Continued Development: Creating Displays

Over consolidation week, our task was to complete research on mezzanine construction as well as research focussing on sustainable materials that can be used within our designs. I looked closely into methods used to construct mezzanines to help give more insight to my design and find which is best suited for the building I am working with. The sustainable material work has helped me to better understand the impacts and benefits of sustainably sourcing materials, therefore helping to make more informed decisions. I have found hemp fabric and reclaimed wood to be most useful and beneficial. Upon completing the research and through talks from guest lecturers at university, I have also found that Hemp board is a better choice in comparison to plaster-board as it is much safer and environmentally friendly.

In the studio, we decided on a group floor plan and layout for the exhibition space so we can work more collaboratively in a group, creating elements that would all work together. Designing our exhibition layout, taking inspiration from bird flight paths from locations in which the Stella McCartney brand source materials, has led to a very considered layout and path for the users to walk. The inspiration was a nod towards the brand’s most recent project ‘A bird’s eye view’, Stella McCartney’s take on seeing from another beings perspective to show compassion for animals.

Once we had meticulously developed the layout, we began to focus on our individual elements we would implement into the design through different parts of the exhibition. Choosing different parts of the exhibition to work on each gave us a chance to express our own design principles yet keep them in relation to one another to provide correlation and flow through the space. My area of the exhibition focuses  on the development of Stella McCartney’s work from 2010 to 2015 and I have implemented a more immersive experience, utilising the high ceilings of the space. A hanging clothing rail that slopes towards the users to promote the sense of inclusion and immersive experience while navigating through the space. Currently, I am working on developing 1:10 scale drawings of my exhibition display, showing the elevations and plan views to demonstrate my concept. Once these are complete, I will work on creating a model to even better describe my ideas and depict it even more accurately.