Amanda Jane Heavey
Amanda Heavey applies the principles of interior design to 3D environments.
She is inspired by how interior design principles influence the video games industry in their creation of digital worlds, how they guide the players around the spaces using these interior design fundamentals, and how interior design can be influenced by these virtual environments created for video games. And how the film, television and visualisation industries apply both fields to create visually stunning environments that could not come to life realistically in any other way.
Throughout her time at the Glasgow School of Art, Amanda has implemented a plethora of computer programs into her projects, many of which are industry standard for interior design or architectural visualisation and others, which are more suited to the games or film industries.
Amanda will follow these interests and continue her studies at the Glasgow School of Art next semester by undertaking the MSc Serious Games & VR course.
*SOME OF THE IMAGES BELOW HAVE BEEN UPDATED. OTHERS ARE A WORK IN PROGRESS.
Project Introduction & Site Plans
The School House project is a semi-supported accommodation for 16 to 21 year olds who are experiencing homelessness.
The site is the old Dumoyne Primary school located at 200 Shieldhall Road, Glasgow. The project aims to create a cocooning safe space for homeless young adults. A place where they can feel at home, somewhere they belong and have a community in which they can be a part of. I hope that through the thoughtful process of my design, the residents could achieve wellbeing. Each of the residents will have their own private spaces – their flats and the centre of the building (known as the community hub throughout the project) will be a shared area in which the residents can socialise and form bonds with each other over their shared experiences.
The areas in which I have focused most of my attention are these private and shared spaces. In accommodation such as this, the residents’ needs and overall wellbeing should be at the forefront of everything. So designing with this as the main focus seems only logical. I have created three resident profiles, Markus, Olivia and Jordan. I have also recorded a journey of the created resident Jordan, and this will hopefully enable those viewing the project to better understand it.
Intake House
The Intake House is the first point of call for most new residents. Upon entering the intake house each new resident will be greeted by a member of staff who will register them on the system. They will then be given the opportunity to have a bath or shower and given a clean, new set of basic clothing to wear while theirs are being washed and dried. They will also receive a ‘care pack’ of towels and toiletries. After their bath/shower, the member of staff at the intake house will help the resident to cook a warm meal of their choosing from what is currently available there, and have an informal, friendly chat about their situation and what brought them to the project. In the morning after a hopefully good nights sleep, an informal meeting between staff members and the resident will take place in the living area of the intake house to discuss what their suggested journey through the project should be. New residents who need an accessible space and those who have come directly from the care system will bypass the intake house and go directly to a flat in the main building.
Community Hub & Unity Level
The central part of the exterior of the building is designed in the neo-baroque style, the central hub is inspired by that and designed to feel like a community centre/youth club. The glass tubular partition on the ground floor is a take on the ceiling rosettes typically found in these types of buildings, arches are also very common which is why I have separated the spaces with them.
The community hub is a space to enable the residents to form bonds over their shared experience, a feeling like you belong to a community can help with achieving wellbeing.
There are various zones within the community hub each with a different function – table hockey, conversation, eating etc. For example, the glass tubular partition on the ground floor of the hub is frosted to provide some privacy from the rest of the space, within this glass partition are oversized hanging basket chairs which are placed in a way as to promote conversations.
The upstairs of the community hub is a social space where residents and staff members can spend time learning, creating and enjoying each others company. I have zoned each area to create a large kitchen space, dining and creating space and an area where they can watch movies, tv or play games.
Accessible Resident Flat
The accessible flat is a large open plan space with seating for company. There is a two seater sofa for company with a large space around it to allow the resident to be able to watch tv/enjoy the company, there is also a dining table with easy access for a wheelchair user and two chairs for company. The flat features an accessible wetroom and kitchen with openings to allow the resident to use the hob, sink and has a lower area for preparing food etc.
The residents can customise certain items to their preference to make the space feel more like they have ownership of it e.g. artwork.
Standard Resident Flat
The residents standard flats are based on a tiny home type style. I wanted the flats to be small but perfectly formed with lots of storage space to allow the residents to keep the majority of their belongings with them and not have to put them in storage where they would not be able to access them. The residents can customise certain items to their preference to make the space feel more like they have ownership of it e.g. artwork.
I also didn’t want the residents to feel disappointed when they move into their permanent homes as they will be extremely basic and not luxurious in any way, so a fine balance had to be found with regards to the decor and furnishings.
The walls are double thick to provide good soundproofing and allow the space to remain peaceful even if other residents are being loud.
This is their safe, private space so I wanted it to feel like it.
*Olivia's Flat, Bio & Journey through the project.
Markus' Flat, Bio & Journey through the project.
Jordan's Flat, Bio & Journey through the project.
360 Degree Video Tour
You can view the 360 video tour in 4K & VR and it shows resident spaces in the following order: Intake house, community hub, accessible flat and finally, the standard flat.
The music added is representative of how I would like the project to feel to new residents.
Project Portfolio Booklet
If you would like to know more about the project please click through the portfolio booklet which explains some things in more detail.
Project Process Journal
The process journal shows my thoughts and some workings which happened throughout the project.