Finding Answers (?)

This week, I am developing my timeline and finding answers for the project. I have been considering a few different options for my cause and emotions to base my environments on. Since it is difficult for me to decide on one direction at this point, my plan is to experiment with a few different options. The materials used with be informed by the emotions and causes. Beginning at week 3, I will experiment until mid-term on different emotions paired with different causes. At that time, I will decide my final cause, environments, materials to produce the intended emotions. In addition to this, I would like to create a few promotional materials (i.e. posters) for each of the 3 final environments. In addition to this, I have been gathering research and references to use in my process.

Possible Causes:

1. alternatives EAP
2. Project Lydia
3. Make a Wish Foundation
4. Autism Society
5. American Association for the deaf-blind
6. Bridge Home for Children
7. Planet Aid
8. Good Samaritan Project
9. Children's Health/Nutrition
10. People to People
11. Mother's Refuge
12. Creative Minds Foundation
13. The HALO foundation
14. KVC Health Systems
15. Veronica's Voice
16. Literacy KC

Environmental psychology is especially important to understand before designing the spaces.

I've taken a few notes on this:

1. Size, sound temperature, light, odor and color influence mood, behavior and learning capabilities.
2. Light rooms are preferred over dark while noise is less important (affect respiration rate and blood pressure)
3. Temperature influences social behavior (EX/aggression)
4. Light, such as florescents, are thought to increase physical activity in young children
5. Interpersonal space increases with environmental space ("get outta my bubble")
6. Classrooms are arranged in specific styles for maximum productivity. Working with others to achieve a common goal (side-by-side)
7. Crowding and density make most individuals withdraw (not aggression)
8. Architectural space encourages socialization and relates to human dignity. This is based on quality of impression, invitational character (energy, quality), conciseness (color choice), and appropriation (identifying with the space, making it personal, participation in the design).
9. "Architectural space must fulfill particular formal and aesthetic requirements to be experienced as beautiful and interesting."
10. The space's expression must be experienced as true from an ethical standpoint and should provide satisfaction in functionality.
11. Orientation in the space is crucial to the experience (flow of information, sensory perceptions, and social interactions).
12. Humans in a environmental space have a need to be impressed, express and explore
13. Warm (high saturation) and bright colors (orange, ocher, sand yellow) should advance the foreground
14. Colors that are cold (green, violet, purple) should be in intermediate ground.
15. Cool and bright colors (light blue lime green), and dark warm and dark, cools (dark brown, dark blue) recede in the background. This is based on perspective.
16. Passive colors (green, green-blue) seem lighter in weight and active colors (red) seem heavier.
17. Color is qualified through its nuance and material
18. Screws are better than glues
19. Design for impermanence
20. Balance before talents
21. Metrics before magic (i.e. choose good materials and be creative with them)
22. Climates before primates
23. Context before absolutely everything
24. There are few straight lines and angles in the natural world
25. LEDs and halogen lighting to enhance your mood
26. Color mood depend on culture (EX/ magenta is more neutral in latin culture)
27. Warm colors advance, cools recede
28. Horizontal bars, rather than vertical gives a better feeling of freedom as it fits better with landscapes and does not interfere so harshly with visual effect.

My Timeline (draft)