Design competition

This week in class, we have been reading from Part III of the reader. Most of these readings discuss: what difference the gender of the designer makes to design itself, why the under-representation of women in the architecture profession matters, and whether there is a feminist method of design. To explore these ideas, the students have been divided into two design firms, who will respond to the following prompt. Stay posted for the results on Friday!

Feminist Design Competition

In the tradition of existing themed residence halls on campus for first years, which promote ecologically-aware or internationally diverse living communities, Emory University seeks submissions for a new, co-ed residential hall. The theme is “Feminist Spaces.” The goal of the dorm will be to promote feminist community through consciousness raising, community activities concerning the history of women and their status in society, and a shared sense of responsibility around the relationship between gender and space. Students of all genders will be given the opportunity to apply to live in the residential hall.

Submissions must take account of the following:

1. Overall concept: What is distinctly feminist about the residence hall, its spaces, the design process, its inhabitants, and the experience of the space itself?
2. Room layouts: provide a drawing, including furniture, of a sample room, or several if each will be different
3. Floor layouts: the residence hall may only have two floors. Provide one drawing of each floor, indicating the location of bedrooms, bathrooms, and other spaces. Think about what rooms you need, as well as how people will move between them and through the building. Where will they enter and exit? Are there community spaces? If so, how will they be accessed?
4. A choice and justification of location: to make space for the new dorm, Emory will demolish an existing building. Proposals should indicate which building the new dorm will replace and provide a drawing that places the new dorm within the context of its future surrounding buildings. Think about how spaces on campus relate to one another and how you would want a new, feminist dorm to be situated.
5. Residents: who lives there? What do they look like? What are their study habits? What do they do for fun? What are their genders? Are genders segregated or allowed to live together? How will the space provide for the feminist programs and activities the dorm must provide? How will you divide public and private space? Where do RA’s and SA’s live?
6. Research plan: How will you find out information about potential residents and how they will experience and use the space? What examples or sources of information can you draw upon? What knowledge do you already have that can help you design the building?