YDA 1 Spring 2019 Oakland — Week 4

4 weeks in! How the time has flied, students have gotten more comfortable with one another as well as in the classroom. We began our day with an activity that students loved. We played sculpture charades! The activity wasn’t only fun but set students up for our class theme on spatial design.

Intro to Spatial Design

In this class we focused on the basics of spatial design, particularly in regards to architecture, interior, and urban design. We had our very own TA Jesse give a presentation on a project, he worked on in college. His prompt was to redesign an AT&T store location in Seattle. Throughout his presentation students were able to connect concepts we covered to the techniques Jesse used when creating his diorama. Students saw how light design and technology added to a person’s experience in a space.

Diorama exercise

We put our students to the test- we split the students again into 2 teams and challenged them to create a physical display of a space using foam core, popsicle sticks, and hot glue. The first team agreed on a merged idea of a store where you could sleep. A PJ store, where customers could test out the products in beds. The second team created a branded house with Nike. Their space had a Nike stove, desk, and mural wall. The students then took turns to present their spaces and got questions and comments from other students.

Community Challenge

After lunch and a quick recap of what we had learned. We took a more two dimensional approach to spatial design. In the same teams as they created their dioramas, we asked the teams to plan a layout for a classroom where skills not taught at school could be learned. Students took sticky notes and rearranged classroom layouts to make learning more effective. Students added computers, comfy chairs, and even class pets to help create a better learning environment.

Up Next!

Only a few more weeks left! Next week we will be focusing on physical design. We will learn about branding and packaging.