The Layers of Wellness
Project Narrative
The Layers of Wellness was completed as my Senior Capstone Interior Design Project in April 2023. This project aimed to create a potential solution from a displacement scenario, ultimately emphasizing and embracing our work as the future of living. My research and studies took the route toward healthcare, healing, and empathetic environments for which I am passionate, and my personal experiences from a disruption of life by Covid created this “new normal”. My goal in this project was to alter the way this experience may go, not only by the architecture but also by the experience individuals receive when they come to a location for help.
My project asks “How could a layered interior environment entice, comfort, and await users in a pop-up clinic space?” and is answered through a multi-layered environment introducing spatial, material, lighting, and atmospherically layering techniques. By encompassing these different factors, the user can critically analyze the human experience and spatial interiority inside and out. The exterior of the structure is highlighted by bulbous volumes with dazzling colors, a stark contrast to a traditional white and sterile emergency medical tent. Each interior space features its own spatial quality that can’t be compared to traditional medical facilities.
The construction is located at the West Carrollton High School exterior yard space adjacent to the main gymnasium, the displacement camp. This site allows displaced people in the gymnasium quick access outside as well as accommodates patients traveling to the facility. The intention and function of this structure are to provide healthcare services to those displaced by a disaster scenario and behave like a clinic space. Programs included are reception and waiting area, vitals and consultation, office, storage and supply, exam rooms, lab, and an extended stay.
Inspiration was pulled from Buckminster Fuller, Shigeru Ban, and Maggie’s Center. The overall form of the structure was inspired by bubbles and the science of layering behind them, merging, grouping, and clustering. This idea translates to the dome's ability to merge, group, and isolate to adapt to the needs of the clinic.
The driving aids to this design are the quick assembly, its temporary nature, and its ability to adapt and respond to needs. The adaptability and flexibility of the structure’s design allow it to accommodate programmatic needs, site conditions, and crisis occurrences on land. The material and color palette was inspired by a bubble’s “oil spill” effect, where the triangulation and geometric nature stemmed from the dome’s structure.
The wonderful project took a lot of work, thought, and passion to land where it is and I’m incredibly proud of how this piece of art turned out. I hope this project may have changed how we think about healthcare in a crisis. Would you visit this space?
Project Details
Submission Category
Interior Architecture- Small Scale (<5,000 sf)
Date of Completion
April, 2022
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