2. Goals for Our Session
•Reveal how the built environment can be an
empowering tool for behavior and social change.
•Give a brief summary of the Design for Social
Impact movement.
•Inspire you to be a critical thinker about your
environment.
3. Hello!
What’s your name?
What are you majoring in?
What can’t you leave the house without?
Why are you interested in this topic?
5. “” Culture
denotes an historically transmitted pattern of
meanings … a system of inherited
conceptions … by means of which men
communicate, perpetuate, and develop their
knowledge about and attitudes toward life.
–Clifford Geertz
6. “Well, the water, to me, represents the earth
and all the things that happen on the earth,
reality. And the moonlight represents our
dreams and our minds.”
“And…”
“And the reflection… well, I guess the
reflection represents art. It’s what lies between
our dreams and reality.”
–An Object of Beauty,
Steve Martin
23. Group Discussion
What does “learning” mean?
What does learning look like?
24.
25. How can we use the built
environment to better bring forth
this definition?
26. Reflect.
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
Where do you go to be inspired?
Where do you go to be productive?
27.
28. Analyze.
How do you feel in this room?
What does this room expect you to do?
How does learning happen here? How
does it compare to the places where you
are inspired and productive?
Does this room facilitate what you
defined as learning?
29.
30. Reimagine.
What is your ideal daily routine?
What should the campus look like or
involve to best support your ideal daily
routine?
31. Group 1
•Dorms in the center, campus circular
around that core – “build around the
human element”
•Everything you need is on campus
•Food truck brings food throughout
•“Really green” – landscaping
everywhere
•“Combine inspiring places” –
performance is located on the lake
32. Group 2
•Centralized campus
•Dorms arranged around an outdoor
gathering area
•“Dome” library
–Green space inside
–Open-air
–Encourage breaks
•Put amenities near the living area
33. Group 3
•Dynamic running trails
•Personal transportation (i.e. segways)
•Round tables to encourage group
gathering
•Support “me time”
•Collaborative, comfortable class
spaces
34. Group 4
•Outside:
–Outdoor hangout space
–More outdoor activities
•Moving through:
–More transportation
–Easier transportation
–Functional walkways
•Campus buildings:
–Less of a north/south campus
divide
–Art inside and outside
–Timeless, classic design
–Transparency
–Large areas and comfy furniture
•Student center:
–Central social place
–Student ownership – displayed
work
–Tall ceilings
35. Sarah Malin
1117 W. Dickens Ave, Apt 2
Chicago, IL 60614
sarahmalin@gmail.com
Sarahmalin.com
(914)400-5159
36. Insights
•Participants recognized outdated design intentions and reflected on how
these are either irrelevant or create a harmful pattern
–i.e. North/South campus divide originally a Methodist intention to
separate fraternities from sororities but now creates an unfortunate
divide across the campus
–i.e. Coat hooks in the classroom are remnants from old behaviors that
are no longer practiced
•Design-wise, participants favored a centralized, student-centered campus
with plenty of social spaces and connections to nature.
•Participants had different interpretations and opinions of the classroom
–This shows us that design will never be universally good or bad. The
physical environment can’t satisfy everyone and can’t keep up with the
pace of societal change. Instead of striving for universality, we can
empower users to critique their environment, change their surroundings,
and feel free to act the way they need to in any context. This allows
them to better communicate their needs and to help designers keep
their environment relevant.
