Lost & Found: Designing Spaces of Self-Discovery for Adolescents
Open AccessIn the tumult of the Information Age, hyper-connected people are rarely, if ever, truly alone. While this connectivity ostensibly strengthens our social bonds, we have lost a crucial element of our identity development: solitude. Spending time alone, isolated, provides an opportunity for reflection that not only strengthens one’s sense of self, but also contributes to positive relationships with others. This thesis project will explore how design can support and inspire self-discovery within spaces of constructive isolation and meaningful interaction. The concept will be investigated through the design of a creative writing center for adolescents in Washington, D.C. Adolescence is a crucial time of self-discovery, characterized by emotional highs and lows, complex social dynamics, and frustrated yearnings for independence, all in pursuit of the greater goal of finding an identity. Adolescents are caught in the throes of defining who they are to themselves, in relation to their peers, and in relation to their families. In contemporary society, that process of identity building is colliding with the world of the internet and social media. While research shows that spending time in solitude is a crucial component to identity building in all stages of life, but particularly adolescence, adolescents are spending unprecedented amounts of time connected to peers and family members, missing opportunities for aloneness and reflection that are essential to their emotional development and their social bonding. This thesis project will present a design solution to this quandary of adolescence and technology: a creative writing center that will provide spaces of isolation and interaction, set against a backdrop of the National Arboretum. Creative writing has long been considered a powerful tool for introspection and understanding, and a creative writing center will provide a place for teenagers to disconnect with their digital persona and reconnect with themselves and their peers. Writing workshops will allow the participants to confront and examine their feelings and attitudes, helping them to learn who they are and how to communicate their identities to others. Research has strongly indicated that spending time in nature decreases stress and improves focus and a sense of calm, therefore, the location of this center in the National Arboretum will significantly contribute to its intended outcome. The design of spaces both isolated and interactive within this natural site context will examine the blurring of boundaries between indoor and outdoor, incorporating natural elements into the interior to maximize their positive effects. Interactive spaces will be modular and transformative, providing a variety of group seating arrangements and opportunities for performance space. Emphasizing the importance of self-determination and choice, participants will have an entire campus of separate, diverse spaces to inhabit. If spending time alone supports emotional development and understanding, then interactive spaces complete the circle by providing opportunities to share oneself and connect productively with peers. This design thesis will examine how space can can encourage and facilitate interactions with nature and between people, both verbal and non-verbal, with the end goal of supporting adolescent development in the digital age.
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