I have ever heard students comparing that there is not enough space to work on projects in studio. Students need more wide desks, individual working spaces, meeting rooms, etc. In addition, students want to have a vending machine, beds and even shower rooms. Our wish lists of studio may never blank. I agree with them partially. I want to have wider desk for multi working like working on laptop and on making model. I want to have a quiet meeting space to discuss some group projects.
But, is it true that we do not have enough space to work on projects? How can we make studio better?
I found some studio pictures on flickr.com.
The GSAPP studio (flickr.com)
I can clearly see that their paths must be so tight. They may have other working spaces in different room, but our studio is BETTER. We have definitely wider pathways and BETTER individual desks. I am not saying that it’s the best, and not saying that they are bad neither.
How about a wider or bigger desk?
(Flickr.com)
It looks nice, but same time I can see what will be happened if we have a desk like them. Some may never clean up own desk until the clean-up day. I think wider or bigger desk is nice if each student have an attitude of cleaning-up. It will be great that if we have a desk like they have, so we can put our model “in progress”, “ready-for-critique”, laptop and extra snacks.
How about if we have a studio which can have all year like 1st to 5th like an image below?
It is wide opened space, but looks a busy factory to me. I would rather choose a studio we have even though this studio can have all students we have.
So do we should have better studio like a professional one?
Like red nice wall with red conformable sofa and table?
The Hyperbody studio (flickr.com)
Or like a nice office in the nature?
"office in the woods," designed by Jose Selgas and Lucia Cano (dvice.com)
I would not mind to work on project in such nice places. But I may miss the school-like environment I have. These studio and offices must to be looked good for magazine shoot; clean, professional and neat.
I believe that studio culture may not be changed by what we have within such as big desks, well designed rooms, and cozy sofas. But it may be changed by attitude we have. I mean there are so many things we can improve situation by ourselves. If we do not have enough space around, why do not we clean up around? If we need extra food, why do not we buy extra bags of chips or something else from store before we come to the studio and stock them under their desk? If we need a relaxation, why do not we just go home one hour and make mind and body fresh?
However there are still things we need to be changed and had in the studio. First, we definitely do not have enough additional large group working desks around individual desks. At few situations, we can solve it by simply cleaning up our desk or by respecting others like sharing the large desk with other students. But the most of time, we want to have more large desks to work group projects (or fighting with another student like an image below).
(jonography.blogspot.com)
Second, I wish we have more walls at 3rd floor to have critiques and display our projects like 2nd floor beside the studio. It is sometime a fight how Interior design students can get a movable whiteboard or pin-up board from architecture students. We understand that they need those for group projects, but also we wish that they can understand our situation. All interior design major students from 2nd to 4th year share 2 and half blocks of desks. We have small square build-in boards for display and critiques and they are not enough for all of us. Also I sometime see that 4th year architecture students need more display area to discuss their project at distance. I think this can be better if we have movable large displays more like in an image below.
It can be used for critiques, group discussion, and even a partition between year and year or group and group. It creates little private area we may want to have. There is no space to make an extra wall or an extra room, but if we have some of these, it may help.
Our needs seem not enough, never end, and never enough. What do you think?
You are very right in saying that students will always ask for more, after all, it appears to be how human beings are wired; we are never satisfied. Also, having seen photos of studios at other schools, I would venture to say that our facilities here are far better than those at the schools you have presented. As for the issue of the nicer studio being useful only for aesthetics, i disagree.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the environment that you are in can greatly affect your productivity, and having such a wonderful connection with the outdoors as they do in that particular studio, can only inspire one's creativity.
As design students especially, we will always have a complaint about what our studio should be equipped with, and this lack of some amenities is both a blessing and a curse. The lack of these amenities should serve to spur on our innovativeness as designers. Whenever we can, we should substitute or invent in the absence of extra tools, materials or facilities that we desire, it is a quality that we might find very useful in the field of work, especially at times like this when budgets are limited.