Mingxian Li

Brief

Site:  40GS 10-13th floor

User:  International Students

Function:  I plan to divide the space into two main sections, one for fixed-function living areas (functions: bedroom, dining room, living room, kitchen, bathroom) and the other for flexible communal areas (functions: watching movies, holiday parties, games, indoor camping, interaction with pets, etc.)

Theme： Many international students today suffer from anxiety or depression due to study pressure, language stress, and cultural differences. The theme of this proposal is to design a relaxed and socially friendly living space for international students.

In traditional flats, the distance between the communal spaces and the flats makes most students rarely use these communal spaces and are unaware of the activities taking place, so students miss out on many opportunities to socialize

I plan to link the common space to the flats and design a functional and flexible common space to attract more students out of their rooms to participate in different themed activities to release stress and make more friends.

Section Analysis

In this project, I have tried to break the traditional layout of the flat by connecting the private space directly with the public space. Firstly, the shortening distance between the public space and the flat effectively increases the frequency of use of the public space. Secondly, this format allows the residents to quickly see what is happening or going on in the public space and to join in selectively. This layout creates more opportunities for students to socialize and vent their stress.

Section Analysis

The central public space runs through the four floors in a stepped form, which is more open and allows visual connections at different levels, making the four floors into a single unit.

Section Analysis

The public space in the center rises gradually in a stepped pattern from east to west. Due to Edinburgh's high latitude, winter sunlight is short, and the main direction of sunlight is south, while summer sunlight is long and the main direction of sunlight is southwest. The high west to low east layout allows maximum sunlight illuminating the public spaces.