Idea 1) Family Friendly
I began thinking about the problems that need solving in our society today. As a mother, one thing I thought about is breast feeding facilities. Alot of places have become 'Breast Feeding Friendly' within the last while, although, I still feel that it is socially unacceptable due to the opinions of the majority. I also know, from experience that it can be an unpleasant experience breastfeeding in public due to people looking making you feel uncomfortable. Rather than using the toilet facilities for mother and child I feel that it is a necessity that we adapt and form an area where mothers can comfortably breast feed and enjoy a few cups of tea in a comfortable environment.
Breastfeeding has been an on going issue for an extremely long time. I find it astounding that it was illegal in some places and in some societies it is totally unacceptable, even in today’s modern world. The Equality Act only came into force in October 2010, which is way past its due date, it states that it is a sex discrimination to treat a woman unfavourably due to breastfeeding; this applies to nearly everyone who serve the public. On 28/11/10 , The Telegraph Newspaper stated ‘Companies to Provide Mothers with Breastfeeding Facilities.’ This would include a private area where women can go to breastfeed in all companies. The Equality Act has acted as a huge stepping stone on the way to making breastfeeding socially acceptable, and because it is a necessity for companies to provide these areas then it is safe to say that there is definitely a demand for the type of space I would like to design.
I began thinking about booths that could be designed and easily fitted into any reasonably sized café space. Within the booth, tea/ coffee or lunch would still be brought down so that the mother could have her lunch while the baby has theirs. A lot of café’s are surrounded by windows instead of walls and so there is an extreme lack of privacy when sitting inside. The booths would act as a retreat from the busy world for both mother and child, making feeding time a more pleasant experience for both mother and child.
Another Idea I had would be to actually design a café space which would facilitate to the needs of young families. It would be entirely breast feeding friendly but not only for breast feeding mothers. All parents understand that when children are younger it is difficult to bring them into café’s or restaurants as they are noisy and playful and some people tend to look and be put off by children. By opening a Family Only Café, young families can comfortably enjoy the luxuries of a café without having to worry about annoying other customers. To ensure the children are kept busy the café would need to come fitted with a play area where children can eat their food and socialise with other children. There would be a breastfeeding area and a father’s area allowing to facilitate everyone.
I think that there would be a lot of demand for both of these design ideas as there have been issues facing the acceptance of breastfeeding in public for as long as time itself and a lot of people, men and women are trying to find ways of encouraging the pubic to open their minds to this concept. Breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world and mothers should not have to hide because of it.
http://www.maternityaction.org.uk/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/breastfeedingpublicplace.pdf
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3559591/The-nightmare-of-breast-feeding-in-public.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16773617/ns/health-childrens_health/t/food-or-lewd-breast-feeding-reveals-divide/
Idea 2) Bridge Safely
I then Began thinking about facors that affect our community, specifically in Derry. One of the biggest issues in Derry is the 'New Bridge'. We have had many problems since the construction of the bridge regarding the high winds and accidents caused due to them, and also, the immense amount of suicides and attempted which occur on the bridge itself.
The high winds cause problems day to day for drivers. If you are a road user, driver or passanger, and occasionally use the Foyle Bridge, then it is gaurenteed that you have felt the force of the wind on an ordinary car when the winds are high. I can only imagine the impact the winds have on a bus or large veichle.
In 2005 we were all horrified to hear and some even see the full effects of the high winds on the bridge when, during a storm, a lorry was actually blown off the bridge, and its driver killed. Due to this the bridge is now closed when the winds are dangerously high.
The other issue with the Foyle bridge, which i find extremely disturbing, is the number of suicides commited on the foyle bridge. Derry has had a problem with suicides for years now, and personally I know three people in the last 8 years who have died of suicide in derry and the most recent two, commited suicide on the foyle bridge, and it is a sad fact, that in Derry, I am not the only person.
Derry has also been nicknamed 'Suicide City' and it is even listed as one of the worldwide suicide hot spots. This is a major problem and there are not enough measures put in place to try and battle this matter.
The railings for example are only waist high and no match for anyone who wishes to climb it. I find it amazing that my garden fence is higher that the bridge railings. Railings are supposed to discourage people from passing them, there is nothing dicouraging about the railings on the foyle bridge.
I was thinking I could design some sort of protective barrier which would surrond the bridge rather than the railings. It could be high enough to protect oncomming veichles from the cross winds and shaped in a way which would be impossible to climb. This could be a design which could be resused on other bridges which have similar problems.
I will need to indentify wether or not this idea can work by speaking with structural engineers and bridge designers.
I will also need to identify if the design will be cost effective and wether or not the goverment would invest in such a design.
I feel that it is a necessity as it is a very big problem that Derry faces. As a City, Derry have made many investments to make Derry a better, and nicer place and have even been awarded City of Culture 2013 and so I think this sort of design could further Derry's image.
Splash Design
I had a think about Derry, and about all the facilities it offers the public. With the upcoming 'City of Culture' it is important to think about Derry in the big picture. I thought about the people of Derry and the visitors that will come, and what Derry offer in regards to daytime activities. One area I felt needed improvement was the leisure centre facilities. Derry has 3 swimming pools, in 3 different locations, however, not one of them are particularly interesting, nor have they been updated in decades. I have been to other swimming pools around Ireland and Derry, seems to be very old fashioned in regards to the design put into the other pools in the other leisure centres. Coleraine has a very nice pool with slides for the children and an extremely large pool for the adults. Portrush is very well know for its pool, and people from all over Northern Ireland travel to Portrush especially. One exceptional Swimming Pool I found is in Lisburn.
Lisburn Leisure Centre
Waterworld, Portrush
Coleraine Leisure Centre.
I would put up some images of the pools which we currently have in Derry although it is near enough impossible to find any trace of them online.
I think there is alot that can be done with Swimming Pool Design. There are so many shapes to work with and different features that can be added, here are some examples of well designed swimming pools.
I asked around to see what other people would think of a new swimming pool design in derry and I was suprised, but also very glad to hear that one of the Leisure Centre's is moving to a different location, St Columbs Park. http://www.derryjournal.com/news/local/county-derry/10m_centre_ready_for_2013_1_3174346. It is hoped that the Leisure Centre will open in time for 2013. This may mean that the design for the new pool is already designed. However, there are two other pools, both as in need of restoration and so this does not mean a deadend.
Feedback From Presentation
When doing my presentation I narrowed down my ideas to Splash Design and Family Friendly and although my tutors seemed to like both ideas, we agreed that the Family Friendly idea would be good, however, may turn into more of a campaign and not an interior design peice (which is what I would like to do). We thought to maybe try to bring the two ideas together and design an area of a pool which would appeal solely to children and families. We agreed that pools can be quite daunting for young children and that parents can become quite on edge when bringing their children to pools. Also, we agreed that there was a big problem with changing rooms and neither of us had ever been in a 'nice' changing room.
So, in short, I would like to look at designing an area in an indoor pool which would be educational, comfortable, safe, and appealing for children and families to enjoy. I would also like to investigate ways in which we could improve the visability of changing rooms.
Splash 4 Families
Things I need to look at before I begin:
*Other Swimming Pool Designs/ Designers out there.
*British Standards for Swimming Pool Design
*I need to speak with a Swimming Teacher (Interview)
*Speak with Parents of young families (Conduct Survey)
*Ways in which Pools can encourage education, confidence, and *fun for families.
*Has this been done before?
*Where would I design this area for? (Private/Public Sector)
*Demand and Cost effectiveness.
*Swimming Pool Design Process
*Swimming Pool Design Plans/Sketches from other Designers.
*Programs I could use in order to build my model in 3D.
(Any Other Ideas/Tips Welcome)
Some Inspirational Images
I wanted to look at some Swimming Pool Design Plans to see what way other designers have planned out their ideas on paper. Here are some I liked.
I looked at an architect called Rudy Ricciotti. He has created some really unique Designs regarding Swimming Pools. Some ideas he has used have been similar to ideas I have had.
