student lounge

A remodel of the second floor student lounge and adjacent computer lab at NYSID, designed around a perceived notion of serenity. This project addresses the school's lack of a dedicated study and library space outside of studio classrooms, where student desks are routinely overcrowded with drawings and samples.

The space is organized around two distinct zones with a clear privacy hierarchy. The lounge area accommodates social interaction, informal presentations, and daily use, and includes a kitchenette with a coffee station, double sink, communal fridge, and shared mug shelving to reduce single-use waste. The quiet room, visible through an oculus from both the corridor and the lounge, is a dedicated space for focused study and research, with no food or drink permitted.

The design brings warmth to traditionally cool materials, using light, color, acoustics, and spatial organization to shift the mood of an institutional environment toward one of calm and restoration.