youDESIGN Contest Winners

Contest Description | Winners | Honorable Mention | Judges

I have designed my high-school lobby with an ocean and water theme. There are no full walls in my lobby so the sounds, sights and smells of the ocean come wafting through the building to hopefully inspire the students and make everyone feel fresh and alive and to make the school seem more flowing and open, full of the magnificent ocean's stunning power.

In the center of the lobby is a petite cylinder atop a larger cylinder, surrounded by spheres in different shades of marine blue. This is somewhat elaborate to represent water, bubbling out of a fountain, and the spheres represent the water falling to the ground with a splash, or the waves from the ocean, rolling down and breaking impressively on the sandy, yellow beach. This stony, fountain-like bench is a place to sit peacefully, relax quietly, eat happily, do homework however grudgingly, and talk with friends and colleagues.

In the upper left corner of the foyer, the visitors reception area is in a light blue color, and behind it is a small wall, to ensure that the reception area has privacy, and above it is a speaker to notify the students about last-minute changes that can also be used as a fire alarm. To the left of the sea colored desk is the entrance into the bustling hallways and challenging classes, and right next to the opening is the notice board to inform the students of changes, meetings, clubs, teams, et cetera and a small desk to write all of the useful information down.

Nearest to the ocean are cone-shaped, sea-foam-colored tables on point (imaginative yet sturdy) with two sphere-shaped chairs for sitting on. The tables can be held up with a pry-bar to make sure they are safe, and the chairs will also be held in place to keep the students safe and sound and to make sure the chairs don't roll away and get lost. Up above each table on the columns there are pieces of art, inspirational sayings, and trophies, all displayed for the entire school to see.

I designed this foyer to be a bit conservative, because I don't like to have my rooms crowded and cramped. I like each piece of furniture and art placed somewhere for a reason and to have each piece representing something that is important to me. The ocean to me is a place of beauty, wonder, inspiration, and adventure. I think that if a school is a fun place to be, whether because of the teachers, architecture, people, or landscape, that the students will try hard and learn plenty. The ocean inspired me, and I hope everyone finds his or her inspiration as well.