OCAD’ RELAXATION RENOVATION

Judging by the comments of the class, it seems that there is a great need at the Ontario College of Art and Design for some shape or form of relaxation renovation; in other words, outlets within the school in which students can retreat to for social or relaxative purposes, escaping the harsh confinements of the classroom. From my previous travels and experiences at other schools, I have observed that the majority Universities in Ontario both have a main coffee shop, and a main pub; both of which act as landmarks for social interaction or relaxation, and just overall meeting landmarks in general. Some places even have several of these, and feel they are absolutely essential to the University as a whole, and also to one’s own University experience. They fulfill the needs of all different types of students, from the caffeine-crazed mochaholics, to the professional party animals looking for mad fresh ill times, and then of course, everyone in between. Currently, we have one very small sorry excuse for a coffee shop/snack bar located on the 2nd floor that most students probably don’t even know exists, and an on campus pub, which ceases to exist entirely. Therefore, my ONE BIG IDEA for the Ontario College of Art and Design is to bring this institution up to par with the other Universities in Ontario by integrating these essential landmarks into its landscape, so that students no longer feel so incredibly obligated academically, and can escape to a place in which one wants to be, and wants to be seen.

HYPOTHETICAL CONSTRUCT 1



Location: Existing Coffee Shop location on the 2nd Floor. This location is absolutely perfect, because of its proximity to the Great Hall Student Gallery, but also forces you to physically leave the stressful studio settings of the 5th & 6th floors, alleviating your mental ailments already.

Furniture: A very large concern voiced from students, as there are only so many hours you can force yourself to sit in a plastic chair. Therefore, we need some oversized plush loungers with which students can melt into. They’ve already got enough to worry about academically; they don’t need to be worrying about back pain and posture.

Interior Design: Although exterior architecture does not play much of a role in this, interior architecture does immensely! The interior architecture within OCAD is without a doubt, one of the biggest reasons why students feel so obligated and confined, because there is no variety. In order to make this coffee shop a landmark in which to escape to, its interior needs to be drastically different than its surroundings. Modern, trendy architecture and carpeted floors need to be incorporated, but need to be relatively neutral so one does not feel overwhelmed. This is after all an escape, not another dead end. Soft lighting, but mostly natural sourced light coming in from large open windows needs to be doing most of the work. This will also greatly open up a space, rather than confine it.

HYPOTHETICAL CONSTRUCT 2



Location: Courtyard to the South of the building between Aboveground Art Supplies

The location is absolutely pivotal to a pub’s success. Students need to be able to actually know its there, and as I was thinking about its location, I realized there really isn’t a terrible amount of places it could actually go. I feel OCAD in general has done quite a bad job in general of designing its spaces, and a prime example of this is the courtyard between the school and the art store. It’s always sparsely populated, and I think that when they were constructing the tabletop, they probably just had a bunch of unused cement left over that the didn’t feel like hauling out, so instead designed this makeshift “meeting place”, where students were expected to gather between class. This poorly used space is in fact the perfect location for an on-campus pub, as it its perimeter is probably the perfect size for a University of this demographic, and also for visibility purposes.

Exterior Design: As with OCAD’s exterior architecture, the exterior architecture of The Domino Effect also will bring with it great controversy, as everyone will have their own say as to how this thing is supposed to look. However, I feel that if this pub is going to fly, it absolutely cannot incorporate the same motifs used within the tabletop’s design. Most pubs, and bars in general, always have some sort of unique theme, with a unique name to accompany it, making not only fun, but a place that is easily remembered as a landmark. Now I am completely open to theme choice, but if you want to go with something that is tried and true, and that will please everyone, your standard brick Irish pub theme, with hand painted signage would suffice just fine. Another very important aspect of a pub is its patio. I truly feel that during any time of day, a pub is only as good as its patio, as this marriage between the two is definitely essential to its success. If people are actually going to go to this place they need to see its patrons, the social interaction, and the good times being had.

Interior Design: Again, there are not too many ways you can go wrong with a pub’s interior architecture. It does however need to have sufficient walking space between its tables and bar. Bad bar design can truly make or break one’s stay there, and shape whether or not this is a place is which they would like to frequent with their pals in the future. Therefore, again one cannot feel confined, as this is after all a place to escape, not imprison.

Now these are just two hypothetical solutions for the Ontario College of Art and Design to take into consideration. But again, I must stress how important I feel these relaxative renovations would be for this institution. As you all know, OCAD is an accredited Ontario University, but because of its name, there is confusion amongst many as to its actual academic status. There have already been talks of incorporating the word “University” into its name, but I still feel that this will still not do justice, as its atmosphere and landscape still greatly feel like more of a workplace you go to from 9-5, Monday to Friday. As stated at the beginning, it is very obvious that there is a great need at OCAD for some shape or form of relaxation renovation. These improvements would not only bring greater mental being to students, but they will also reap the great social benefits that come with them as well, and overall, OCAD will feel like a more pleasant, exciting, and relevant place to learn!