Student lounges are as much a place of fun and relaxation as a place of conversation, sharing ideas and work. Students want the lounges to be more âyoungâ and vibrant than simply being a sitting space. A typically designed lounge doesnât give that high to students. But what happens when we put a team of 3 students to work and translate this idea into a lounge? The results could be quite impressive. At least the example in front of us clearly reflects this.
The task of redesigning the OCAD Jim Meekison Student Lounge was assigned to a team of three students from OCADâs Environmental Design program. These students were selected out of 60 students. The result has been fabulous as you can clearly see in the photographs here. Young, bright colors, easy layout, not-so-fussy interiors and comfortable seating arrangements are a few of many highlights of this design. The idea was to make this a maximum utility lounge. The team kept a few basic usage of lounge in mind while redesigning this area.
It was clear that the students donât use lounges only to sit and chat. Rather lounges are often used for discussions, planning, work, as a comfort zone etc. Broadly, discussions, work and relaxation could be considered three terms that define the use. The entire design concept revolves around this. A good thing is that it doesnât ignore the green aspect too. The comfortable furniture and different seating arrangements have been designed keeping all these usage in mind, and has been designed by the team under the guidance of skilled professionals. As you will see, the pics show different type of furniture from chairs to benches. The colors havenât been overdone and have been impressively mixed with subtle colors to create a lasting impression without being a distraction. Large windows adorned with glasses allow lots of natural light. Artificial lights too have been used intelligently and serve as a part of interior rather than being an additional element. The lights are for different uses. In the night colorful lights add a hint of color to the lounge. The beauty of design is in the way it transforms from a buzzing lounge with bright wall is the day to a more fun and colorful lounge with interesting lighting in the night.
Another focus area was durability, and it has been worked upon intelligently. The lounge uses salvaged bamboo flooring that not only looks good but is also considered eco-friendly, durable, easy to clean and hygienic. The paint used is a low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paint. These paints donât have a hard odor and are also better than high VOC paints.