TRANQUIL. MINDFUL. INSPIRING.
STUDENT HOMELESSNESS IN FLORIDA
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The number of students in Florida experiencing homelessness has tripled in the 2017-18 school year in the last decade, 95,873. Natural disasters such as hurricanes, a shortage in affordable housing, and schools who have indicated students identifying as homeless are three important factors that indicate an increase in student homelessness.
Students are couch surfing, doubling up in shelters, living in motels or campgrounds, and sometimes live in abandoned buildings to find a place to stay. The critical conditions of student homelessness reflect on their mental health, study performance, and social behaviors which presents the dire need for a solution.
Some solutions include an increase in funding for affordable housing, coordinated housing systems, and providing updated lists of families or students in need of a home. Theses findings on student homelessness in Florida led our team to understand the scope of the local problem in order to discuss a better solution.
https://www.miamihomesforall.org/students-experiencing-homelessness-in-florida-updates-solutions
GOALS FOR HOME 305:
Provide emergency housing for students experiencing homelessness can feel safe, have their basic needs met, and then begin to start thriving.
Focus on transitioning students to become stably housed based on three phases.
Create areas where students can focus on their studies, socialize, and stay healthy.
Incorporate universal design elements with a focus on making LGBTQ+ students feel comfortable and accepted.
Provide an area where residents can connect with and learn from the broader community.
Team: Katelyn Grochowalski, Christian Merriam,
Rachel Polet, Sylvia Wroby
ATRIUM
The atrium is a respite area that leads into the quiet space.
The modern trend that quickly brought the term ‘biophilia’ to rise was the design of garden walls. These walls not only look aesthetically pleasing but can act as a filtration system, purifying polluted air. A study doneby NASA proved that some houseplants absorbed up to 87% of indoor air toxins within 24 hours.
When we can connect so closely with the world around us, we are given more opportunities to care for ourselves. If weather permits us from being outside, designing an interior that can promote our relationship
with nature will have lasting effects on our health.
Biophilic design is a need in every interior
environment. Without it we lose a sense of
ourselves. Our mental, physical and psychological development are dependent on our connection to nature. Incorporating it can be diverse and not literal, making it more intuitive. There are many avenues
that our designs can explore to create a healthy, living, breathing interior environment that responds with our lives in a way that improves our health and wellness. We can no longer sacrifice our health for the built environment. Instead, focusing on reconnecting ourselves to our natural origins can help better the lives we live and even improve future generations' health and wellbeing.
SOURCE
Bourgat, Marie. “The Fertile Interior: Refreshed.” WGSN Lifestyle & Interiors, 30 Apr. 2019,
https://www.wgsn.com/content/board_viewer/#/83049/page/1.
O’Sullivan, J. V., & O’Sullivan. (2010). Biophilia. In D. Mulvaney (Ed.), Green politics: an A-to-Z guide. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.ferris.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/
content/entry/greenpolitics/biophilia/0?institutionId=723
QUIET SPACE
A calm, quiet room meant to encourage good study habits and productivity for students.
3. Group Enclave
2. Study Nook
