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D e s i gn
Brief
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As a sophomore here at RMIT
University, I find it hard to find a
space that I can be by myself and
have a private conversation with
friends. However, understood that
as a university environment, it
must be designed to let people
interact with others and socialize.
Yet, based on the data that I had
collected about the student on
campus, it is clear that having
space for students to “escape”
from the real world and just be
with the ones they trusted is
healthy for students well-being.
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Nguyen Q, 2019, RMIT Connect student loungwe, taken by author
Although our university has sleep Based on the interview with Ela
room and a student lounge area in Partoredjo (inter. 2019) the RMIT
front of RMIT Connect that had been Vietnam Wellbeing department,
designed for this cost, these places when a person is getting anxious
donʼt really have a sense of privacy and under a lot of stress, all they
in it because it always has people need is being respected with
walking in and out of the place. This unconditional understanding with no
is why I want to create a space for judgement. Furthermore, she also
students who want to have a mentioned that anxious individuals
short-term private place for only open up with the one who they
themselves or whoever they want. can trust and feel safe, yet spaces
According to Maslow (2013, p.74), like the sleeping room or students
safety needs is one of the primary area, there are too many people,
needs of adulthood and we tend to you can just sit by yourself or your
find “refuges” in unfamiliar spaces friends without feeling being stared
(Bergman 1978, p.107). As at or judged at. Due to the fact that
mentioned above, these spaces are there is no sense of privacy there,
where we can be protected from everything you do will be seen by
behind and look out from the world, strangers. By so it will decrease the
yet for Sleeping room and students sense of being respected and
lounge area, we donʼt really have acknowledged
anywhere to take refuge in because
we always being exported and being 105
seen by other people.
People can argue that the
hallway in each floor or even
the area in front of Sleeping
room can be a place to hang
out with friends if any
individuals donʼt want to be
seen or want less of a
crowded and more quieted of
a space, however, based on
articles written by RMIT
students in a fanpage call
RMIT confession, other
students “confessed” that itʼs
rude to talk in the hall or even
in front of the Sleeping room
because of the quietness in
these areas.
According to Daniel J. Solove
(2010, p.39) the co-author of
“Beyond Privacy: New
Perspectives on the Public
and Private Domains” Privacy
is what we as people desired
and can be constructed
through norms and laws.
However, in a university
environment, we canʼt really
enforce any types of laws in
the name of privacy.
Nguyen Q, 2019, RMIT Confessions , viewed on 1 July 2019
“ A society without privacy protection would be suffocating, and it might not be a place
in which most would want to live”
(Solove 2010, p.42)
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This is why is it necessary for
our university to have a space
that can enforce a sense of
short-term privacy when
students are needed. Based
on a survey that I have
conducted with 22 students,
about 81.8% of them agreed
that RMIT Vietnam needed a
more private place and
around 63.6% of the
participants said that they
would be found of a space for
them and their friends.
Pie chartes of the Survey
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As a precedent for short-term
private space, I researched
about the Earchair created by
Jurgen Bey in 2002. The
Earchair was created with the
purpose of creating a space
within a space (Fairs 2009), in
order to provide a personal
space where people can have
a personal conversation and
visually give you a private
space wherever you are. This
matched with the concept that
I want to deliver, which is
creating a private space
within a space.
Fairs M, 2009, Ear Chair by Studio Makkink & Bey, viewed on 10 July 2019, https://www.de- 108
zeen.com/2009/04/23/ear-chair-by-studio-makkink-bey/
I have chosen two areas that
can be appropriated to be
optimized as private
well-being space. The two
areas are the lounge area in
front of the library and the old
lunch area ( building 2 grass
field ). Because the two sites
even though they have two
different environments, they
both provided a sense of
peacefulness atmosphere. Yet
both of these places have its
pro and cons that make them
unfit for being a short-term
private space
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Site
Analysis
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Grass Field
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One of the areas that are First I asked them how often
commonly used by the have they been and the
university to organize events surprise it around 50% of the
such as Well-being Fair 2019 participants have been there
is the old lunch area ( building for a couple of times and
2 grass field). The area is an 27.3% revealed that they
open space that has a lot of occasionally went there. The
sunlight and green space, top three reasons why there
which can beneficial for came are partying/ hanging
individuals who are suffering out with friends (54.5%),
from stress and depression needing a place to rest
(Legg 2018). I conducted a (36.4%) and finally doing their
survey about the grass field. assignments (13.6%)
Column chartes of the Survey 114
In order to have an in depth
understanding this space, I
have personally sat here
analysised and researched
in three different timeline:
8am, 12pm and 5pm
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12PM
10/7/2019
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5PM
10/7/2019
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8AM
11/7/2019
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Lo u n g e Ar e a
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The second site that I have
chosen is the lounge area in
front of the library. I figured
the library is one of the most
well-known areas for students
and the lounge area is perfect
for students who just want to
sit down and have a
conversation with friends
before or after they do their
assignments in the library.
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However, the “cons” when
sitting at the lounge is the
same as the grass field, your
conversation gets “echoed”
even more the grass field due
to hard and thick materials.
Even though the space is
located next to a semi-open
wall, it is quite hot to sit.
Moreover, I have interviewed
some of my friends about the
place, I have found most of
them agreed with me it is
really hot. Furthermore, there
are two conflicting and
interesting responded about
the place.
Online interviewes
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One of my friends said she
doesnʼt like seeing strangers
walking through the place
because it makes her feel
uncomfortable and the space
is too noisy. While another
person said she feels anxious
when being looked at by
others when she was sitting
there. As a result, the lounge
area could not provide a
sense of safety and secured
Online interview, interesting ideology 1 Online interview, interesting ideology 2
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The same for this area, I
have personally conducted a
site analysis here and
researched in three different
timeline: 8am, 12pm and
5pm
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12PM
10/7/2019
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5PM
10/7/2019
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8AM
11/7/2019
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Parameters of
My Space
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The parameters of my space limited people eye site as they
in the Grass Field area will be are walking through the space.
around 10 meters in length As a result, the space will
and around 6 meters in wight. provide a sense of protection
Taking human-scale into and contribute to the overall idea
consideration, I want the height of privacy
of my space to be around 3
meters so that users will feel
protected and appreciated. For
entrance, I want it to be 0.5
to 1.5 meters in width so that
limited the number of people
entering the space at one time,
thus provided a sense of safety
and a feeling of escaping from
the “real world”. Furthermore,
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For the Lough area, because
the already existed site is quite
small, I reduced the width of
my space to 4 meters with the
same 10 meters long, 3 meters
height and 1 to 1.5 meters
entrance. For the ideology of
my space, it will maintain the
same here
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