Interior Design Portfolio

SYDNEY WITHEY

INTERIOR DESIGN PORTFOLIO

Concept Statement

The focus of this design is to create a safe environment for students to re-shape their mindset, renew their outlook on the day, and re-charge. The design draws inspiration from clay, an element that when found in the wild is messy and unmanageable, but when showed the proper care can be molded into something beautiful. The Re · Claim Room will use this symbol of renewal to encourage students to approach the day from a new perspective. The intent is to create a moody and restorative environment influenced by elements, like clay, that are found amongst the natural landscape.

Skills Used

AutoCAD

SketchUp

Enscape

Photoshop

InDesign

The mental health of young adults continues to worsen, and the issue needs our continued attention. Providing students with tools like the Re · Claim Room will help them learn the importance of taking care of their minds and bodies, and it will encourage those who require the help of a professional to seek it out.

Nap Lounge

Game Area Storage

Gathering Space

FLOOR PLAN

SCALE: N.T.S.

Painting, drawing, coloring, writing, and playing with clay or play-doh are a few forms of art therapy. In a study with undergraduates, researchers examined reductions in anxiety after an unstructured, free-form coloring task in comparison to structured coloring tasks with geometric patterns. The structured coloring tasks led to a greater decrease in anxiety than the unstructured task”

Working with materials like clay or play-doh can also evoke a “sense of control by bringing them [the users] out of their minds, away from their worries, into the environment, and into the present moment”. The Re · Claim Room offers a number of sensory and art therapy tools, like the ones listed above, to promote the reduction of stress and anxiety as well as the refocusing of the mind.

BENEFITS OF THERAPEUTIC ART

2 MIN WALK TO DINING HALL

VIEWS OF TREES FROM WINDOWS

3 MIN WALK TO START A 2.25 MILE WALKING TRAIL

6 MIN WALK TO BUS STOP

COURTYARD WITH SEATING

The design incorporates hand-made and textural materials to reflect the color, plasticity, and raw nature of clay, the central inspiration for our concept. We have also incorporated organic and loose silhouettes into the design to mimic the different forms that clay can take and to create a softness within the space. In addition, the color palette utilizes deeper tones, similar to the ashy greys and muddy browns that are present in wild clay.

NORTH ELEVATION

SCALE: N.T.S.

The design utilizes grey limewashed walls to mimic the texture of clay, and green accents to bring the view of the courtyard below to the interior. Other materials like vinyl, wood veneer, and low-pile carpeting were selected for their durability, cleanability, and stain resistant qualities. This will ensure that the materials will withstand the wear and tear of the near constant occupancy of the space.

Keeneland Development Labs

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

Concept Statement

The basis of technology and software development can be represented through fractals, constituting infinitely detailed, self-similar components. The work of artist Pablo Picasso relies heavily on the technique of cubism, displaying similar characteristics of fractals through receding layers of fractured images. Cubism established a new approach to representing reality, and through Keeneland Labs’ work in software development, they are similarly instigating the creation of new technological systems. The fragmented and abstracted nature of Picasso’s art evokes curiosity as one’s brain attempts to extract the purpose of the piece. A similar feeling will be expressed in the office through abstract geometric forms to create a thoughtprovoking environment. The geometric basis of fractals will drive the design to create a cohesive environment in which each space will be indicative of the whole.

Skills Used

Revit

Enscape

Photoshop

InDesign

CONFERENCE ROOM MILLWORK ELEVATION

SCALE:

LIGHTING TO ENHANCE DEPTH

CEILING IDEATION

BREAK ROOM KITCHEN ELEVATION

N.T.S.

Concept Statement

Drawing upon the history of aeronautical engineering, this design is influenced by the materials of the 1909 Wright Military Flyer and the idea that the past informs the present, enabling for a new and improved solution. The design blends the innovation and structure of the Wright Military Flyer with the organic and free-flowing environment in which planes fly through. Wind, clouds, and sun rays, which abstractly influence the design, create a relationship between the problems being explored and solved by L3 Harris employees and the space in which they are working in. Similarly, the intent of this design is to inspire creative thinking by mirroring the process of problem solving within the space. The design encapsulates the feeling of excitement and possibility in the vastness of the sky.

Skills Used

AutoCAD

SketchUp

Enscape

Photoshop

InDesign

COLLABORATION SPACE AXONOMETRIC

CONFERENCE ROOMS AXONOMETRIC

ROWHOUSE

WALKER RESIDENCE

Concept Statement

As the Walker family moves into their new home, they are instigating a new beginning that is symbolized through arches. From the time of the Ancient Greeks and Romans, arches have been used to represent strength and support. These characteristics will be displayed throughout the interior to demonstrate the building of a new community. Semi-circular arches will influence a soft and welcoming atmosphere not only for the clients, but for their guests as well. Walking under an arch symbolizes entering a new perspective which can guide the Walker family to create a new story in their home.

Skills Used

AutoCAD

SketchUp

Enscape

Photoshop

InDesign

PRIMARY BATH ELEVATION

SCALE: N.T.S.

1 Guest Bedroom

Guest Bathroom

Laundry Room

Storage

Mark’s Office

Powder Bath

Pantry Kitchen

Dining Room

Living Room

Ethan’s Bathroom

Ethan’s Bedroom

Primary Bathroom

Primary Bedroom

Outdoor Terrace

Entertainment Space

Powder Bath

Storage

Christina’s Office

KITCHEN ELEVATION

SCALE: N.T.S.

INTERIOR SECTION

SCALE: N.T.S.

HONORS PROJECT

UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

ALZHEIMER’S RESIDENTS AND THE BUILT-ENVIRONMENT: A SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF CARE FACILITIES

Purpose

By evaluating evidence from peer reviewed literature, researchers can understand the effects the built environment has on the health and wellbeing of residents in long term care facilities with Alzheimer’s disease. As a result of the cognitive and physical barriers residents encounter, their spatial experience in the built environment is altered, ultimately influencing their quality of life. This study aims to evaluate models of care facilities to identify the contributing factors of the physical environment that residents with Alzheimer’s disease are housed in; further, projected results will aid in understanding their effects on health and resident experience to make recommendations for improvements.

Background

Because there currently is no pharmacological prevention or cure for Alzheimer’s disease, the ability to care for residents falls heavily on the environment they reside in, making the current and future design of long-term care facilities an important conversation. The built environment primarily has implications on Alzheimer’s disease as it relates to quality of life; further, elements such as facility layout, facility size, wayfinding, and shared vs. private rooms are characteristics of facilities that contribute to resident experience. Six typical facility types are presented as the baseline for layout planning:

1) Unit; 2) Pod; 3) Cluster; 4) Household; 5) Neighborhood; and 6) Intergenerational Living.

Methods

A design assessment tool is presented to evaluate the planning of long-term care facilities for Dementia known as Plan-EAT. Plan-EAT is a checklist that tests nine Dementia Design Principles, resulting in a percentage-based score. Plan-EAT was employed to evaluate six architectural plans, each of a different type for how effective they are at creating a favorable environment for residents.

Results

The evaluation of six architectural floor plans results in an average Plan-EAT score of 55.90%, presenting a large margin for improvement. A distinction was identified between which types of facilities are more beneficial to the health and wellbeing of residents with Alzheimer’s disease according to the scores they received. The area that scored the highest was Useful Stimuli, optimizing helpful stimuli by creating clear sight lines for residents. On average, the lowest scoring category was Movement and Engagement as many of the aspects of a garden were not present, or no garden area was available to residents.

Plan-EAT Analysis Results

Safety

Household

Pod

Neighborhood

Intergenerational Living

Cluster

Unit

Score Averages

Dementia Design Principle (DDP)

Scale Visual Access Stimulus Reduction Useful Stimuli Movement and Engagement

Social Interaction Community Links Domestic Activity

Based on the scores assigned to each type of facility, design recommendations were developed to define best practices in the design of Memory Care Residence Facilities.

Proposed Facility Plan Exhibiting Design Recommendations

Proposed Facility Plan

Scale: N.T.S.

STUDENT RESILIENCE STUDY

POSTER PRESENTED AT 2024 IDEC CONFERENCE

Stantec Innovative Partnership Grant

Resilience in Learning and Working Environments: Examining Design Impact on Interior Design Students and Professionals - Preliminary Findings

Research Team: Debra Harris, PhD, Elise King, MID, MA, Joy Huntington, PhD, Sydney Withey, Rodney Sturdivant, PhD, & Anu Kannan Contributors: Michelle Brown, MA, Lori Guerrero, PhD, Michelle Pearson, PhD, Sarah Wilhoit, PhD, Carl Matthews, MS

Introduction

Resilience in the human condi�on is the capacity to withstand and recover from difficul�es and the capability to keep func�oning both physically and psychologically.

The following presents preliminary ndings from a study on resilience levels of interior design students and professionals. Specically, this poster explores levels of resilience and factors inuencing resilience (e.g., sleep, indoor environmental quality) among students at four CIDA-accredited universi�es (n = 200).

Par�cipants completed a survey that included the Conner-Davidson Resiliency Scale (CD RISC-25), the Pi�sburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and ques�ons regarding their studio/ workplace environment. An indoor environmental prole will be developed from data collected. Design recommenda�ons will use an evidence-based approach for design criteria and opera�onal solu�ons to improve human resiliency in applied learning and work environments.

Background

In recent years, corpora�ons, universi�es, and researchers have increasingly recognized the benets of fostering resilience (e.g., The Stanford Resilience Project and The Duke Endowment Student Resilience Project). However, the preponderance of college student resilience research focuses on two popula�ons: general student popula�ons and prehealth/medical students.1 There is a notable lack of research studying resilience among students and professionals in studio-based majors and careers, such as interior design, architecture, and other allied design disciplines. This represents a substan�al knowledge gap because studies show that students enrolled in studio-based programs experience elevated levels of stress, poor sleep habits, and unique academic demands, similar to those in their profession. Addi�onally, previous resilience research lacks a meaningful considera�on of the role of the built environment in fostering human resilience. This is despite a body of scholarship, including studies by Harris,³ Newsham, et al.,⁴ Soares, et al.,⁵ and Harris6-8 that explore the rela�onship between the built environment and health, produc�vity, engagement, and well-being.

• Design is used to create safe environments and workspaces that inuence produc�vity, sa�sfac�on, and overall health.8-10

• Design plays a signicant role in promo�ng posi�ve behaviors, such as increasing physical and social ac�vity.11,12

• Studies that consider the role of architecture, interiors, or space in fostering belonging and building rela�onships o�en use place a�achment theory, place iden�ty theory, and sense of place to iden�fy how the built environment impacts belonging.13-16

• Students who lack a sense of belonging through a suppor�ve social circle struggle with academics and handling stress, and report an increase in rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide.13,17-19

• Fostering a sense of belonging is cri�cal for retaining a robust and diverse popula�on in the academy, leading to closing the diversity gap in the professional environment.17,20,21

Methods

Par�cipants completed the following measures:

• Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC): CD-RISC is used as a measure of degree of resilience. The scale is well validated, and a 2022 scoping review of 12 instruments iden�ed the CD-RISC as “the most suitable instrument for measuring resilience among post-secondary students.”22

• Pi�sburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI): PSQI is one of the most widely used sleep ques�onnaires. It is used to iden�fy individuals who experience poor sleep quality and those who sleep well. The scale contains 19 self-rated ques�ons to understand the quan�ty/quality of one’s sleep and assess features of day�me func�oning.23

Addi�onally, a design educator from each par�cipa�ng interior design program completed a program demographics survey (e.g., number of undergraduates, number of full-�me faculty), and indoor environmental quality measures (e.g., illuminance, humidity, ambient temperature, and acous�cs) as well as photographs of studios and other spaces allocated to the interior design program.

To understand the mul�faceted inuences on resilience within the interior design, this study includes the following three aims:

• Aim 1: Evaluate resilience levels of interior design college students and professionals using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-25) as a measure of degree of resilience.

• Aim 2: Assess how sleep quality inuences resilience in interior design college students and interior design professionals using the Pi�sburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), used to iden�fy individuals who experience poor sleep quality, those who sleep well, and assess features of day�me func�oning.

• Aim 3: Develop a workplace (studio) design & indoor environmental quality (IEQ) prole to measure the impact of the built environment on the resilience of interior design college students and interior design professionals.

Results

AIM 1: Resilience of Interior Design College Students

• From the CD-RISC-25 Manual, the mean score of US adult general popula�on is 79.0 (SD 12.9). The mean score for US college students is 3-5 points lower than the general popula�on. Among the interior design students in this study, the mean score is 71.77 (SD 11.19), a difference of 7.23.

• There are three statements where more than 50% indicated “true nearly all the �me”: “I have at least one close and secure rela�onship that helps me when am stressed” (71%); “Good or bad, believe that most things happen for a reason” (58%); and “I take pride in my achievements” (53%).

• In contrast, the three statements with the highest percentage for “not true at all” and “rarely true”: “I am not easily discouraged by failure” (28%); “I can make unpopular or difficult decisions that affect other people if it is necessary” (19%); and “when there are no clear solu�ons to my problems, some�mes fate or God can help” (17%).

AIM 2: How Sleep Quality Inuences Resilience of Interior Design College Students

• The PSQI global score of greater than 5 indicates poor sleepers. The Lund et al study of college students (n = 1,125) reported that 65.9 were classied as poor sleepers. Among interior design students in this study, 87.26% were classied as poor sleepers.

• During the past month, the majority of interior design college students selfreported bed�me was between 11 PM 1:29 AM (74%); 1:30 AM 3:29 AM (14%); and 9 PM - 10:59 PM (12%).

• Consensus guidelines state that college students should strive for 8-10 hours of sleep (op�mal) with 7 hours at a minimum. In this study, fewer than 14% of interior design students self-reported that they are sleeping the recommended 8 hours per night.

AIM 3: IEQ Averages for the Studio Environment

• Ambient Temperature: 70.93 F. ..... ASHRAE recommends 68-75 F.

• Rela�ve Humidity: 29.73% ..... ASHRAE recommends 40-60%

• Illuminance: 388.86 lux ..... IES recommends 750-1200 lux for lab/studios

• Ambient Sound Levels: 45.17 dBA ..... WHO recommends 35 dBA max.

Next Steps

Analysis

• Student (n=200) and professional designer (n=74) CD-Risc-25 and PSQI survey, open comments, and IEQ Assessment

• Recommenda�ons for design criteria and opera�onal solu�ons to improve human resilience in applied learning and work environments

Dissemina on

• Wri�en reports for each par�cipa�ng college program

• White paper submi�ed to the funders/Launch social media plan

• Peer-Review manuscript submi�ed for publica�on

• Presenta�on at IDEC Annual Conference 2025

References

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