Final Project: Pete's Putting Green

       Below are five posters containing my final project for my Interior Design class. My task was to design a wellness space in the basment of Landor's Graphic Design Company. I chose to design a putting green and a 9 hole minature golf course. Golfing is a great way for employees to get away from their desk and have fun with other coworkers. I had a lot of fun designing a golfing space and I am very happy with how it turned out. Please take some time to check out my posters! Hope you enjoy it!     

Landor Corporate Office: Wellness Space

Concept Statement:

       When designing the environment of a building it should meet all the client’s needs. Those needs are creative, motivation, privacy, and wellness. The office will be furnished with vibrant colors and materials that are motivating to get the work done and help inspire the creative process. Sunlight is more motivating than fluorescent lighting, so natural light will be used wherever possible. Communication and collaborating is very important in a graphic design company, so the layout for the office will be an open office environment. There will be more open spaces to collaborate rather than small closed in offices. The resolve system by Herman Miller will be the main furniture system used. It creates an open and inviting office space for employees and clients. The office environment should be very inviting for all clients because it makes them feel a part of the design process. Privacy and wellness relate to each other in many ways. If the office environment is too loud for someone it is going to affect their work ethics, so visual and acoustic privacy will be incorporated into the design. These are all important aspects of creating a functional workplace for everyone and their needs. 

Wellness Statement:  

       Wellness is the number one issue that most offices face every day. The most common aliment is CTD which is a physical problem that affects workers wellness in the office. CTD stands for cumulative trauma disorder also known as repetitive strain injuries. Tendinitis, tennis elbow, and carpel tunnel syndrome are all examples of CTD. Carpel tunnel syndrome is the most serious of them all. Pain, loss of strength, and numbness in the hand are symptoms that are caused by pressure on the median nerve when it passes through the wrist or carpel tunnel. People don’t realize that their everyday tasks at work are causing these conditions. The conditions are due to repetition of the same movement, awkward wrist positions, uncomfortable body positions, and direct pressure on the wrist or palm. All of these conditions are happening at the employee’s desk and they don’t even know it. There are simple ways to prevent these conditions from evolving. It’s never too late to start improving. 

       Interior designers should have knowledge about these conditions, so that when they design office workstations they can try to reduce the causes leading to these conditions. They can persuade the client to buy accessories and equipment that are better for the body. When buying office accessories there are three main ideas to keep in mind: make sure the object maintains a sturdy wrist position, the arms have something to lean on and not hang off the desk, and avoid any sharp or hard edges that will press against the palm and wrist. The most common one is the arms hanging off the desk while typing on the keyboard. This form puts so much pressure on the wrists because they have to elevate the rest of the arm. This is most common in using laptops rather than a desktop. The keyboard and mouse should be at the same level with arms flat on the desk. All of these tricks can help reduce the odds of developing one of the CTD conditions.

Description of Wellness Space:

      The wellness space that is located in the basement of Landors Corporate Office is Pete’s Putting Green. The space includes one large putting green and is also an eight hole miniature golf center. The putting green is open to the public, but is also a relaxation space for employees to go clear their minds and have fun. The putting green is open seven days a week, experience is not required, and everyone of all ages is welcomed to come and have fun. Golf balls and clubs are available to rent for miniature golf. Those who wish to use the putting greens must bring their own equipment. Individual cubbies and full lockers are available to hold personal belongings and equipment. Pete’s putting green is a ton of fun for everyone.

       The concept models that I designed helped inspire the interior of Pete’s putting green. The first concept model illustrates all the different circulation patterns on the putting green. The curved outlines of the miniature golf courses were inspired by my second model with the different curved lines surrounding the sphere. Also the second concept model is the same shape as a golf ball.

Office Environment & Public:

       Pete’s putting green serves both the public and the employees in Landors Corporate Office. Pete’s putting green is open all year round which is great for those who want to practice during the winter. Putting greens and miniature golf courses are only open during the spring and summer time. Air conditioning is provided in the summer time, so instead of baking in the sun come to Pete’s. The facility can be rented out for birthday parties and large groups.

       The color palate for the interior of the putting green is natural and earth tone colors. These colors give off a calm and relaxing atmosphere. This is to help relieve stress in the office and the workers. It is a great place where they can go on their breaks and get away from the working environment and just have fun. Sitting at a desk and staring at the computer all day long is not good for anyone, so getting up and playing golf helps re-motivate the workers. Employees should take advantage of it because they get to putt and golf for free on their breaks.

Influences from Beijing, China

     My putting green and miniature golf wellness space was influenced by my case study region Beijing, China. There are tons of golf courses in Beijing the most popular ones are The Grand Canal Club and Beijing Country Golf Club. The best course in Beijing is the Championship Standard International Club. All three of these courses are challenging even for the experts. China overall has about 500 golf courses and they are looking to open more in the next couple of years. The sport has become more and more popular over the years. The country hopes to have a golf gold medal Olympic winner standing on the Olympic podium by the 2016 Olympic games. The golf courses in Beijing are absolutely beautiful. The grounds are well kept, grass is very green, and beautiful scenic views while on the golf course. The reason why I chose a putting green/miniature golf course was because the popularity of golf keeps increasing. Why not bring the up and coming sport into the work environment for the workers to enjoy. 

Wellness Posters:



Poster #1



Poster #2



Wellness Space: Logo

Sketch of Cubbies & Lockers

 





   







Landor Corporate Office: Planning Stages

       After researching the location of the Landor Corporate Office in Detroit, Michigan, it was time to start laying out the floor plan. I started with the relationship diagrams first because this process helps visualize certain needs for each employee. It is important to position the employee in a space with all their needs close to them. Each employee has different needs and as a designer it is important to fulfill all their needs. I created relationship diagrams for each of the three floors. Relationship diagrams helped me determine what floor each employee belonged on and their surroundings.

Main Floor
Relationship Diagrams



Mezzanine
Relationship Diagrams

Basement
Relationship Diagrams

     The next process was bubble diagrams. These diagrams consist of the outline of the floor plan with different size circles that represent the square footage of each office space. This is a quick process that helps move the circles from the relationship diagram into the actual floor plan. Bubble diagrams help visualize where the employees are actually going to fit in the floor plan. Many bubble diagrams are created until the right setup is designed.

Main Floor-1st Bubble Diagram

Mezzanine-1st Bubble Diagram



Basement-1st Bubble Diagram



Main Floor-Final Bubble Diagram

 

Mezzanine-Final Bubble Diagram

Basement-Final Bubble Diagram

       The last step was block diagrams. Block diagrams are different sizes and shapes that represent each employee’s square footage. This process is more precise and accurate unlike the bubble diagrams. Sometimes while figuring out block diagrams certain rooms will need to be moved around because an area may be too tight. I cut out pieces of paper that represented each employee’s square footage and taped them onto the floor plan instead of actually drawing them out. This process made it easier when I had to move around certain rooms. 



Main Floor
Block Diagram

Basement
Block Diagram



Mezzanine
Block Diagram

       The basement of Landors Corporate Office is split up into two parts. The right side is for the office anf the left side is a wellness space. The wellness space is Pete's Putting Green that consists of two putting greens and miniature golf. The putting green is open to the public and for any employees who wish to putt around on their breaks or after work. The pictures on the bottom are some of my inspirations for the space.

Indoor Putting Green

Indoor Glow in the Dark-Mini Golf

Life in Beijing

       Beijing, China and Detroit, Michigan are both on the opposite ends of the map, but are Sister Cities. Meaning that in many ways they are similar but still share differences. People all over the world celebrate different holidays and have different customs and traditions. They have their own way of living, different sports, and spend their free time differently. All the different cultures help make the world diverse. The rest of the blog with focus on their identity, holidays, and fitness.

In the United States of America our proof of identity in the state we live in is called a license. In China there proof of identity is called a hukou which is a residence card. Each family is issued a hukou booklet that has the family members, including the name, birth date, relationship with each other, and marriage status. It shows proof they live in the city on the card or have moved from one place to another. In order to get an apartment, job, or send a child to school one must show their hukou. Chinese people also don’t sign their name they use a chop which is a Chinese stamp with the person’s name carved at one end in Chinese characters. Without a chop one can’t open a bank account, sigh up for college classes. Everyone from the President to a homeless man has a chop. Maybe American should try the chop stamp because half the times people’s hand writing is illegible.

       Have you ever noticed why most Chinese people are so skinny ranging from young children to the elderly people. Chinese people eat about ¼ of what the average American eats. They don’t enjoy eating McDonald's, Wendy’s or even pizza. Those are America's favorite quick meals. Chinese food is delicious but the downfall is that it is high in sodium and saturated in oil. Don’t kid yourself Chinese people don’t even eat half the stuff that is on a Chinese menu. They eat rice or noodles with each meal breakfast, lunch and dinner, stir-fry vegetables, pork, chicken, beef and fish. They also eat half the size of an American portion. They have been staying in shape the same way for the last 2,000 years and that’s walking. If you go to any park in China you will see all different ages of people doing their daily workout of traditional Chinese stretching , strengthening, breathing, self massage and relaxation techniques. Some other activities they participate in are: hiking, ice skating, golf, swimming, tennis and martial arts.

     

Spring Festi

       In Beijing the most popular Holiday is Spring Festival. ln Chinese “Laba” refers to the 1^st day of the 1^th lunar month. The new year usually takes place in late January or February all depending on the Chinese calendar. A traditional entree is the 'Laba Zhou', a thick, sweet porridge of glutinous rice, green beans, candied fruit, peanuts and lotus kernels. In order to prepare for the New Year each family cleans their house. They wipe down the furniture, sweep the cobwebs, and clean the windows. The housecleaning is just a way to let the old out and welcome in a new year. If the family has bad luck in the coming year it’s because the family did not clean their house. Besides just cleaning everyone gets a haircut and takes a bath. Woman clean their faces, men shave and the elderly trim their beards. Decorations for the New Year consist of paper cut outs consisting of plants, fruit pies, peacocks, and animals. As for a gift children receive money in a red envelope. This is the biggest and most anticipated holiday in China. It is a time for family to spend together and to start the New Year right. In American our New Year falls on December 31^st.

       So even though Beijing, China and Detroit Michigan are at the opposite ends they do have plenty of things in common with each other. Their Spring Festival celebration is like America's New Year's Eve and Day celebration. They both celebrate the new year. They enjoy playing golf and doing martial arts where as in American our main sports are football and baseball. Learning different cultures can help persuade us in trying new things. It never hurts.         

Golf Course in China

Herman Miller: Office Solutions

Herman Miller Logo

       Last Wednesday a Herman Miller Rep. came into my Interior Materials and Codes class and spoke about all the different office furniture Herman Miller has to offer. I learned a lot about all the different types of work chairs and office systems they have designed. Herman Miller work chairs are based on ergonomics. The movement in the chair is supposed to conform to the users back, so that they can move in all different directions. For example when the user leans behind the chair to grab paper from the printer the chair needs to accommodate that movement. The Herman Miller chairs allow that opposed to other office chairs that are stiff as a board and cause back pain. When designing a Herman Miller chair the designers pay a close attention to how the back functions and what they can do to protect it from being abused by the user. It's a great idea that they pay attention to the clients need because most company's do not.



Mirra Chair

      My favorite work chair is the Mirra chair because it looks so comfortable without even seating in it. The Mirra chair has a frame less backrest that is pierced with over 500 geometric shapes. The Triflex backrest helps accommodate a individuals size, posture, movement, and also helps keep your back aligned. The FlexFront seat makes sure there is no gap between the seat and the back of the chair. The Mirra chair helps give us flexibility and also helps keep out back in the proper position. The rep also spoke about systems furniture and my favorite was the My Study Environment because each person’s cubicle is enclosed with a translucent glass. The My Study Environment helps give each employee the privacy they deserve.



My Study Environment

       Herman Miller uses the “cradle to cradle” approach which helps their products become more sustainable. Cradle to cradle is when you take materials from a disassembled product and reuse them when designing a new product. This is a great way to not let certain materials go to waste if they are not ready to be thrown in a land fill. Herman Miller adopted the McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry Cradle Design Protocol. Before Herman Miller builds a new product they look at the chemicals used and whether they are safe for us and the environment. Do the materials provide recyclability when they need to be replaced with a new product. These all important characteristics to consider because how is this new product going to benefit us now and in the future. When a product is sustainable is helps protect our environment.

Sayl Chair

       The newest Herman Miller product is the Sayl Chair that just hit the market last week. The design of the chair was inspired by the principles of suspension bridges and in some way it does resemble a bridge. The main feature of the Sayl chair is it has a frame less back which helps a full range of movement be possible. The background mesh helps allow mobility and the Y form on the back of the chair supports all that mobility. The Sayl chair is not only has a lot of character to it, it helps keep your back aligned.

       The Resolve furnishing system is a great idea for an open office design because it is centered around the human body. It’s a very inviting and efficient work area where people can feel comfortable and connected with everyone. It makes you feel like you have your own space. The cool feature or Resolve is that the only thing holding it up is poles with screens attached to them. There are tons of screen images to choose from.  Some Quick Facts about Resolve is:

*weighs 1/3 less than a traditional workstation

*86% recyclable and contain 27% of recycled materials

*greenguard certified reduces chemical exposure and helps air quality

       All the information the Rep. share was very helpful and gave me an idea of what kind of office furniture Herman Miller has to offer. The information will help me when I have to select furniture for my project. The chair ergonomics is very interesting because their main goal to make the customer happy. It's true when selecting an office chair you want it to be comfortable and mobile and the Herman Miller office chairs definitely accommodate both functions.

  



Site Analysis: Beijing, China

   

      Beijing is the capital of China and the second largest city with a population of 15 million. Beijing covers about 7,000 square kilometers spanning 38 kilometers from ShiJingShan in the west to TongXian in the east. Beijing is a transportation hub with hundreds of people coming and going. They have largest international airport in the country, twelve national highways, nine speedways, and dozens of railways. Beijing is recognized as the political, educational, and culture center of china. Beijing was the host for the 2008 summer Olympics. The newest and very intricate sports arena called the Birds Nest was built to hold the opening and closing ceremonies. Today is is a big tourist attraction.

       There are many other famous landmarks besides the Birds Nest. The Forbidden City is the largest and well preserved imperial palace complex in the world. It has 9,999 rooms and surrounded by a moat 19 feet deep and a wall of 32 feet high. The Great Wall of China is also a big attraction. It is one of the Eight Wonders of the world and was built to keep out invaders as well as to retain the inhabitants. The Tiananmen Square is the largest central city square in the world which is not only Beijing’s symbol but also China's. The courtyard is the site of historical events. Below is a picture of the Great Wall of China.



Great Wall of China

        Beijing’s seasons are very distinctive due to their change in weather. Beijing’s average temperature is 53°F. Summers and winters are considered to be the longest because of the bearing hot and cold weather. The hottest month is July 88°F and January being the coldest 14°F. Spring and autumn are considered shorter and the best time to visit. Spring is known as the rainy season  and December is the driest month with 0.1in of rain. There are 2,707 hours of sunlight per year which is about 7.4 hours of sunlight each day.  

Beautiful Summer Day in Beijing





Wangfujing Steet, Beijing China


      Dongcheng District is the heart of Beijing and known as the cultural, political and commercial center of the city. Dongcheng is located east of Beijing with a population of 612,000. Wangfujing Street is located in the Dongcheng District and is one of the most popular shopping streets in China. It’s been around for over seven hundred years and is a trendsetter in culture and has become China's most attractive and modern boulevard. It is located in a commercial area with plenty of department stores, souvenir shops, and tons of restaurants. The largest McDonalds in China is located on this street, but a must have dish at all the restaurants is the Beijing Roast Duck. Most of the road is blocked off from cars and other motor vehicles which makes walking your only transportation. To walk the entire street it takes thirty minutes and that’s without looking at the store windows. Wangfujing street is a smaller version of Time Square in NYC and is a huge tourist attraction. Another important street ten minutes away from Wangfujing street is JinBao street.

       JinBao street is important because the graphic design company that designed labels for Coca Cola, Tide, FedEx and many more is located here. That company is called Landor. Landor does branding for top banks, retail stores, Haier, PepsiCo, BP, and P&G in China. Landor is conveniently located in the heart of Beijing and a ten minute walk from Wangfujing street. Wangfuijing street is lively and filled with bright colors, and many billboards that can help inspire Landor’s designers. The bright colors and atmosphere of Wangfuijing street should be incorporated in Landor’s office environment because it helps transform the office space into something inspirational. Graphic designers are always looking for inspiration and being secluded in a cubical is not helpful. The office should be an open office space where workers can collaborate and share ideas with each other. Workers can walk to Wangfuijing street and get lunch and enjoy some roast duck or just walk around and get inspired. Landor is definitely located in a great space for a graphic design firm because it truly is in a motivating setting.     

JinBao Street

Landor Office on JinBao Street

 





Olioboard: Lighthouse

 
      The olioboard above resembles the painting The Lighthouse. I used the same colors, and elements that were in the painting.

Concept Models

Model #1

Model #1



Model #2

Model #2





Model #3



   

         All 3 Models



      

  Model analysis
       All of my concept models were influenced by all the lines used in my painting. I didn’t really draw any concept sketches. I just envisioned the models and started cutting and gluing. I am very visual and hands on, so I usually visualize what I want and just start. I find it harder to sit there and try to think of what to draw. There is no right or wrong when making concept models. The materials I used were bristol paper, cardstock, newspaper, styrofoam, and glue. My first attempt at the models came out more 2D than 3D. So after evaluating them I was able to alter them into 3D models. My favorite is model #1 because not only does it define the lines in the picture the styrofoam adds texture. I used styrofoam because I thought it would be a good material to carve way the image I envisioned. I like how in model 2 I created two different images on both sides. When you look through the front and back you see something different. In the beginning I had trouble making them completely 3D, but I was able to fix that.