds of museums can attract different kinds of people from around the world. 



References

Fig 1. Retrieved from http://turkeymacedonia.word press.com/2010/05/26/macedonian-jews-erect-world-class-holocaust-museum/

Fig 2. Retrieved from http://www.mccullagh.org/image/1ds-1/chelmno-holocaust.html

Prison design

  My classmates had a lecture on human response to institutional environment in this session. They created interesting game for us to play. They put some pictures of different spaces like colleges, prisons or hospitals and we were supposed to guess that each picture is college or prison or …... The shocking part was pictures of prisons. None of us could guess that pictures like this can be a prison.

                                            Fig 1. Halden Fengel prison

  The belief that prison is a place of rehabilitation is common nowadays. Hence, prison design also must develop this idea. In the past prisons where places for punishment. It is still the same in so many prisons.

                                          Fig 2.

 

  The fact is that all people born innocent in this world, but some become criminal or thief because of the situation that they have in their life. I believe that there is reason for everything that is happening in this world. Maybe if we were in their place we would become the same kind of person, criminal or thief. Hence, we must give prisoners as human being a second chance to rebuild their life. 

                                          Fig 3. Danish state prison

   Prison can be a place to give them opportunity to discover their weaknesses and try to solve them. It could be a place to help them find their talent and built their confidence to be prepared for social life after prison.

  Receiving sunlight, having place to do exercise, having access to internet, being able to improve their knowledge and skills all would be beneficial.

  Furthermore I can say human friendly prison design can benefit staff of the prison too. They spend most of their time in building with no sunlight and awful design. Therefore, it can develop quality of life for both groups.

References

Fig 1. Retrieved from http://thegraffik.co.cc/halden-fengel-prison-rethinks-prison-design.htm

Fig 2. Retrieved from http://afghanistan.foreignpolicyblogs.com/tag/bagram-prison/

Fig 3. Retrieved from http://thegraffik.co.cc/halden-fengel-prison-rethinks-prison-design.htm

Infection

  In this session we talked about infection in healthcare facilities. All materials for flooring and furnishings that are used in the healthcare facilities must consider possibility of spreading infection as the main issue. Chairs cushions must be moisture barrier to prevent absorbing bacteria. Humid surfaces are prone to spreading bacteria, so all furnishings must be designed in a way that does not keep humidity. 

                                            Fig 1. MRSA bacteria under magnification

   It was very interesting for me that using carpet for flooring are better in preventing of spreading bacteria in healthcare environment than other kinds of flooring. It is because of anti-microbial additive that are added to carpets, also carpet can keep contamination until it be removed by appropriate cleaning.

                                                    Fig 2. carpet

   Reducing the rate of infection at hospitals by proper cleaning and make use of some materials like copper which is naturally anti-bacterial can change the image of hospitals as frightening places. Hospital as a place full of bacteria, you go there with a simple illness but come out with so many. This is the connotation of hospital for me. Even as a visitor in hospital I always afraid of getting infected. Being sure that every where is clean and there is no risk of getting infected in the hospital can reduce the level of stress for patients, staff and visitors. 

References

Fig 1. Retrieved from http://historyofmrsa.com/photos-of-mrsa.php

Fig 2. Retrieved from http://www.cribcandy.com/flooring

Healthcare Environmnet

  In the sixteenth session of the class my friend and I had a presentation of human response to healthcare environment. I mostly focus on the aspects of health care design like light, furnishings and art work.
  As I read in different resources the main factor that should be considered in designing a healthcare environment is stress. All design elements must be in purpose of reducing stress. Patients and staff in hospitals both have stress, so the design must help them to overcome this stress. Having view of nature receiving sunlight, make use of appropriate artwork and comfortable furnishings all can be beneficial in decreasing stress. 

 Fig 1. Patient Room. Cohen Children's Medical Center of NY. Francis Cauffman Architects. Watercolor

  It was very interesting for me when I came up with the fact that in the past hospitals and prisons were very similar to each other. They both had the same kind of buildings. But today there are two different kinds of places. But still both are places for healing, one mentally and the other physically.

  The fact is that human being’s health related to both psyche and flesh. A healthy person must have healthy mind and body. So in designing a healthcare environment not only high technologic facilities must be included, providing relaxing and positive environment should be considered too.

  For example good patient’s room gives them the chance to be able to have control over their room. Having control over temperature and access to internet could make patients more satisfied. Positive distraction is a critical part of hospital design, there must be something that distracts patients from focusing on their illness. Furthermore using art works in a way that patients can see them from their bed would be beneficial. They should have a chance to choose art work that they want to see. All these can help healing process.

Fig 2.Patient Room. Long Island Jewish Health System. P.Chow Architect. Watercolor

Art is something that enriches our life, so it is good to use it in all aspects of life.

                                       

Fig 3. Main Lobby. Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. Perkins + Will. Watercolor

References

Fig 1, 2, 3. Retrieved from http://artanddesignstudio.com/architectural-illustration-healthcare-12.html

 

Future schools

   In this session we talked about educational environment. As we all know there are different types of schools like private, public, art school or military school and so many others. Also, each country has its own rules for education.

                                                 Fig 1.

 But beside all these, the intriguing part of the class was the You Tube video that was about a robot which was teaching instead of a teacher in a class.  I think that in future it is possible to have robots as teachers or maybe there will be no teacher at all. Now online education is become common in universities, so maybe in the near future schools become online too. It is possible that in the future there will be no school, no university, no books, and no students.

                                                 Fig 2.

  Maybe by the use of technology the world without school, school as a traditional term will be possible. I myself will be so happy to live in the world without school. Learning but not in the traditional way, having a lecturer and students who are just listening, will be no more exist. Learning without stress and choosing your own style of learning. Possibility for individuals to learn in their own pace. Don’t you think it would be so exciting?

Reference

Fig 1, 2. Retrieved from http://www.richard-wilkinson.com/2009/06/04/the-future-of-education/

Anxiety

   In the thirteenth and fifteenth sessions of the class one of our classmate who is working on dormitory design for her thesis had a lecture of anxiety in educational environment.

  Dormitories are places that should be designed in a way that give students relax feeling after so much stress at college.  But most of the time dormitories design does not fulfill this task. Design of the rooms with no private section for individuals increase the level of stress. Also, lack of enough storage can have negative impact on students.

  I myself never have had an experience of living in dormitory. But whenever I went to my friend’s room at dorm I wondered how they can live there. Living with different people with various lifestyle and characteristics is hard. Some were organized and some were messy it is hard to adapt yourself with others.

                                            Fig 1. messy dorm bedroom

   I think make use of proper furnishings and trying to provide private space for each student in their room can improve their quietly of life. Using adjustable furnishing will able students to change decoration and personalize it in a way that they like. Also, providing enough storage can reduce their stress.

                                           Fig 2. Enough storage

   I believe that all people need a place that can be called room for loneliness. It is a place for people to think, to pray and to be able to spend time with themselves. Providing this kind of places in dormitories could help students to refresh their mind. Hence, they can work more efficiently. Don’t you think it is a good idea?

                                                Fig 3. Room for loneliness

References

Fig 1. Retrieved from http://funiculifunicula.wordpress.com/2007/11/07/
swarthmore-dorms-willets/

Fig 2.  Retrieved from http://designstyleguide.net/community
/blog/dorm-room-design/

Fig 3. Retrieved from http://www.flickriver.com/photos/tags/
cmwdbw/interesting/

Home

  In the twelfth session of the class my friend and I had a presentation about residential environment. I mostly focused on cultural differences and meaning of home. When I was looking for resources for my presentation I had a hard time finding general characteristic of American homes. It is related to the fact that America has many subcultures and all these affected the form of homes in America. 

                                            Fig 1.

  As I realized in my research, one of the most important characteristics of American homes is individuality, which is the significant factor in American culture. Individuality in home design refers to considering internal privacy at homes and specialization of function which means that each room has its own function. Whereas in other cultures they may use one room for variety of functions. Also there is no sign of religion concern in American homes. You cannot find any special characteristic that is based on the religion.

 Then I searched for Iranian home architecture. Iranian people are introverted and this characteristic transferred to their architecture.  It may comes from Iranian mysticism that is mostly concentrates on the inner self than the material world. The key factor In Iranian traditional homes was privacy. Privacy from the outside and in inside.

                                           Fig 2. Traditional Iranian house in Kashan

  In order to achieve this goal, architectures divided house in two sections: inner and outer. The inner part devoted to the members of the family who lived there and the outer part devoted to the guests and strangers who are invited or visited. Also concern of religion can be seen in some parts of the design like using different doorknockers for men and women that made different kinds of sounds.

                                           Fig 3. Inside Iranian traditional house

  In general, architecture and especially home design are influenced by culture and so it has variety. What is so common between people around the world, without concerning their cultures and religion, is their attachment to their homes. It is the strong feeling that may remain with us even after leaving the place.

                                           Fig 4.

   I experience it myself nowadays. I just left my home three months ago and now everyday when I wake up I still have the image of my old bedroom in my mind. It takes me some time to remember where I am and recognize the new bedroom that now I live in. Finally the question is as a designer, how can we make use of this strong feeling of human toward a space? How can we design a place or space with feelings?

References

Fig 1. Retrieved from http://www.haynsworthrealty.com

Fig 2. Retrieved from http://www.simoontravel.com

Fig 3. Retrieved from  http://www.travelpod.com/photos/6/Iran/Kashan.html

Fig 4. Retrieved from http://www.homeinsurancefacts.com/

People & Weather

   In the eleven session of the class we learned about human response to weather. Human response to climate mostly is related to adaptation. People adapt their lifestyles, food and architecture to the weather that they live in. This may not be very obvious nowadays, because of the use of technology. Technology is changing the world dramatically in terms of globalization. But in the past, climate really impacted people’s lifestyles. In countries like Iran that have a variety of climate conditions, adaptation to the weather is really obvious in the architectural style and the kinds of food and clothing people wear.

                                      Fig 1. Traditional costume in North of Iran

  For example, the North of Iran is full of forests and it is near to the sea. Hence, it has a humid climate. People mostly build their homes with wood which is the most available material. The main crop is rice. Sea foods are available, so rice and seafood are main dishes. South of Iran has a hot climate and most of the parts are desert. Therefore, the architecture and food adapted to that climate. 

                                            Fig 2. North of Iran 

   Human always responded to the environment that they live in and try to find a way to be able to adapt in that climate. Architecture in the South of Iran, especially in desert part has the most genius architectures. Buildings are built in a way that they are cold in the hot summer without using any cooling appliances, just by locating summer rooms in places that receive less sunlight. 

                                           Fig 3. South of Iran architecture

  Iran is a country with different climate condition, so in winter just with one hour flight you can go to the South from North and visit the beach. You can experience two seasons at the same week. So these differences in climate require various kinds of lifestyle and architecture to get the best of the situation.

                                          Fig 4. Kish Island in winter

                                          Fig 5. Tehran in winter

References

Fig 1. Retrieved from http://www.parstimes.com/women/traditional_costume/

Fig 2.Retrieved from http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Middle_East/Iran/West/Gilan/Rasht/photo354816.htm

Fig 3. Retrieved from http://a-budding-architect.blogspot.com

Fig 4. Retrieved from http://meganima.blogspot.com/2006/12/kish-island.html

Fig 5. retrieved from http://www.ee.ryerson.ca/~rjavaher/Iran.htm

Aging

  Aging is an inevitable part of human life. Although nowadays scientists are working on combating aging, but there is still no way of escaping from it. So it is better to provide senior citizens sufficient facilities in order to give them a better life.

                                            Fig 1.

   There are some diseases that mostly occur with aging like lack of vision, hearing, sense of smell, and so many others. So by these changes in the human body we need some considerable alteration in living environment. Some factors that could be mentioned are: using round furniture, increasing ambient lighting and so many others. According to the National Safety Council (NSC) falls is the most common health problem for elderly people due to poor vision. So making use of sufficient light can prevent many problems.

                                               Fig 2.

 After we talked about aging we saw a documentary of an old photographer Bill Cunningham who works for the New York Times. That was an interesting movie. The guy had an attractive and unusual personality. He has been taking photos in the New York streets for so many years. What was really interesting for me was his strong passion towards his career. The fact that he wasn’t paid for his work made him a free man. 

                                                        Fig 3.

   At the end of the movie when director asked him some personal questions, that I think that was the peak of the movie.

                                           Fig 4.

  The guy asked him if he has ever had a romantic relationship in his life. It took him some minutes to answer and then answered no. He continued to say that he had never given a thought to it. He was persisting that he is not regretful of his decision. I was shocked. Despite all the prosperity that he gained in his career, he has lost something important in his life.
  I felt that he was not satisfied with his life although he did mention. He had a deep sadness in his eyes. Therefore, I came up with the question that what is the measurement of success in life? Is he a successful man? Is success bring happiness to our life or not?       


References

Fig 1. Retrieved from http://healhty-care.com/men-cant-stop-aging-but-aging-might-not-be-the-problem/

Fig 2. Retrieved from http://www.bocahomecare.com/behavior-changes-seniors

Fig 3. Retrieved from http://www.seat42f.com/bill-cunningham-new-york-poster.html

Fig 4. Retrieved from http://watchmovieinhd.com/watch-bill-cunningham-new-york-online-free/

      

Color

  In this session of the class we talked about sound, light and color. The subject of the color was the most attractive part for me. Light and color are somehow connected to each other. It is the light that enables us to see colors. 

                                             Fig 1.

  We experience color both physically and emotionally. We experience colors physically by the use of visual sense and emotionally by various perception of colors. Individuals have different perception of colors related to their memories and experience. Also, colors associated with different meaning. People in different cultures and countries may have various interpretation of the same color. Each country has its own national color and people have emotional attachment to that color. Hence, the flag in each country resemble their national color.

  I remember that when I went to China the overuse of red in clothing and decoration was interesting for me. Our tour guide told us that in the past, red was the color of empire. So, ordinary people did not have the permission to use that color at all. After revolution it became their national color and also became popular in design and clothing, as well as we see it in their national flag.

                                          Fig 2.

 In my country red is associated with the certain region in North West of Iran. I do not know the reason, but whenever someone like red or wears red clothing people recognize him to that area.

 However, turquoise, which is used mostly in tiling historic buildings  has certain meaning for us. Especially it used in mosques in Iran, it deliver the spiritual meanings with itself. So, I believe the memories of color have the most powerful effect on our psyche and impact our reaction to colors.

                                          Fig 3.

References

Fig 1. Retrieved from http://members.peak.org/~jeremy/bigfun/html_color_chart.html

Fig 2. Retrieved from http://www.picturesofchina.net/China-flag.JPG

Fig 3. Retrieved from http://www.culturalnomad.net/

Ergonomics part 2

  In the second session we talked about ergonomics. We measured different chairs at school and each of us found the chair that best fits our body. Related to our body style we selected different chairs.

  Also there were some things in common; we all agreed that chairs in the Hub are not comfortable because of their material and shapes. The Hub in the school is considered to be a place for gathering, but it does not have the required elements. Using metal, which is always cold and unergonomic design makes us  escape from the place.

                                        Fig 1. Non-ergonomic airplane seat

  In addition we talked about airplane design. I myself always have a problem with the seats in airplanes especially when you have a long flight it becomes really unbearable. My problem is that headrest of air plain's chair are so high, I always feel that these are not designed for me. I could never reach the headrest; I get neck aches and backaches after all flights.
 As people have different heights why they do not make it adjustable? I always wonder what is the measurement tool for designing this public furniture? I am not very small, I think I must be included in the average chart that designers always use for measurements, but it still does not fit my body.
  Also, the only adjustment is bending the backrest that does not seem standard. If a person who sit in the back seat be very tall, it will be annoying for him to sit when the front chair is bended.

  Improving the airplane’s interior can be very satisfying for all people around the world as it is one of the important means of transportation nowadays.

                                     Fig 2. Non-ergonomic airplane seat



References

Fig 1. Retrieved from http://www.popsci.com/military-aviation-amp-space
/article/2009-04/why-are-airplane-seats-so-miserable-and-what-can-be-done-about-it

Ergonomics part 1

   Ergonomics is the relation between man and industrial products. Ergonomics design can increase productivity. 

  The term ergonomic mostly refers to products, but the question is what constitutes ergonomic interior design? What are the factors of the ergonomic design?

  As far as I understand building that makes the best  of all kinds of energy and natural resources like light or wind can be considered ergonomic. Ergonomics in all kinds of design tries to increase productivity. Ergonomic is not just about furniture, having  efficient amount of light, sound and heat in a place can be considered ergonomic too. 

   Having an ergonomic interior space in residential places can give people better feelings which lead to life satisfaction. An ergonomic workplace will lead to better productivity. Living in an ergonomic, human friendly places can enrich our lives. 

                                           Fig 1. Non-ergonomic products

    The standards that are used to make ergonomic products are very controversial, because designers mostly use the average measures of people. But the question is what should other people do? Are the height of elevators suitable for a basketball player? Or are typical chairs suitable for tiny people?

                                                  Fig 2.Ergonomic products

   I believe that in order to have really ergonomic design we must mostly focus on designing adjustable products. Don’t you think it is the only way that will satisfy all people in the same place?

References

Fig 1. Retrieved from http://www.geekscribes.net/blog/2008/05/27/ergonomic-our-health-has-a-price/

Fig 2. Retrieved from http://www.interiordezine.com/index.cfm/Essential_Design_Tools/Anthropmetric_data

                                                 

Crowd

   Crowd have wide range of meanings and related to people’s background it changes. It  relates to the number of people in a certain place. It can be the things that occupy your mind, or it can be just a feeling of crowd without any physical presence. I mean sometime just the mood you have, can give you the feeling of crowd. When you have a problem or you have a physical pain, you may feel crowd in a place that you never have had this feeling before.

                                             Fig 1. 

   The definition of crowd varies from culture to culture and country to country. Even people in the same country could have various meanings of crowded which is  related to the geographical situation that they live in. I cannot think of crowd without thinking of personal space. I believe that they are somehow connected to each other. For example when you live in a country like Japan in which every place is full of people so not only is your definition of crowd is different there but also your definition  of personal space. When people live in a less populated place, the number of people they meet in every place is less and they get used to having more personal space. So their personal space become bigger.

                                            Fig 2.

   People’s personalities can affect the meaning of crowd too. Two sisters who grow up in a same family have unique definitions and tolerances of crowd.  I myself have the experience of having different expectations of crowd. I always had my own place my own studio and I never shared my place with anybody. So when I came to the USA and I got a roommate I had a problem with her about having privacy and our tolerance of the crowd was different. Hence, I had a hard time to adapt myself to the new situation. But it is just a different definition of the same subject, isn’t it?


References

Fig 1. Retrieved from  http://www.CartoonStock.com
Fig 2. Retrieved from http://www.Clipartof.com

Personal space

  Measuring personal space in the class was very interesting for me. Each of us preferred different distance from one another. Some preferred to be close to the other and some far away. During that measurement we realized that unconsciously we change the distance  related to the height and size of a person that we are talking to.

  When we were talking about personal and social or public space in the class I was comparing the definition of personal space in my country with American people’s. About a month ago when I came to the US the first thing that was really weird for me was people’s behavior in public places. People stand  far apart from each other in the line in a shop or bank. Whereas in my country people stand  more closer to each other and they easily start friendly conversation with strangers. I think it may not happen here, because people  here always keep their distances with strangers. 
  So personal distance will be affected by so many factors like personality, culture, gender and some other factors which make it hard to give universal definition for it.

                                           Fig 1. Personal space

   I realized  American people’s expectation of personal space can vary largely from place to place. For example, my friends and I went to a bar last weekend and we were sitting around the table next to a window, the bar gradually became crowded. When I was talking with my friends I realized that the guy near my seat rested his hand on  my chair and it made me so uncomfortable or the waiter got very close to talk to us. In my country people keep somehow the same distance in all public places but here people show different behavior related to the setting.

   The other interesting thing that I came up with in an article was that people’s personal space not only can be different in size but also can be vary in shape. Some  may prefer to be far when they see the face of another but not be very far when people are behind them. They may not be very sensitive to have a far distance from people beside them.

  In spite of all the  differences the idea that we all carry a kind of invisible form around ourselves which is called personal space is really intriguing. 

                                          Fig 2. Shaping personal space



References

Fig 1. Retrieved from http://www.dirjournal.com/info/space-this-time-its-personal/

Fig 2. Retrieved from http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/visualarts/architecture_
Fall08.cfm              

Place personality

  People have different characteristics. Some are introverted and some are extroverted. Some may be in between. Depending on various characteristics they perceive a certain place differently. For designing a place it can be useful to know about people’s personality who will live or work there. So you can put objects and do furnishings in a way that can make them feel better.

                                                         Fig 1.

  In the class we talked about introverted and extroverted places. But the question is whether it is possible to divide places to these categories? How can we measure it? Could we consider a place introverted just because it is small and cozy? 
  The issue is that how we can know that all introvert persons like this place? I think that it is very controversial.  People’s expectation of a place is not only affected by their personality but also it depends on so many other factors. These factors includes culture, gender, experience and their memories of places. 
  

                                          Fig 2. Extrovert interior????

     

  Does the function affect our perception of a place to be introverted or extroverted? For example, can we consider a bar an extroverted place because it is a place in which people socialize there? Or does an empty place have any meaning ? Or is it just  by furnishing a place that we give it a function and also meaning? The question is do we give meaning to the things around us or do they have meaning themselves? 



References

Fig 1. Retrieved from http://Cartoon Stock.com

Fig 2. Retrieved from http://besttopdesign.com/interior/creative-living-room-interiors-design-with-colorful-furniture-sets/