This semester we are currently working on a solo project, design an eco-hub for sepa. A lot of people struggled when we first started getting into the project, it is after all our largest project so far, and our previous projects in second year had all been group projects. I therefore got to thinking, how difficult would this then be in industry when everything is a whole lot more real!
Last semester I looked into co-design, within the voluntary sector a lot, creating spaces for those who need it and perhaps cannot access the design world the way others can. This is explained further in the article "The New School collaborates: Organization and communication in immersive international field programs with artisan communities" by Cynthia Lawson, which I analysed in semester 1. The idea is to design for the other 90% of the world, because only 10% of the world, i.e the richest, have access to the skills of architects and designers around the globe. This extends way beyond the things we believe to be essential to the actual necessities, water food and shelter. There is an exhibition,
Designing for the other 90% that goes into more detail about this.
Anyway, getting back to our current project, the fact it was such a large project made it hard for people to get there heads around it, the large space and the many different areas and sizing of these areas fitting altogether! If anyone was like me they had a million things running round in there heads at once, so organisation was a must. The website
service design tools helped a lot when trying to manage things a little better, I created a mood board of materials and also created a site analysis with all the information about the side location and surrounding area, transportation etc. After the initial inspiration and thoughts however the more in-depth design process would benefit greatly from some co-design.
The organisation SEPA help maintain the Scottish environment and have offices based around Scotland, within many communities. This seems the perfect opportunity to get communities involved, not only with educating the community but also when it comes to designing their office space.
As our current project is, it makes sense for a sepa office to be 'eco friendly' they are after all protecting the environment and their office should reflect this too.
When researching into more sustainable methods of design I looked into local materials and designers, trying to incorporate this into the overall design, not only for the distance making the carbon footprint lower but also to support local people. Getting these people involved with the design process supports both the main designer, local artists/designers and the community.
Workshops would be a great way of working well with both professionals and the community. One of my ideas had been to have art work from local artists, but I had also thought what about children, local to the office? This would then bring awareness to the fact SEPA were there and get everyone involved, creating a good relationship with the workforce, encouraging communication with any environmental problems the local Dundonians may have. Students would then want to visit the office to see the art work, and could then be taught a lot more on environmental issues, perhaps solving future problems for SEPA. With 20,300 pupils enrolled in 37 primary schools and 9 secondary schools there will be a lot of talent the office may benefit from.
With more structural elements of the building and interior design, locals can still be involved, either local building merchants doing literal building work, or local stone masons or joiners helping with material sourcing, as locally as possible of course. This involves a lot of research, a lot which needs people with contacts, meaning the whole design process being collaborative very useful as different people have different contacts, a lot like in The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell, with connectors mavens and salesmen all being useful.
One organisation that i'm already aware of in Dundee is the Sun City House, part of the Solar Cities Scotland organisation. The house is a living demonstration of
renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable construction in a domestic environment. This kind of environment is a good example of what Sepa could take inspiration from, linking together taking advantage of the people working with Solar Cities. The two groups working together makes sense to me, preserving the environment with Sepa and thinking about our future environment with Solar Cities. Simplified diagrams demonstrating the different systems that Sepa could implement in their offices would help not only the designer but also the staff working in the office, who may not be as clued up on the workings of photovoltaic panels for example.
When working on layout of the building, envisioning how the building will work for the team and visitors is difficult, and I see the best way of solving this is to observe other similar sized businesses and their office space. When using ethnography and observing at the casino this helped a lot more working out how people work and move around a space, utilising it to its potential. This is essential in office design, the space has to look good but more importantly work well in order for people to be happy in their work space and be more productive. Co design could be utilised here by using the employees, it is them after all that need the space. This would be done using roleplay or a cognitive walkthrough, perhaps in an existing SEPA office to see what improvements could be made or at a later stage in the process in a roughly set out office the designer has created.
Overall I believe that co design and office design coincide with each other in more ways than one. The office working for the staff is essential for higher productivity in the workplace, so involving the staff with the process makes a lot of sense. The fact our project involves Sepa, an environmental agency brings sustainability into the process also, and with the design world as well as many other industries taking a lot more notice of sustainable factors in many different things, contacts should be easily made. The research into who to contact is the tricky bit, keeping it as local as possible allows carbon footprint to stay low and to promote local talent and local companies. This needs perseverance and knowing as many different people as possible, getting out there and asking around.
