Solution to housing shortage as final project
- Architecture and...
For Ichelle Algra, interior design is more than thinking about where you want to put that one couch in the living room. It is a way of looking at how people feel in a space, how the light falls and what colours and materials determine the atmosphere of a room. Ichelle is in the final year of the AD Interior Designer course at the ArtEZ Academy of Art & Design Zwolle. "I'm happy I took this course. It was intense and hard work, but I learned a lot from it," Ichelle says.
The greatest moment in her education, Ichelle believes, is graduation itself. From very many investigative design studies in the first year to a final design or built spatial object. Completely developing your own design on a conceptual level; that is valuable to her. "The lines, connections, making a good case for why I make certain choices, choosing materials, that's what completes it," she says. "In addition, I have built a close relationship with my fellow students over the past few years, which I notice more and more now that we are almost finished; we did this all together."
A postive graduation project
Her finals project is based on her own findings and future perspective. Ichelle tried to keep the design to herself, without touching too heavy a subject. She was intent on coming up with a positive project for her finals work. She chose the topic 'start.hub': flexible housing and living units. And then specifically housing and living units for students who have just finished their studies and do not yet have money for a rented or owner occupied property. A dynamic and affordable place, where residents can continue to develop.
Designing temporary housing and living units as an interior designer
"I wanted to create a temporary place to live where you can go to think about what path you want to take. As a group, the class collectively chose the existing former industrial Philips building in Zwolle as their transformation graduation project. An overarching theme was chosen in advance: body and soul. I created a dynamic living unit that includes a shower, toilet, kitchen and living area. You can fold it together to transport it and set it up on location so that it fits in that space," Ichelle says. "Especially at that crossroads in your life where you want to discover what you're going to do, a place like this is nice. You may then live there for up to two years, to get people into action mode though. I designed seven residential units in a part of the old Philips building."
Out of your comfort zone
Ichelle hopes her finals work will actually be completed after she graduates. There are plenty of vacant properties where she can actually set up her project. Before she starts work, Ichelle plans to spend the summer working at Terschelling, thinking about what she wants to do within her field. She also wants to get out of her comfort zone and live and work abroad for a while to develop herself.
During the course, I really discovered my own signature."
For future AD Interior Design students, she has an important tip: "Be open to all feedback and don't think you already know everything. You get so many opportunities and insights during this course. Take advantage of them," she says. "During the course, I really discovered my own signature. Because other students and some teachers said 'That's typical Ichelle', when I had made a design, I saw more and more of my own signature. That is a great discovery. The course is worthwhile for that alone."
Ichelle's finals work will be on display from 29 June to 9 July 2023 the Academy of Art & Design's major finals exhibition in Zwolle.
More about the AD Interior Designer in Zwolle
