John Armstrong
My diploma in Architectural Technology, and an experience of a lifetime while studying abroad in Copenhagen Denmark, led to the discovery that my passion lies with Interior Architecture and Design. I came into the Bachelor of Interior Design Program at Humber College, to help expand my knowledge in Interiors, while carrying the knowledge I've gained through the architectural technology program. The sole idea of my Thesis Project relies on these experiences throughout my education. My goal was to put everything from my 6 years of school, into one Project; a project that combines different disciplinary perspectives in Building Environment Education, into one. Welcome to The Humber Learning Commons of Interdisciplinary Design.
Project Overview
This project encompasses the idea of connecting design students of contrasting disciplines in a central environment, to enhance their knowledge within their general field. This introduces the idea of interdisciplinary collaboration. The purpose for this design was to create a better connection between the student and the built environment while at the same time, creating a shift of view in potential employers in the industry, as some may say that students in todays day and age, are not well prepared to collaborate with contrasting disciplines in the real world. The Humber Learning Commons of Interdisciplinary Design will provide services and physical spaces that allow students from different disciplinary programs within Building Environment Education to collaborate and work together on real life project scenarios. Together, all students will gain more perspectives in their field, within this learning environment.
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Connect: We enter the space as a single cell, comprised of, and held together by, our own disciplinary perspectives and practices.
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Collaborate: While moving throughout the space, we start to break off out of our own membrane, to the next levels of interdisciplinary.
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Learn: This ‘molecular’ system will allow the students to break out of their own cell and work with other cells to broaden their knowledge on the building environment.
Concept/Design Process
Multicellular systems build our fundamental units of life. Cells, like the ones in our bodies, often spread out to similar and smaller groups of cells that work together on a specific task. This interdisciplinary environment will utilize this concept while maintaining its own functional system that will execute a successful learning experience for students. The system is comprised of three major aspects: 1. CONNECT 2. COLLABORATE 3. LEARN.
Floor Plans
The Humber Learning commons of Interdisciplinary design, will utilize services and working areas that allow the student to break out of their own cell in order to connect with others, collaborate with others and learn with others. These notable services consist of a lounge and café room near the Reception, a mixture of diverse open and closed collaborative areas for different disciplinary groups, a printing and laser cutting room for physical building modeling, a featured material library in coordination with Material Connexion, accompanied by a Virtual Reality Rendering room and a material touchdown space, and studio classrooms where students will undergo the interdisciplinary learning needed in order to complete their assigned projects.
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Floor Plan.
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Isometric Floor Plan.
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Section 1.
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Section 2.
Sections/Elevations
Featured throughout the Learning Commons is a central collaborative peak formed with stepped seating and an extruded oculus Indicating the molecular expansion, the cell experiences through this interdisciplinary shift within the space. The stepped seating welcomes students to experience an untraditional form of collaboration as students may thrive through serendipitous interactions. This central collaborative peak may also act as an untraditional presentation space where students can get outside input on their projects.
3D Views
As a whole, this interdisciplinary molecular system will allow the students to break out of their own cell, comprised of their own disciplinary culture and practices, while working with contrasting cells, in order to work together and broaden their knowledge on the building environment. This will be accomplished through the in-class lectures and studios, then spread out to their collaborative groups to execute a successful project and learning outcome. The cells will come together and will be able to think bigger than how they started.
Poster
Together, students will achieve successful interdisciplinary learning as they connect. Collaborate. And Learn.
