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Interior Design School of Design

Yirou Zhu

Interior design isn’t always a simple decorative subject. It can also be inspiring and nurturing. This has been my motivation to keep expanding my limits through interior design. Personally, I view it as a medium to communicate social concerns that further provoke me to explore the world.

Contact
amyzhu0716@outlook.com
Y.Zhu5@student.gsa.ac.uk
Instagram
Works
Modern Sensibility
Research
Site
Senses
Outcome

Modern Sensibility

 

“…the more our culture tries to push the reality of death away, the more it tries to isolate the dead, the more death threatens to invade our whole culture.”

 

The intention of this project is to design an inclusive space that helps individuals learn from death and understand their own values in life. Within this interior, the conversation surrounding death will encompass not only human life but also the lost values in various aspects. With the development of technology, the interaction between cyberspace and reality has influenced our lives, including death. By combining contemporary factors with reflective research, this project aims to challenge the designer’s ability to identify potential spatial issues related to death and address them based on their own understanding.

The speculative approach to this space caters to both death education and consultations. The educational aspect welcomes people of all ages and aims to provide formal death education facilitated by professionals. It also explores the meanings of death in different cultures through the medium of textiles, as clothes and fabrics have always held a subtle relationship with humanity. On the other hand, the consultation side caters to individuals in need of mental support, especially those seeking to overcome trauma. To cater to the distinct target groups and ensure the confidentiality of consultations, it is essential to separate the two spaces and carefully consider the user journey for each purpose.

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Research

In modern times, individuals are experiencing increasing levels of stress, leading them to seek consultations when necessary. However, there is a lack of easily accessible and prominent professional information for people to reach out to. The process of finding a trusted consultation organization can be time-consuming. Despite the diversity in Glasgow, based on my personal experience and statistical data, there is an insufficient number of therapists from non-white ethnicities. This cultural barrier sometimes hinders effective communication during conversations. Consequently, the Death Education Centre can be perceived as a gateway that promotes communication, support, and enhances individuals’ quality of life.

Interview Excerpts 1

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Site

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Senses

Throughout the earlier research, which gives the project ageneral direction of what can be further developed within the facility. I focus on the senses that the space provides. Senses can affect people’s inner emotions, that can lead to a memorable journey. Modern technologies have made our lives more convinient, we can take pictures and record videos of moments we want to memorise on our devices. However, it deprives our ability to fully immerse in these moments we think are mesmerising at the first place. The devices offer us opportunities in extending our ‘storage’, but do we really own these memories? Can we recall the physical experiences that intrigue us to press the button that time? This thought also leads me to expand on the visualisation of the sensory experience.

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Outcome

Project Links

Public Journey

The diagram shows a public user journey that opens to the majority. People go through the entrance on the corner of Sauchiehall Street and North Street. A staircase will take them up to the garden, which is the first floor. They are able to explore the space by walking through several zones including the sand pit, the art therapy and the library.
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First Floor Plan

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Garden and Sand Pit

The building starts with the first floor because it is elevated from the ground. On the first floor, there is a indoor garden, an outdoor garden, and a sand pit that is the centre point. It connects the void, creating an open and bright space for people to spend their own time. I have chosen to bring in a sand pit is because sand can be a great opportunity for kids or adults get creative and relief stress.
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Second Floor Plan

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Reception

Moving onto the second floor, which is for public use. It can beaccessed through the staircase inside the building, or the exterior entrance. The voids at both ends create a flow ofsound in the space. As a public floor, I only use the room divider to differentiate the functions. Users can see the whole floor at one sight, that is easier to understand the volume zones in the facility
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Art Therapy

The art therapy space can also become an open art space for people to get creative. It opens to the void, allows more light into the area. At the same time, encourages communications between users, which helps to form a supportive environment. Besides the primary function for art therapy, the space can be extended as a group consultation area, which allows unacquainted users to share their common inquiries.
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Void

In the void, the two bridges are not intersected. It creates layers in space. The void can be used to hang the textile outcomes from the art therapy. The works are sewed together to represent the diversity of the facility. It is like a stream that flow through three floors, creates emotional resonance within the whole building
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Library

While other parts of the facility provides openness, the libraryat the end of the building is separated from them. In order to lower the sound level in the room, as well as to create a meditating space, the library is enclosed. To make it fit into the atmosphere, not to be too isolated, there is one side that has been shortened. It allows users to overlook the garden on the first floor.
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Private Journey

This is the journey for users who go to private consultations on the third floor. They take a lift or walk to the top, go through the reception to the consultation rooms. There are also passages to the library and lower levels, which the journey is indicated in black.
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Third Floor Plan

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Reception

The third floor is a relatively private space. There is a staircase from the second floor for people who want more information about private consultation. Compared to the other two floors,there is more demand for personal space, so I could use walls ordividers to create layers and rooms, that would make the space more interesting
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Seating Area

The waiting area contains benches and an indoor pond. The pond helps to extend the space. At the end of the waiting area, there is a door and a bridge over the void and leads to the library. So users can travel more conviniently through separate zones in the space.
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Consultation Room

For the consultation rooms, I have made them quite straightforward and simple, so the space is not distracting for users. The room contains a desk and shelves for the consulator. The room can be used for consultations of a group no more than four people, which usually is within families or friends.
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