PROJECT TYPE AND TITLE
The goal is to create a school of the arts in Baton Rouge to explore the previous statement. It is called Baton Rouge Center for Creative Arts (BRCCA). The client profile is a diverse combination of artists, educators, business leaders, and community activists who see the need for an institution devoted to supporting the arts and our youth. The client’s motivation for investing in this project is to expand the artistic culture in Baton Rouge by bringing awareness of the importance of art to the Baton Rouge community. The client is interested in creating an innovative, creative environment that enhances productivity. Also, exposing adolescents to the arts and to the ethic of discipline and responsibility it instills in students, which prepares them for productive adult lives whether or not they choose to pursue arts careers. Lastly, ensuring the emotional and psychological well-being of students and faculty to enable artistic creativity, individuality, independence, and success.
DESIGN CRITERIA
The Design Criteria are a list of standards which inform the design process and create a framework for making design decisions. These design criteria were developed through extensive research to provide ways to solve a complex design problem. They are included in the thesis proposal because they provide potential ways of solving the problems at hand. The issues discovered by researching this specific topic do not only apply to this project, but they are also trending issues in the design community. By exploring these design issues, the criteria provide a means to become an expert in Universal Design, gain more knowledge on sustainability, and how design impacts human health and behavior.
| PROBLEM/ISSUE | DESIGN CRITERIA |
| Universal Design/Equitable Use | Incorporate the 7 Universal Design Principles to design a universally accessible interior environment to ensure people of all physical abilities have full and equal access to services and programs. |
| Sustainability | Incorporate the 6 Sustainable Design Principles to reduce negative impacts on the environment, promote the health and comfort of building occupants, thereby improving building performance. Designing sustainably is important to reduce consumption of non-renewable resources, minimize waste, and create a healthy, productive environment. |
| Independence/Productivity | Create innovative and creative spaces for a wide range of users that still foster individuality. Provide various ways for users to intuitively perceive information and properly navigate the space to achieve independence. Design both private and collaborative learning spaces to enhance the students’ self-disciple. |
| Community Awareness | Create public spaces that expose not only adolescents, but also the community, to the arts as a form of therapy, a potential career option, or both. Design a space that puts equal emphasis on the arts and education. Design memorable public spaces for formal and informal gathering to enhance social interaction, and to encourage guests to return to continue supporting the arts and education. |
| Comfort/Security/Health | Create a space that evokes comfort, safety, and health through the use of natural materials, access to views and natural light, and ease of accessibility. Integrate patterns of Biophilic Design and Sustainable Design to improve the health of users. Design with the needs of everyone in mind, focusing on the emotional and psychological well-being of users. |
APPLICATION POTENTIAL
The focus of integrating the arts in education is to surpass social norms and barriers people face, much like the barriers that existed before the consideration of Universal Design. Particularly relevant to education environment, application of Universal Design will create a unifying experience that serves its users and the surrounding community. Ample opportunities exist in the Baton Rouge Center for Creative Arts to expand upon the application of Universal Design and Sustainable Design and the ways they heighten the users experience and contribute to overall health and well-being. Working simultaneously, designing universally and sustainably broadens possibilities and enhances the final design solution. By creating a school centered on being inclusive demonstrates the impact and inspiration this school will have on its surrounding community and environment. Universal Design has the potential to unify all types of users in this space to demonstrate the importance of art and education.
Thoughtful Design 