Conference Proceedings 2010 [pdf] - Art & Design Symposium ...

lacked anywhere else to put these items. Further, as residents neared the end of their maximum six month
stay at the shelter, they would typically gather more donated items in anticipation of moving into a more
permanent living situation, thus exacerbating the problem of clutter within the bedroom.
4. Residents also discussed the room’s support of their current responsibilities. For example, many residents
work or attend school. Therefore, they needed an alarm clock, a way to fill out applications or complete
homework while in the room and the means to visually assess their appearance.
5. The need to mentally ‘check out’ or ‘decompress’ also emerged from residents’ answers. While it is
uncertain whether this arose from the shelter’s tight living quarters, the stress of recently being homelessness,
or other issues that often accompany these individuals, residents identified the need for ‘me’ time and the
ability to engage in activities by themselves such as reading, drawing, watching television or listening to music.
The need to get away from other shelter residents and often their own family members for a period of time was
identified as important.
Lastly, the residents revealed various reactions to the rooms’ current design which affected the nature of their
use of the bedrooms:
Several reported they avoided spending time in the bedroom. One resident reported his body
dimension didn’t fit the room, the bed was too short for him to lie down, and the bottom bunk too short
for him to sit up straight.
The metal bunk bed’s integrated steel drawers were heavy, difficult to manipulate and dangerous if they
were pulled out too far, dropping onto the floor.
The room’s single 12” x 48” ceiling fluorescent lighting fixture made some tasks difficult such as reading
in bed. When multiple persons tried to simultaneously engage in different tasks, the single light source
helped some while bothering others (such as getting dressed while others sleep).
Children were prone to peel paint and drywall paper from the walls or draw on the walls if walls showed
previous evidence of damage.
Young children were tempted to climb to the bunk bed’s top to access the only available storage via the
available bed ladder. Parents found it difficult to keep dangerous or other items away from children.
Rooms lacked capability for residents to organize and store possessions. This resulted in a significant
sense of consistent clutter within the bedroom and expressed consternation with keeping the
environment clean and orderly.
Some residents perceived their children misbehaved more due to the cramped living conditions.
One resident reported that older children may reject spending time in the family’s bedroom because the
room lacks privacy, compelling the children to spend more time with others. This, in turn, added to
parents’ concerns.
Response: The Proposed Design Solution
Results from resident and staff focus groups, photo observation of bedroom use and literature review guided
the creation of the design solution. The room’s prominent bunk beds proved to be a necessary main venue for
a variety of activities such as family time, attending to children, reading, and completing homework and job
related activities. The bed was essentially the only private space that residents have.
An analysis of the gathered information resulted in the addition of 18 new room features shown within the
space in Figure 2. Table 1 identifies these features in detail. Figure 3 provides a YouTube link to an animated
walkthrough of the proposed design solution. The new design works within the existing parameters of the bunk
beds and the room shell with the understanding that it is unlikely that existing shelters will have the means to
expand the square footage of these bedrooms.
Many of the new features seek to instill added privacy, the ability to work on tasks by oneself, or the ability to
control one’s own environment including the bed curtains, lap desks and headboards with local lighting and
personal fans. Other features seek to facilitate social activities with others such as the beanbag chairs, dutch
door and television. Lastly, select features seek to prompt personalization and ownership of the space as one’s
own, such as the marker boards, magnetized wall surfaces for hanging artwork, and family door signage.
96