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on April 07, 2016 at 6:00 PM
Student Design Teams Create Space for Individuals Suffering from PTSD
On March 31, 2016, over 230 design students and professionals participated in “Let’s Charrette(r)” as part of the seventh annual design competition at Kean University’s Thinking Creatively Conference. Produced and hosted by Gruskin Group, an integrated design firm located in Springfield, N.J., the charrette provided design students with the experience of working on multidisciplinary teams guided by professional mentors. Each team was tasked to develop and deliver a unified concept for a fictional product and service within a challenging timeframe.
Professional designers acted as mentors and guided students who had gathered for the day-long challenge. Their assignment was to envision and plan an inclusive community environment for people with PTSD to feel safe, as well as provide physical and emotional comfort in both the community and living space for Haven Communities, a (fictitious) development company that creates large-scale, mixed-use and lifestyle communities. Multidisciplinary teams included planning, architecture, interior design, graphic design, industrial design, interactive/technology, and psychology perspectives, to compete and come up with the best solutions as a foundation for Haven Communities’ first development project in central New Jersey.
“Let’s Charrette creates several, extraordinary learning opportunities for our students. The event connects them to the rigors of actual, professional studio experiences; it also teaches the students the great value of teamwork particularly in cross-disciplinary collaborations, and the event creates a broader sense of community within the Michael Graves College and the professional community. Each team has a pro mentor, giving them direct networking opportunity,” said Rose Gonnella, executive director, Robert Busch School of Design at Kean University.
Team deliverables included:
* Master Community Plan – includes common facilities (pool, clubhouse etc.)
* Modular (Mobile) Home Design – floor plans and perspective sketch
* Interior Design for Model Home – furniture, finishes, lighting and sound
* Haven Communities Brand Identity – logo and tag line
* Haven Communities signage package (wayfinding)
* Haven Communities Sales Piece
* Sales Office Kiosk Design
* Haven Communities Website Design and App
* Smart technology concepts to support and address these new challenges
According to Kenneth A. Gruskin, AIA, principal of Gruskin Group and one of the final judges, “We felt that Team Fifteen’s concept, ‘New Grounds – Bring Families Together,’ not only did a fine job of incorporating design strategies and technology solutions for creating a community that incorporated PTSD residents ubiquitously, but the students also made it a great place for the general population. Additionally, their actual residence design included approaches that allowed it to be customized and reconfigured inexpensively for residents with specific triggers, challenges and needs.”
Winning students were rewarded with design supplies and books supplied by Herman Miller New York, and they will be included in an upcoming issue of PTSD Journal. Jon Nathanson, a New York City-based artist, designer and architect, mentored the winning team of Kean University students:
Tyler Arias – Graphic Design
Leyda Cubillos – Interior Design
Kofi Dua – Graphic Design
Nick Larstanna – Interior Design
Michael Lynch – Graphic Design
Jasmin Patterson – Architecture
Ana Perez – Graphic Design
Nicole Randall – Interior Design
Katie Tuday – Graphic Design
Farren Wheatley – Interior Design
About Gruskin Group
Gruskin Group is an integrated design firm that builds unified brand experiences through architecture, brand development, visual communications, web/interactive, industrial design, interior design, strategic consulting, and sustainable design.
Architectural Record named Gruskin Group one of the top 250 leading architecture firms in the U.S. The Group has also been included on the prestigious Inc. 5000. In U.S. retail design, the firm ranks 24 according to VMSD and has appeared in the top 20 per DDi. Gruskin Group was included among the top 25 architectural firms in New Jersey by NJBiz. The firm’s and its professionals’ award-winning work has been recognized by AIA, the Retail Design Institute, New York Ad Club, New Jersey Ad Club, ASID, Graphis, and the Association of Graphic Communications. For additional information, visit www.gruskingroup.com.