Filtering by
- All Subjects: Interior Design
- Creators: The Design School
- Creators: Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business
- Member of: Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
In 2020, the world was swept by a global pandemic. It disrupted the lives of millions; many lost their jobs, students were forced to leave schools, and children were left with little to do while quarantined at their houses. Although the media outlets covered very little of how children were being affected by COVID-19, it was obvious that their group was not immune to the issues the world was facing. Being stuck at home with little to do took a mental and physical toll on many kids. That is when EVOLVE Academy became an idea; our team wanted to create a fully online platform for children to help them practice and evolve their athletics skills, or simply spend part of their day performing a physical and health activity. Our team designed a solution that would benefit children, as well as parents that were struggling to find engaging activities for their kids while out of school. We quickly encountered issues that made it difficult for us to reach our target audience and make them believe and trust our platform. However, we persisted and tried to solve and answer the questions and problems that came along the way. Sadly, the same pandemic that opened the widow for EVOLVE Academy to exist, is now the reason people are walking away from it. Children want real interaction. They want to connect with other kids through more than just a screen. Although the priority of parents remains the safety and security of their kids, parents are also searching and opting for more “human” interactions, leaving EVOLVE Academy with little room to grow and succeed.
case studies and expands on their notions. From the merchandising
tactics of Finland’s “One Way” pop-up shop, Toca-Boca x Target, and
modern-day toys to the essence of security and community established
in the Stalled! inclusive restroom movements, this flagship H&M
store reiterates these strengths.
H & M stands for inclusivity and impacting the world beyond fashion.
With such strong core values, there was an opportunity for H& M
stores to better reflect their beliefs. To elevate H&M’s brand further, a
flagship, inclusive retail environment was conceived.
Through the research of the temporary built environment, technology and experience, in addition to the relationship between the three, a better understanding of how the interior design can shift to accommodate our changing society and desire for ephemeral experiences were developed. Pop up installations and events were studied to understand not only how they are designed and built within existing environments, but also to learn about the impressions they leave on viewers. Furthermore, social media trends in relation to the temporary environments have been observed to understand their influence on design. This means of communication has added a layer of complexity to these experiences and how they are now inherently connected to cater to the desires of Millenials and Centennials. Technology-based research will be necessary to then explore in a creative project how both interiority and technology relate to create experiences.
Ultimately, two creative projects were developed, which demonstrate the relationship of technology and interiority in the creation of experiential environments, by constructing two interactive design-build pieces. This was done through the combination of theory and creative project, or praxis, which highlighted existing research and explored new applications for use in the world of interior design.
The research in this thesis has two main components: the study of interior environments, especially those created as pop-ups, and also the study of technology along with its relationship to the built environment and human interaction. For the technology component, different interactive technologies have been explored by learning how to write code in order to use an Arduino system and python language to manipulate light, sound, and projection. As a result, two interactive light pieces were created which harnessed the power of technology to transform the built environment into a memorable experience.