Relationships Between Space and Self-divulgence
Can space make someone more willing to speak about difficult things, or to divulge their innermost thoughts?
Student : Yeung Chi Hang Gideon (BA (Hons) Environment and Interior Design)
Supervising Tutor : Elkin Daniel
The Discovery
This project began with research into the phenomena of suicide and academic stress. This research inspired and evolved into a simple, deconstructed thesis question: Can space make someone more willing to speak about difficult things, or to divulge their innermost thoughts?
I have this question because once I went to a space designed for communication. However, the conventional design makes me feel uncomfortable and not encourage me to express my feeling. This makes me think about whether a spatial design can cope with this question. As an interior design student, I want to suggest a way of solving problems with spatial composition.
The Design Solution
Moving from research questionnaires and interviews with therapists and clergy, this thesis project conducted first-hand research on the relationship between spatial design and self-divulgence. Full-scale testing led to a projected exploration through models, orthographic drawings, diagrams, and collages. These products test possible ways to create a space for communication, in which view, ergonomic relationships, sequence, and physical phenomena play key roles.
