Architect Seven: A Re-design of Mira Loma High School’s Cafeteria

09/05/12
Here's a picture of the inside of the cafeteria without students using it. The current cafeteria in Mira Loma is very unorganized. We have huge tables that can not be stored any where and take a lot of room from the space. The tables also cause traffic in the cafeteria since they are in the way of everything. The current cafeteria has white tiles as the flooring. The tile takes a very long time to clean and can become dangerous if any food is spilled. The flooring is also very old and is scratched inn various places. Another big issue we have with the cafeteria are the windows. Most of the windows are broken and can not be opened in any way. This does not allow fresh air to circulate the building at all times and causes the cafeteria to overheat when crowded.As director of interior decor, I am planning on utilizing all the space I have in a way were Mira Loma students would look forward to going into the cafeteria. I am planing on using round tables made out of bamboo. Bamboo is very eco-friendly giving the fact that it grows really fast and does not go extinct. I am looking into trying to paint the tables so that way they look more interesting. Another thing that I have been taking into consideration is the lighting in the cafeteria. I believe that most of our lighting is going to be coming from natural skylight.For natural skylights, we will be using windows with low-E Argon glazing that prevent too much heat from going into the cafeteria and too much heat escaping the cafeteria. Thus, in the summer the cafeteria will be cool and in the winter it will be warm for the students to enjoy. On dark rainy days, however, sunlight can not be utilized, so we will have LED lights installed in the cafeteria. LED lights are great on saving energy as well as money. Finally, i've been also looking at different arts that inspire me. I would like to add the colors red and blue as much as I can in the cafeteria to encourage school spirit as well as give a splash of color to our cafeteria. I would also like to let the students get involved by leaving out a white wall were Mira Loma's art students can paint on various projects. -Ikram Magzoub; Director of Interior Decor.