The two projects were to redesign a psychiatric ward for children and renovate an old building in downtown Durham (my hometown!).
I liked the design boards for the children's ward more than for Parrish St because all the designs were bright, colorful, and fun. This was a necessity in the designs because bright colors and fun atmospheres are what children need. There were many elements in each one that correlated directly to the psychology of healing, and I thought that was awesome. It seems as though such details would be brutally obvious, but once a person hears how they coincide with the design, it comes together wonderfully.
My favorite design was by Harrill because it was child-like, but mature. His design surrounded the idea of a living tree and how it regains life. He uses natural and cool colors which gives it a wonderful fun and healing atmosphere.
Another design I enjoyed was done by Allen, entitled "Rolling Waves". This design incorporated bright colors, something I am realizing I am extremely attracted to when used correctly.
The other project, the renovation of 106 Parrish St was also very fun to look at. I was attracted to the designs that took on a more modern twist, rather than a rustic or classical approach. This design was done by Harrill and Kaufman.
The other design I was really attracted to took on a more feminine look, at least in my opinion. There was a light shade of what looked to be a wine color throughout much of the design which made it seem like it was geared towards more of a female audience. This design was done by O'Boyle and Wright:
I enjoyed being a part of this critique because it gave me a glimpse of what I should be looking forward to and the designs were all done so well, it was inspiring. I noticed how some of the designers were just as nervous as us first years to talk in front of a crowd of people. This allowed me to know that although we may be confident in our designs, we still might crawl up in a shell when we see multiple pairs of eyes looking at us.
