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Harmony House Design
Brief
The concept chosen for the Harmony
House is “Strength of Metamorphoses”. The concept conveys the strength needed
to transition from good to great, a positive concept the youth staying at the
Harmony House need. The primary colors – red, yellow and blue – are the chosen
color scheme. The primary colors fit perfectly with the concept because the
colors all have the meaning of strength. The patterns, textures, and lines were
all chosen to portray a caterpillar’s metamorphosis into a butterfly. The
concept incorporates design principles such as rhythm, unity, and variety in a
beautiful way that relates well to the concept. The style of the Harmony House is
traditional with small contemporary hints throughout the spaces. Creating a
traditional space will help the youth feel more at home and comfortable. They
will enjoy relaxing in spaces other than their rooms; it is bright, fun, and
positive, which is exactly what the youth needs.
There are two entrances to the
first floor of the Harmony House: the main entrance and the alley entrance. The
main entrance is where the sandwich shop will be located. It was necessary to
place the sandwich shop near the main entrance because of the existing
elevators providing access to the kitchen located below. The building’s traffic
flow is designed to be smooth and easily navigable when busy. The location of the menu and cash wrap and
design of the counter create flowing customer circulation for easy navigation. By
placing the Harmony offices on the opposite end of the building the design
creates more open spaces and eliminates an unnecessary, long hallway. The open feeling on the first floor creates
a wonderful team aspect for the youth that will be very beneficial for group
meetings and a positive enforcement of relationships. The restrooms are located
in the center of the building for easy access to both the Sandwich Shop and the
Harmony House Offices. The only hallway on the first floor is a privacy hallway
for the restrooms. The group meeting room is completely open with the offices
and mentoring rooms, creating a more comfortable and less intimidating
environment. The youth bedrooms, common area, counselor’s station, restrooms,
and showers are located on the second floor. So that all activity outside of
the bedrooms is visible from the counselor’s station it was necessary to create
a long corridor. In order to have natural sunlight and views in each bedroom,
all of the bedrooms are located on the windowed wall. The common area is
directly adjacent to the elevator in the space near the windows. The bathroom
and showers are also located on the opposite wall of the bedrooms near the
center of the building for easy access from the six bedrooms. Two additional
rooms, a gym and art room was added across from the bedrooms. The gym and art room provide spaces for
healthy and productive stress relief.
The gym has access directly into the shower room, which also has direct
access to the bathroom. The direct access to the showers and bathroom allow the
youth to avoid walking in a public space in order to access the private spaces.
The furniture used in the Harmony
House is very family-oriented. The spaces are close knit, providing
togetherness throughout all of the spaces. This type of furniture enables the
youth to create relationships with one another, rather than secluding
themselves. The tables in the Sandwich Shop are communal dining style and the
furniture in the common area and offices are very traditional and cozy. The traditional family style produces a
feeling of home and will help the youth feel more comfortable.
The design for the Harmony House
was very deliberate and tailored to the needs of the youth who will be staying
there. Every room placement, color scheme and furniture piece was chosen to
maximize the concept so that it can be a healing and positive environment. The
more social areas (common area, group meeting, sandwich shop, and bedrooms) are
located near windows for exposure to natural sunlight. Studies show that natural sunlight is
associated with greater focus, productivity, happiness, and health. The colors
are vibrant and uplifting, the atmosphere allows for socialization, and the
youth will have access to activities promoting a healthy lifestyle. The design
is intended to be a positive influence helping the youth resolve their
problems. They will be offered opportunities to work in the sandwich shop. They
will have meetings with peers, counselors and family members to discuss
feelings and discover solutions. They will have access to learning resources in
order to gain knowledge. The design provides a variety of positive ways to
alleviate stress. In this way the design of the Harmony House works together
with counselors and loved ones to alleviate the problems of the run-away youth.
The design helps the youth address their family issues and create closer
familial bonds. Focused on family,
strength and metamorphosis the Harmony House is designed to change life
situations from bad to good and good to better.
The
design chosen for the Harmony House will be extremely successful in healing and
helping the runaway youth. The design surrounds them with happy and uplifting
colors, open spaces, and places to express them artistically and alleviate
stress. The design is a constant promotion of building and creating
relationships; building trust with each other as well as themselves, minimizing
time spent alone, socializing, working, and participating in other activities. Combining
the design with help from counselors, relationships with their peers, and hard
work, the youth will improve their abilities of self-expression
and resolve their issues.
Sandwich Shop (Monarch Sandwiches)
Common Area
Bedroom
