Anna Ellis MFA Design Proposal

A SPACE TO BLOOM

Florida State University Student Union Design Proposal to Meet the Needs of College Students Who Have Experienced Trauma

Anna Ellis

PROBLEM STATEMENT

This new student union for Florida State University’s campus will be designed for the student population with a focus on meeting the needs for trauma and mental health issues, common struggles that many students across campus are facing. The new student union is characterized as comfortable and inviting, embraces the natural light and views of the surrounding campus, and provides multi-use spaces for students to use in between and outside of classes.

Project Name: Florida State University Student Union

Project Type: Higher Education

Location: Oglesby Union, 75 N Woodward Ave, Tallahassee, FL 32306

Users: College students, faculty, staff, local community, and tourists

INTRODUCTION

THE RESEARCH

70%

of adults in the U.S. have experienced trauma

Trauma-Informed Design Framework

How do architectural qualities influence the academic social space preferences of college students who have experienced trauma?

Surveys, including image-based questions to gauge architectural preferences and reflection questions to learn more about user experiences. Ten follow-up interviews took place to gain a deeper understanding of participants’ choices Participants took into consideration these built environment qualities: scale and proportion, access to views, curvilinearity and rectilinearity, biophilic elements, lighting, color, and materiality. Participants were further asked how these design qualities affect their emotional wellbeing

Sense

Beauty

Meaning

Personal

6 Human

(Pable and

E N VIRONMENTALCONTEXT TXETNOCLARUTLUC L I V E D E X P E R I ENCE EMPOWERMENT SAFETY CONNECTION JOY PEACE OF MIND HOPE COMFORT COMMUNITY CHOICE (Adapted from Shopworks Architecture, 2020)

(National Council for Mental Wellbeing, 2022) Dignity and Self-Esteem Stress Management

of Community

and

Empowerment and

Control Security, Privacy, and

Space

Needs Principles

Ellis, 2020)

Activities Engaged with in Academic Social Spaces scale + proportion color lighting line + form materiality access to views prospect + refuge biophilia

Students

Generation Z

Undergraduate

Graduate

Staff

Dining

Operations

Custodial

Faculty

Professors

Administration

Support

Local Community

Individuals

Families

Partners

Tourists

Prospective students

Parents

USER GROUPS

Situated at 75 North Woodward Avenue in Tallahassee, Florida, 32306, the Florida State University Student Union stands as a dynamic center for campus life. The Student Union benefits from its prime location, fostering accessibility and a strong sense of community. The campus embodies tradition, innovation, and community, making it an inspiring place for students to pursue their educational journey.

KEY ABOUT

BUILDINGS VEHICULAR CIRCULATION PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATION GREEN SPACE WATER THE SITE

SITE

200M 400M 800M

EXISTING

THE CONCEPT

“When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower”

- Alexander Den Heijer

A space to bloom is embodied in the FSU Student Union and provides opportunities for comfort, choice, community, and growth. Users will be inspired in the nurturing environment through emphasis on features that promote safety, security, and support. Biophilic design and traumainformed design principles will be used to promote user reflection on their own growth and resilience in their unique journeys of blooming.