What does a space create conditions for? Translating ambitions and needs into concrete simple solutions. Proposal of intervention based on interviews and a year of observations at the Royal Institute of Art, Stockholm, 3rd floor. Recognizing the difference between assumptions and actual experience – basing a proposal on the latter.
The school is preparing itself for large-scale renovations that are estimated to take several years. A more urgent need to update the 3rd floor was recognized during the fall of 2021.
This project started out of curiosity about initiation of change by suggestion and how to communicate observations made over a long period of time. It concretizes positive aspects of the current conditions, what to reinforce, what was missing, and which edits that had the largest effect on unlocking the latent potential of the space, making it possible to use – all while recognizing the ability of space to communicate priorities, experienced possibilities, and intentions of an institution.
The goal was to propose simple edits, reuse existing resources and focus on small investments possible to complete within a short timeframe – edits that could live on as part of the larger renovations. The hope was that these changes would increase student presence beyond scheduled hours, increase potential of projects that were realizable in the rooms, promote spontaneous meetings and points of contact between students from different parts of the school, support extension of these meetings, and offer support for indirect communication through shared literature and display-areas.
Based on informal interviews and personal observations, the process focused on identifying unmet needs in combination with additions or edits that could ignite the “almost”-potential of the existing spaces strengthening already existing positive aspects that were noticed. The suggestions included rearranging furniture and creating flexible partitions, avoiding isolating interventions, a new plan for lighting, restoration of surfaces, and different conditions for meetings. One of the most important insights was how important, beyond measures to increase the expression of a cared-for space, in this situation, it was to simply define the spaces more clearly and allow them to express possible options for use.
All suggestions were in line with the school’s ambition to be a “living and agile place for artistic practice and learning in conversation with a larger world” , and the four principles: flexibility, reuse, interaction and collaboration.
Goals
– Focus on small, quick, investments that can have a big effect and live on as part of a larger renovation.
– Reuse existing things.
– Promote different forms of interaction.
Analysis
Positive things to reinforce:
– Points of temporary/unplanned interactions
– Meeting-place between groups from different parts of the school (shared resources-stages for negotiation)
Problems:
– Sound
– Unclear ownership/intended use
– Occupied but unused space
– Lighting, the cold, worn-down surfaces
Needs not being met/wishes:
– Private meetings / “sound-zones”
– Project-area for larger projects, storage for larger projects – possibility to “do” more (beyond talk/present/use computers).
– A space that supports needs of students in different life-situations (parents/working)
– An “interactable”/flexible space, multi-use
– A “want to be in”-space
– A “possible to create in”-space
– To see the work of others, to interact in some way even if not present in person at the same time
– A space that upholds the legitimacy of the education, supports internal and external collaborations
Proposal
Changes that can be built upon in larger renovation efforts:
General suggestions:
– Paint
– Lighting
– Remove odd objects/”leftovers”
– Decide “ownership” of the spaces
Specific proposals/quick solutions:
– Flexible partitions, taking advantage of the columns in the room, creating option of smaller spaces
– Shared display-areas
– Furniture
– Storage
“Tillgängligt: datasal- funktion drar åt sig många från olika delar av skolan – spontana möten. (Här och matsalen är de enda överlapp mellan grupper förutom verkstäder).” “Skrivare: Dålig placering – långt bort. Tillfälliga möten.” “Skåp – postmaster-studenters enda förvaringsmöjlighet, vilket är viktigt, men begränsar projekt. Mötesplats.“
JENNY ÖVERGAARD 