Bagra-Etch's Account

i would try to approach the idea of what materials you want to use holistically. think about the basic concepts of your design, and work from that.

you said that you were inspired by a stop sign for the design of your lounge. what about the stop sign was appealing to you? the color, the shape, that it was metallic? or do you like the idea of the lounge being a place you "stop" ? if you like the idea of a place to "stop" - what kinds of materials make you want stay some place? should they be soft or hard? do you want bright colors? or something more subdued?

so lots to think about!

and definitely keep me posted on your progress with the second floor plan. I noticed a pair of spiral stairs are on the plan now. Those seem pretty dramatic so I am curious to see how this develops.

thank you :) i have been designing a second floor but it hasn't really gotten very far. as for the lounge i was thinking of putting resturant type benches in between the stairs and having a table in the middle for food, for material i haven't really thought of anything yet, what might you sugest?
i forgot about windows for the walls so thank you for the reminder :) they will have glazing for a visual connection

thank you :) i have been designing a second floor but it hasn't really gotten very far. as for the lounge i was thinking of putting resturant type benches in between the stairs and having a table in the middle for food, for material i haven't really thought of anything yet, what might you sugest?
i forgot about windows for the walls so thank you for the reminder :) they will have glazing for a visual connection

the stop-lounge is a great idea. in plan, it has really become the focus of your design. you should develop some more detailed drawings of what the lounge will feel like. what kind of floor and wall materials are you going to use? what types of furniture?

i would also think a little bit about the connection between insdie and outside. you have ideas about a glazed roof for your cafeteria. what about the walls? will they have extensive glazing as well to visually connect the outdoors?

and where is that stair going? have you designed an upper level? maybe draw a section?

The octagonal shape to the Cafeteria was an idea i got while running and saw a STOP sign, i thought it would look unique. The table in the middle is aprox. 4' lower then the rest of the cafeteria and it is goin' to be used as a lounge. There are some doors and a double door leading to the outside (i will post a pic with door lables for you but i'll take out the Dim. for a better view). The roof is going to be a solarium style roof for max light.

thanks for posting the aerial image and existing floor plan. they are really helpful.

can you explain your design solution to me? how did you get to the octagonal shape? what is the purpose of the elevated table in the middle? what is the connection between inside and outside? how does it connect to the existing buildling?

i would love to see some 3d drawings or elevations of the project. sections would be great too.

The cafeteria is used for everything from club meetings to sport potlucks (i have been part of both) and though the meetings don't use to much space, sports can take up the whole room and more at times. As for aerial photo's, the computers here in the school don't have Google Earth and won't allow the plug-in to download without Admin autherization. I still managed to get an aerial photo but it is about 2 years out-of-date so the site plan would also help to understand the layout (note that the site plan doesn't include the 2nd floor which is classrooms)

the before and after lunch shots of the cafeteria are really helpful for understanding the problem. i know that i mentioned this before - but be sure to show me some aerial photos of your school! (you can get them from google earth)

i also think it is great that you conducted a survey of other students. the ideas about incorporating recreation space or lounge areas into the cafeteria offer a lot of possibility for design. are you able to make the space more flexible - and use it for something else outside of lunch hours?

start sketching!

My portfolio picture is a drawing I found on the internet. This is my interpritation of the existing cafeteria because it shows how hectic it can become inside the cafeteria and how little space there is.

Okay, I have to be honest. The illustration on your "cover page" has me REALLY interested. Did you draw this? Is it your impression of your existing cafeteria?

Drawing / Sketching is the way architects interpret their environment. If this is your sketch, please tell us more about what it means!

Thanks!