The canteen space at present is long and narrow. The only natural daylight comes from the skylights. There is a small shop which sells beverages and the main canteen food point is a long counter to the right hand side. The seating is very dated, the tables and chairs and the walls are painted a very bland white colour. Within the canteen space there is also a tired pool table.
After having being given the brief I began by looking into the problems the canteen faces. The cold sterile atmosphere, the lack of colour, uncomfortable seating and the whole horrible feel of the space.
To combat the lighting I started putting in large windows and changing the sklights slightly. To create more seating I looked at using the outside available space. The space outside is a sun trap and is ideal in warmer weather for outdoor eating. Therefore I designed sheltered areas and suggested outdoor furniture. With regards to the interior I decided to keep the original layout. I came up with the idea of filling the space with cubed seating. The idea being that customers would be able to move the furniture around and sit in groups as large or as small as they please. There would be chunky wooden tables for the cubes to gather around but also tables hanging from the skylights. The tables provide storage for the cubes during cleaning time and when the space is being used for other functions. I realised that people may not always be in the canteen in groups so to allow for individuals to feel comfortable. I created little pocket spaces by pulling cubes from the wall at differnt lengths this also allows provides other places where people can sit or lean. The cubes and the comfort pockets would be red, orange and black.
The whole design I feel solves the problems that the Canteen has before and encourages people to interact with each other un knowingly. I think that my design gives the Canteen a unique quality and feel to the space that people will enjoy.
