Project 3: UX-Focused Campus Spatial Design Final Project

January 12, 2025

Project 3: UX-Focused Campus Spatial Design Final Project

I began preparing for my final project by creating a mood board to gather materials and inspiration.

This is my initial mood board.

The project didn't start smoothly, and I faced a creative block, with my mind going blank. My initial idea was to place an installation inside a building, but it was quickly rejected by the teacher because, first, both the building and the installation were too concrete; they were more like sculptures and lacked interactivity, so they couldn't serve the space.

This is my earliest draft. My understanding of creation was still focused on making a concrete object, and since smoking is involved, I only considered the hand and lungs. I simply used the shapes of the hand and lungs, which was just a poor imitation of existing things in the world. It wasn't design; there was no creativity, which is why it was rejected.

As a space designer, I had to shift my thinking. Space design is different from environmental or architectural design, and I need to focus on user experience and interaction, not just designing a room. I reviewed online lectures and recalled a key point from the first class: if a space lacks meaning or experience, it's just a place, not a space. I need to give it meaning. I started thinking about this meaning and considered human-computer interaction, like fully enclosed LED screens, but I instantly realized that was the wrong direction. I can't create meaning just for the sake of it. I need to approach this from the user's perspective, so I spent about two hours sitting in the space, experiencing it. I concluded that it should be a quiet, relaxing place. Previous ideas, like LED screens, were not suitable.I believe this space should give people a relaxing and pleasant feeling, especially since it is near greenery and water.

I want to simulate the movement of water and the vines swaying in the wind. Suddenly, I had some inspiration and made changes to the mood boardThis is the revised mood board, and my approach has also shifted.

This is the draft of my new approach, and from here, I will continue to iterate and improve.

This is the first iteration, where I made all the structures lighter.

To help myself think about scene construction in my mind, I created a 3D wireframe diagram of the area to constantly develop my spatial thinking.

A bird's-eye view, which helps me understand the area and the general shape of the space.

On-site measurements to improve accuracy.

These are the main iterations I have gone through.

This is already the preliminary form of the final design.My inspiration came from toilet paper, as I noticed how the curvature when placed vertically appeared light and airy. I chose to use many layers of thin, curled roofs that achieve balance through their twisting, resembling waves in water or growing vines. This also fulfilled my initial requirements.

I came up with a great layout idea on the bus after school, so when I got home, I quickly jotted it down on paper. Although it's just a few simple strokes, it comes from many iterations of design ideas. In the end, because of a roll of toilet paper, I seemingly completed my draft effortlessly and began 3D modeling.