While it has most certainly been a while since my last post - life certainly gets busy; I thought I would return to the game with entry for the 2018 SONA Super Studio. My team, consisting of myself and two other budding architectures students, whom I had met the morning of Day 1 secured third place.

SONA (Student Organised Network for Architecture) runs an annual event known as the Super Studio. The aim being to promote creative design thinking in a friendly competition. I joined the competition to meet more architecture students from other universities and even from my own university.

While my objective was to learn not to win - something out of character for me - I managed in my first year to snag the 3rd place.

This year’s competition was about breathing space. Where can you go to breathe? How do we facilitate an environment for students to nurture their mental state? What can a building do to emphases the need for self care?

While many other teams were focusing on getting students to “stop”, my teammates and I wandered something more; How do we make a flexible environment for students worst habits?

The answer…? A hexaflexagon.

Strange answer I know, but follow me a while. Students need. Students want a space as dynamic as them. A space that didn’t prescribe the function of different spaces from within, but one you could adapt to suit your needs.

In other words, university students are going to be pulling all nighters, to put study over eating, basic hygiene and other basic needs, so let’s create a space that doesn’t tell students they must stop but instead facilitates their ability to look after themselves the best they can.

Utilizing a biophilic design, we are addressing the problem of mental health and wellbeing without the constant nagging of “don’t do this, don’t do that”. Our “Hanging Garden” does this through the natural materials of timbers, plants to clean the air and allowing air and light to penetrate the space.

We decided to draw inspiration from the form of a hexaflexagon (as shown above) as a way to expose the dynamic approach my team took. The platforms are adjustable for the user both in the height of the platform as well as the platform itself. With the inclusion of facilities such as a kitchen garden, toilets and showers located in our hanging garden, we want to aid and encourage students like those still here at 2:36 in the morning to take a break, and to really think about themselves even if they need to work all night. 

I would love to extend an enormous thank you to my teammates Zoe and Franz who did a fantastic job and I would love for you to have a look at Zoe’s Instagram account for more of her work!