This is Part 8 of a 10 Part Series, derived from my lecture at the Boston Architectural College Student Lecture Series “Just Futures”. My lecture was titled “The Power of Interior Design to Impact Positive Futures for People and Communities”. My message was that Interior Design has the power and responsibility to positively impact people, communities and their futures, that this can only be achieved through an equitable and inclusive design process, and that positive outcomes for people and communities are the measure of a successful design. I shared this message through stories of our partnerships with our clients and their communities. This is the story of the PEOPLE, INCORPORATED
This is the story of People Inc, a new 20,000 sf building that will be for infants, toddlers and preschoolers in Fall River, Massachusetts. It’s currently in construction. This is just one of STA’s many projects we’ve designed in early education. If there is one way designers can clearly and directly provide impact, it’s by designing spaces that shape, educate and nurture our future leaders – children!
I have been designing children’s spaces for over 30 years, since before STA, and I am considered one of the experts in child care design in the area. Along with designing hundreds of children’s spaces with STA, I consult with lots of firms and organizations on their projects, and I give training sessions on childcare design. So, It may be a surprise to learn that I don’t have children. All of my knowledge has come from working with educators, and doing my own research, including in following up on projects we’ve done. We are childcare DESIGN experts, but the educators are child CARE experts.
The design of children’s spaces is understandably highly regulated, to ensure that spaces meet safety and educational standards. The design challenge is balancing those requirements with elements that make a child feel nurtured, enriched and happy. Some key considerations are the shape and configuration of classrooms to allow for full visibility and supervision, natural light, appropriate use of color. Color can make the space feel child-friendly, but we are very careful about how color is used in the space. There’s lots of research on how certain colors, and the intensity of color can have dramatic effects on behavior and learning.
At People, we used several colors, but they are soft tones, and used primarily in common areas to animate the corridors, provide space for artwork, and wayfinding. Once in the classrooms, the color palette is calmer, balanced with wood tones and lots of natural light. Because People is located in an urban setting, there’s a big design focus on bringing nature in, and creating an amazing outdoor learning environment.
One of the things that is always our best research is watching children in the spaces, and just getting a reminder of their scale, trying to see the space from their eyes. Enjoy this little song from our tiny clients at the ground breaking!
What I hope to see is children of all cultures in the Fall River community feeling welcome, at home and nurtured, and I will see that as a success!
