Founders Hall Basement Redesign
In 2021 for my class project I decided to tackle the redesign and revitalization of the basement of Founders Hall. The client wished to see the space reimagined as a common area for students, as well as provide a space to organize club meetings when necessary. As it was located in the basement of the campus chapel, the client wanted to include global religious themes to promote inclusivity as well as being a safe space for all religious groups that attend the campus.
The Problem
No enticing aspects for busy college students
No computers, printers, or screens
The basement is barely in use
No defining characteristics
Lack of outlets near tables
No religious themes
To further understand the situation I conducted a survey asking people whether or not they had ever been to the basement of founders. Of the 150 people I surveyed, only 29 people had been to the basement, and 8 of the 29 stated they only reached there by accident as they didn’t know the layout of the building.
As this room was intended to be used as a shared space where students could hang out and conduct group studies, I asked students who frequented the area what they would need in such a space to fit the criteria of a busy college student. The main takeaways were: outlets that are easy to access when studying, printers for homework or readings, desktops for ease of access, and more comfortable seating options.
The Solution
With my redesign of the room layout, I first measured out the room and built a 3D model of the room as precisely as I could. I kept in line with the requests of both the client and the students, making sure all necessities are present while still keeping costs low. The college already has an art collection that includes depictions of religions from all over the world, I implemented them into the space.
