Assessment 2 Documentation Logbook
Endeavour Foundation
The Endeavour Foundation is an independent, for purpose organisation established in 1951 with a vision to support people with an intellectual disability to live their best lives. The Endeavour Foundation focuses on ability and supports people with an intellectual disability to live, learn, work and flourish according to their own interests and priorities.
The centres are located at the heart of local communities – offering choice, opportunities and personalised support in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
Within the centres, people can learn new skills, skills to live independently, socialising and making new friends, finding a job you love or exploring interests.
Academic Research
National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
Endeavour Foundation is committed to assisting customers to confidently transition to NDIS.
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The NDIS is Australia’s first national Scheme for people with disability - The scheme provides funding directly to individuals.
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There are around 4.3 million Australians who have a disability. When it is fully rolled out, the NDIS will provide about 460,000 Australians aged under 65,
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National: The NDIS is being introduced progressively across all states and territories.
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Disability: The NDIS provides support to eligible people with intellectual, physical, sensory, cognitive and psychosocial disability. Early intervention supports can also be provided for eligible people with disability or children with developmental delay.
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Insurance: The NDIS gives all Australians peace of mind if they, their child or loved one is born with or acquires a permanent and significant disability, they will get the support they need.
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Scheme: The NDIS is not a welfare system. The NDIS is designed to help people get the support they need so their skills and independence improve over time.
Initial floor planning ideas
Colour Pyshcology
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RED - the most psychologically stimulating of colours.
Positive: Confidence, excitement, strength, energy, basic survival, and excitement.
Negative: Defiance, aggression, visual impact, strain.can be perceived as demanding and aggressive.
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BLUE- calming and cool
Positive: Intelligence, communication, trust, efficiency, serenity, duty, logic, coolness, reflection, calm.
Negative: Coldness, aloofness, lack of emotion, unfriendliness.
Blue is the colour of the mind and is essentially soothing; it affects us mentally, rather than the physical reaction we have to red. Strong blues will stimulate clear thought and lighter, soft blues will calm the mind and aid concentration. Consequently it is serene and mentally calming.
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YELLOW - Emotional
Positive: Optimism, confidence, self-esteem, extraversion, emotional strength, friendliness, creativity.
Negative: Irrationality, fear, emotional fragility, depression, anxiety, suicide.
Yellow is emotional and the strongest colour, psychologically. The right yellow will lift an individuals spirits and self-esteem. It is the colour of confidence and optimism. Too much of it, or the wrong tone in relation to the other tones in a colour scheme, can cause self-esteem to plummet, giving rise to fear and anxiety. Pale yellow can bring a sunny feel to a space without being overwhelming to the eye.​
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GREEN. Balance
Positive: Harmony, balance, refreshment, universal love, rest, restoration, reassurance, environmental awareness, equilibrium, peace.
Negative: Boredom, stagnation, blandness, enervation.
Green strikes the eye in such a way as to require no adjustment whatever and is, therefore, restful. Being in the centre of the spectrum, it is the colour of balance - a more important concept than many people realise.
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PURPLE. Spiritual
Positive: Spiritual awareness, containment, vision, luxury, authenticity, truth, quality.
Negative: Introversion, decadence, suppression, inferiority.
Purple encourages deep contemplation, or meditation. It stimulates creativity but also creates a sense of relaxation and serenity in a room.
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ORANGE.
Positive: Physical comfort, food, warmth, security, sensuality, passion, abundance, fun.
Negative: Deprivation, frustration, frivolity, immaturity.
Since it is a combination of red and yellow, orange is stimulating and reaction to it is a combination of the physical and the emotional. It focuses our minds on issues of physical comfort - food, warmth, shelter etc. - and sensuality.
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PINK.
Positive: Physical tranquillity, nurture, warmth, femininity, love, sexuality, survival of the species.
Negative: Inhibition, emotional claustrophobia, emasculation, physical weakness.
Being a tint of red, pink also affects us physically, but it soothes, rather than stimulates. (Interestingly, red is the only colour that has an entirely separate name for its tints. Tints of blue, green, yellow, etc. are simply called light blue, light greenetc.) Pink is a powerful colour, psychologically. It represents the feminine principle, and survival of the species; it is nurturing and physically soothing. Too much pink is physically draining and can be somewhat emasculating.
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GREY.
Positive: Psychological neutrality.
Negative: Lack of confidence, dampness, depression, hibernation, lack of energy.
Pure grey is the only colour that has no direct psychological properties. It can be quite suppressive. Unless the precise tone is right, grey has a dampening effect on other colours used with it. Heavy use of grey usually indicates a lack of confidence and fear of exposure Warm grey paired with other warm colors creates a lively and inviting space.
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BLACK.
Positive: Sophistication, glamour, security, emotional safety, efficiency, substance.
Negative: Oppression, coldness, menace, heaviness.
Black is all colours, totally absorbed. The psychological implications of that are considerable. It creates protective barriers, as it absorbs all the energy coming towards you, and it enshrouds the personality. Black is essentially an absence of light, since no wavelengths are reflected and it can, therefore be menacing; many people are afraid of the dark. Positively, it communicates absolute clarity, with no fine nuances.
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WHITE.
Positive: Hygiene, sterility, clarity, purity, cleanness, simplicity, sophistication, efficiency.
Negative: Sterility, coldness, barriers, unfriendliness, elitism.
White is total reflection. In effect, it reflects the full force of the spectrum into our eyes. Thus it also creates barriers, but differently from black, and it is often a strain to look at. White is purity and, like black, uncompromising; it is clean, hygienic, and sterile. The concept of sterility can also be negative. Visually, white gives a heightened perception of space. The negative effect of white on warm colours is to make them look and feel garish.
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BROWN.
Positive: Seriousness, warmth, Nature, earthiness, reliability, support.
Negative: Lack of humour, heaviness, lack of sophistication.
Brown usually consists of red and yellow, with a large percentage of black. Consequently, it has much of the same seriousness as black, but is warmer and softer. It has elements of the red and yellow properties. Brown has associations with the earth and the natural world.
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Reference:
"Psychological Properties Of Colours." Colour Affects. Accessed May 03, 2019. http://www.colour-affects.co.uk/psychological-properties-of-colours.
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Research has shown that plants in homes and workplaces help reduce stress, increase productivity, enhance employee attitudes, lower operating costs, help in “green building” design, and improve air quality.
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A Human Spaces report in 2015 on biophilic design showed that, globally, nearly two-thirds of workers have no plants in their workspaces. Those spaces which incorporated plants and other natural elements reported 15 percent higher well-being and creativity, and six percent greater productivity. They also found reductions of 37% in anxiety, 58 percent in depression, 44 percent in hostility, and 38 percent in fatigue. Since green is a calming colour, this too should have some effect.
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Plants also help reduce office noise. Research has found that an indoor plant hedge around a workspace can reduce noise by five decibels. Plants absorb sound, rather than just insulate against it.
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“Breathing walls” have been researched to show that they remove carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds from interior air
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Indoor plants can give aesthetic pleasure as well as oxygenating the air, thereby reducing perceived stress.
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Indoor plants were shown to be effective with Taiwanese junior high school students, in terms of hours of sick leave and misbehavior
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Reference:​
Kim, Jeonghwan, Seung Hyun Cha, Choongwan Koo, and Shiu-keung Tang. "The Effects of Indoor Plants and Artificial Windows in an Underground Environment." Building and Environment 138, (2018): 53-62.
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Indoor Plants
Initial Ideation Sketches
In the current floor plan, there is a mix of quiet zones in the loud space and loud spaces in the quiet zone.
As such, after completing my research the first step I took in my design process was zoning the space into quiet and loud. Through doing this, I hope to achieve clear zoning and the users of the space can automatically tell what activities occur in each space.
In the current floor plan, there is a mix of quiet zones in the loud space and loud spaces in the quiet zone.
As such, after completing my research the first step I took in my design process was zoning the space into quiet and loud. Through doing this, I hope to achieve clear zoning and the users of the space can automatically tell what activities occur in each space.
After I zoned the two spaces into quiet and loud, I began with mind mapping key phrases and concepts that are required in the learning centre.
Inspiration board
Technology
Materials, Colours & Zoning
During my research I looked at other learning centres, museums and corporate co-working offices. When doing my research on learning centres were for young children and therefore, the design matched this (for example- lots of animals, brightly coloured zones and areas). As the Endeavour Centre is for adults, I do not want the space to look to childish and instead I used these other examples of how the learning centres were set out spatially. As for children and adults, both had similar requirements in that the staff must be able to see the activities happening in the rooms, large rooms for staff, meeting rooms and one on one learning. I also decided to look at how museum exhibitions were designed as many museum exhibitions are interactive and require people to interact with the space using current technology. Through reviewing museum exhibitions, it gave me the idea to turn the columns in the centre into interactive poles and also the idea of the digital art wall. I also want the space to be open plan so everyone in the centre can see the activities that are happening and can engage with these when they want to (as opposed to having everything in closed off rooms). Lastly, as part of my research, I looked at co-working spaces in commercial working offices. I thought that this was important to look at because as well as the users who go to the centre to learn, the centre is also a place for employees who work there. I think it is important that the space caters to the users but also the staff who have to go to work everyday. During my research of co--working spaces, I looked at colour pyshcology (as above in my blog) and also indoor plants and how these design elements can be used to create a nice work environment.
Initial zoning ideas
The above are three initial sketches of the zones I put together. For all three spaces, I like how the multipurpose room and quiet zone are together in the 'quiet' zone of the centre. As the centre also would like to engage in community engagement (such as hosting evening nights etc), I want to keep the multipurpose room at the front of the centre so that it is on show and people that are coming into the centre to potentially put their family member into the endeavour foundation can see whats going on and participate in activities themselves. I also think from a practical perspective, having all the high tech equipment at the back of the centre for security purposes makes sense ( in terms of theft- as you cant see these from the street). I also want to create an element of surprise for the staff and users when they go through this quiet area and then the contrast to the loud/high tech spaces in the back.
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In regards to the loud zone of the centre, after completing the three concept sketches I am still not 100% set on this space. I like that the digital interactive art wall/TV is in the middle of the centre. With my research I found that people with an intellectual disability require a focal point in a space to help them navigate and way find and I believe by putting this in the middle of the centre, this should help achieve a focal point. The staff rooms need to be placed to the sides of the building however I am still unsure where to position these to achieve maximum visibility of activities and participants but also private enough for staff meetings and one-on-one learning. I don't think it is necessary for each staff member to have their own office and rather one office that has hot desking or co-work space that they can all share together. The kitchen is also important because the users learn how to cook/laundry here so quite a bit of space needs to be dedicated to this area and I am still unsure where this would best be suited. Over the next week, I will work on refining the 'LOUD' zone of the space. I am happy with the 'QUIET' area at the enterance of the centre so will leave this as is with the first image.
Materials
Felt
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Noise is a leading source of employee dissatisfaction in offices.
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When a sound wave is produced, it travels and bounces off the reflective surfaces it comes in contact with.
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can’t control the sound that takes place in an office, we can compliment the space with well-designed acoustic materials and products to provide sound absorption and reduce the reverberation time to an acoustically comfortable range.
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Felt is an acoustically absorptive products may be combined to provide a little to a lot of sound absorption with wall and floor coverings, hanging panels, acoustic panels, and baffles.
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Wool felt wallcovering is a cost effective way to achieve texture, saturated color, and sound absorption wherever you need it. Available in thickness from 2mm to über-thick 10mm, felt can be directly adhered without a backing to walls, ceilings, and even millwork to provide a NRC rating of 0.2, which provides modest muffling of sound
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https://www.knoll.com/document/1356123501488/FF_Acoustics.pdf
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With the above information researched, I am going to use felt in the design of the centre. I think that this would look nice aesthetically but also provide the noise reduction and tactile response. Users can touch the walls, and also they can use the walls to pin art/ announcements/ timetables etc.
Wood
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- The natural origin of wood makes it a warm and comforting material.
- These countries have also studied the effects of wood within our living environments extensively, some even recording a drop in blood pressure when used in health related spaces
Flooring options:
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Carpet:
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Australian Standard AS1428.1-2009 is referenced under both the Disability (Access to Premises – Buildings) Standards 2010 (Premises Standards) and the current Building Code of Australia (BCA). Carpet pile height is covered under Clause 7.4.1(a) of AS1428.1-2009, which requires carpet pile height or pile thickness not to exceed 6 mm and the carpet backing thickness not to exceed 4 mm. These dimensions are also reflected in Figure 8 of AS1428.1.
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- Will use this for the 'green learning areas'
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Rubber flooring:
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Accessible flooring should be stable, firm and slip resistant – these qualities alone make rubber flooring 100% suitable for wheelchair users.
Beneficial properties include:
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Excellent traction for wheelchair users
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Soft surface creates cushioning in the event of a fall
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Slip-resistance makes it favourable for anyone dealing with balance and mobility issues
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Low maintenance reduces time-consuming efforts for upkeep
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Durable and hard wearing, it can withstand constant wheelchair traffic
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The flat dense pile is also perfect for areas where trolleys, or wheel chairs are used.
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https://www.coruba.co.uk/blog/rubber-flooring-the-best-surface-for-wheelchair-users/
Inclusive Design
When I think of inclusive design in this space, I want to ensure that everyone in the centre has equal access to all activities in the centre. This includes everything from the kitchen, bathroom, quiet areas, study nooks, all technology stations and bathrooms. When I initially started looking at the interactive technology I could include in the centre, I found lots of ipad stations and kiosk however when I looked at the design they aren't inclusive to everyone as someone in a wheelchair would be unable to use these devices as they are positioned out of reach. As shown below.
From here, I started researching adjustable kiosk stations/ipad docks and found that there are companies which make adjustable kiosk stations purpose built for people in wheelchairs. At the same time, the stations are adjustable so any user can move this to their desired height (as seen below). I have found specific products which I will now use in my space and schedule these accordingly in my FF&E.
Designing the VR/ Sensory Room Pods
Initial Concept sketch for pods
Finalised concept sketch for pods
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- took the pods all the way to the ceiling
- moved felt to the inside of the pods
- allowed 1 entry
- removed glass doors & replaced with curtains
- replaced felt on the exterior with light wooden beams
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The pods have been designed specifically for the space and by me. I went through a long concept phase of designing the pods.
The pods had to be large enough for facilitated learning ( up to 2 people) and wide enough to allow a wheelchair user into the pod and manoeuvre in and out.
As the pods are multipurpose, I knew that I wanted to design the inside with a soft material to enhance the tactile responses and make the pod feel calming, inviting and warm.
The first pod I designed were 1.5m high and approx 2.5m long and on the outside were made of felt and the inside had 2 glass doors either side. The shape and circumference I thought worked well in the space but the design with the felt and the fact that the pods didn’t go to the ceiling made them look like water tanks and like they didn’t have a purpose in the space.
I went back and started drawing some ideas by taking the pods all the way to the ceiling. I then experimented by removing the glass doors and replacing these with curtains. The pods are quiet a big structure and the use of curtains appeared to soften their appearance. The curtains can also be drawn to close when someone is in the pod or be open - all dependant on how the user is feeling.
On the outside I decided to use the same light plywood beams that were in the front of the center (reception) to go around the columns to make the space flow and not feel disjointed.
On the inside of the pod, I designed large felt cushions that are attached to the wall in a light / cream colour. I wanted to give the inside of the pod texture but make it look fun.
Floor Plan Refinement
I continued to work on my floor plan and my final 2 concepts are here. The concepts for both spaces both have the quiet and loud zoning however the 'loud/learning' area at the rear of the centre is different with the staff rooms and kitchen being located in seperate areas.
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After reviewing the flow of the area, I decided to proceed with concept 1 for my final idea.
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I have included a picture of the floor plan sketch and zoning below.
Concept 1
Concept 2
Finalised Floor Plan
Overall feeling of the space
For my overall concept & feeling of the space- I wanted to focus on the tactile experience. I wanted to link into the readings we had done early in the semester regarding the eyes of the skin as i found this book interesting and liked how the book described the density of the nerve endings in our fingers and how our hands are the extension of our eyes. I found it interesting that for a space that is seeking a high tech area with much reliance on the users sight, I wanted to incorporate the sense of touch into the materials in the space. So that you can touch the walls, pods, tv, columns, and computers.
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There is also a contrast in the space between the high tech and the quiet zones so by harnessing tactility within the space I am aiming to achieve a comfortable environment that is inviting. I also aim to achieve a 'visual temperature' to the space by using different surface textures.
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For my space I wanted to include the research I had conducted which showed that people with an ID responded positively to spaces that were zoned and associated based on their learning.
I went through a few concept phases of which included zoning the center in all different colours ranging from purple quiet rooms, blue VR rooms etc. however when I looked at the overall aesthetic of the clinic it looked to overwhelming with all the different colours and unless I incorporated text on the floor or windows, the zoning didn’t really work as it made the space feel busy and disjointed.
I then decided to use the colour green as an indicator for the “learning spaces”. Green has been shown to be a great colour to use in libraries, education centres and counselling centres. Green is the colour of balance & symbolises renewal growth & has a strong association with feeling safe.
I also wanted the center to feel fresh and modern and to me; fresh and new = white.
The center has to be open plan so that staff can see all the activities happening in the center and so I knew that I couldn’t zone the walls of the rooms as I wanted these to be glass. So then I began drawing ideas of changing the design on the floor.
I then came up with the concept of zoning the rooms by the change of the material & colour on the floor. Every area where learning occurs, I colour coded green. All spaces except the art room are a low pile green carpet tile which are hospital grade and suitable for wheelchair use. The art room is made of a green vinyl which allows for it to have paint splatter and be cleaned easily.
The kitchen has green incorporated via the live herb wall on the columns.
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Materials Board
Zoning
Toilets
The toilets in the existing design with 2 x cubicle toilets and 1 x ambulant toilet/shower.
For my redesign, I have added an extra ambulant toilet and 3 x cubicles.
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For the ambulant toilet, the below was researched:
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The Australian Standard Design for Access and Mobility - AS1428.1 is a standard which outlines minimum design requirements for new building work to enable access for people with disabilities.
VANITY, WASH BASIN AND MIRROR
As per the AS1428.1 guidelines, a seperate fixture shelf can be installed if it is witihin any circulation space at a height of 900 mm to 1000 mm with a minimum underside clearance of 850 mm for a width of 120 mm to 150 mm and length of 300 mm to 400 mm; and external to all circulation spaces at a heigh of 800 mm to 1000 mm with a minimum width of 120 mm and minimum length of 400 mm.
TOILET
For the toilet, the As1428.1 outlines that the width of the unit can be a maximum of 400 mm, must be 800+10 mm from the edge of any back wall mounted fixture or obstruction, must be 460 mm to 480 mm from the floor to the top of the seat. The toilet that was chosen had a back of 260mm and was fixed at 130mm in the middle and 450mm from the wall. The seat was 340mm from the floor to the seat. The AS1428.1 also states that a toilet must have a backrest provided. The back rest must be provided; must be minimum 600 mm from any back wall mounted fixture and 600 mm wide. The back rest chosen has a vertical height of 177mm and a width of 377mm. For the sanitary disposal unit, the AS1428.1 guideline is specific in where the unit can be located and it is limited to figure 43 in the standards. This location is directly next to toilet, against the wall to the right hand side.
HANDROLL DISPENSER
For the hand roll towel dispenser, a roll dispenser was chosen for the bathroom as the guidelins state that a hand dryer that allows the person to access with one hand is sufficient. The hand towel has also been fixed and installed with the height of not less than 900 mm and not more than 1100 mm above the plan of the finished floor, and no closer than 500 mm from an internal corner. GRABRAIL For the grab rail, the shape of the rail was re-designed. The design was to represent flowers and to do this I followed the AS1428.1 standards.
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The below are images of all my initial zoning ideas
Doors
For my design, I wanted to include slide doors. As per the AS1428.1, it says:
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Thoughts on flooring:
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For the high traffic areas, will use this flooring. Just need to think about how I schedule this especially with the pattern on the floor and how the vinyl and carpet will connect together (so to not make a tripping hazard).
Transition strip - vinyl to carpet
