Interior Design | Learning

Collective Creativity

Located on W Broad St., this community makers’ space will be open to Franklinton high school students to come learn new creative crafts in the form of vocational training and an after-school program. This will provide a safe place where they can feel comfortable exploring artistic outlets and be shown their own creative potential. These various classes would be taught by artists from Franklinton who are there on residency.
There is also a gallery lounge for community members to gather and view the curated art made by the instructors, as well as view and buy the students’ artwork. From the gallery, users will have a view into each of the studios, allowing them to further appreciate the students’ work and stay involved in this new development.
Keeping the historic essence of the engine house, as well as celebrating the history of art within Franklinton is important, and will allow the community to appreciate how art started in Franklinton and its current life there.

Interior Design | Social Good

Woven Roots: A Holistic Women’s Wellness Center

Woven Roots, a holistic women’s wellness center, aims to empower, educate and nourish the women of Franklinton, Ohio. Increasing access to lifestyle education will equip women with the tools they need to sustain their own health, as well as the health of their future children.

Redefining the traditional women’s healthcare experience, Woven Roots prioritizes the use of holistic methodologies. These include "food as medicine," biophilic elements, and other natural remedies that help unearth the root issue and in turn heal the mind, body and soul. A natural ‘farmacy’ and adjacent learning kitchen provide hands-on education in these realms.

On an emotional level, this project includes research on trauma-informed spaces, as to ensure every woman feels safe and secure. Individualized care and education is provided to women through one-on-one therapy rooms and informal classrooms. A large, centralized library grounds the top floor, giving women the space to tell their stories and build relationships with one another. Overall, Woven Roots is a place for women to not only realign and reconnect back to themselves, but also create a community around them.

Interior Design | Learning

Sprouts Discovery Center

Sprouts Discovery Center is a youth wellness center for children ages 3-8 in Franklinton, Ohio. Sprouts provides behavioral, cognitive, and general learning support for childhood development.

The first eight years of a child’s life build a foundation for future health and life success; consequently, the early experiences, both positive and negative, on a child’s development can be profound (Robinson et al., 2017). Adversity and improper care can disrupt neurological, metabolic, and immunologic systems in children leading to future disparities in learning, earnings, and health. Children most vulnerable to developmental delays are those in lower socioeconomic communities where adequate resources are unavailable.

Understanding the context of the fragmented community of Franklinton reveals the need for a stronger foundation system starting in childhood development.

Sprout’s programmed spaces offer a therapeutic clinic including services like speech pathology, occupational therapy, and counseling for behavior management. Additional services include a library, indoor play space, and family activity spaces. These services aim to address the physical, mental, and social needs for the children in the community.

Interior Design | Learning

Columbus City Schools Student Hub

Columbus City Schools Student Hub’s mission is to create a dynamic and inviting space that serves as a third place for students and offers a comfortable and supportive environment outside of the traditional classroom setting.

Student’s have diverse needs and this space aims to provide designated areas for studying, socializing, and participating in various activities- offering cozy nooks for quiet study sessions or lively group discussions.

The Student Hub is more than just a place to study—it's a vibrant community hub where students can connect, learn, and grow together.

Interior Design | Well-being

The Nest

Prenatal care center “The Nest" serves as a nurturing refuge, embodying the essence of family and providing a vital stop for families embarking on the transformative journey of pregnancy. At its core, the clinic serves as a protective shelter, offering expert medical care and fostering a sense of security and trust within the family unit. Branching out as educational classes, it cultivates a supportive network, empowering families with essential knowledge and guidance. The small grocery store and pharmacy symbolizes abundance, catering to the evolving needs of the family, fostering a sense of togetherness and preparation for the new chapter ahead. "The Nest" encapsulates the warmth of family unity, nurturing every step of the sacred journey of pregnancy and parenthood.

Interior Design | Well-being

Refresh

Refresh is a visionary project aimed at addressing the pressing needs of the homeless population in Franklinton, Ohio. This initiative involves the adaptive reuse of an existing building, transforming it into a multi-functional space designed to provide essential services to the community's most vulnerable members.

Refresh is a two-story building with a carefully curated program that focuses on the immediate and long-term needs of the homeless population. The first-floor features public restrooms, providing a crucial amenity that is often overlooked. The second floor is dedicated to therapy and job offices, fostering holistic support by addressing both mental health and employment challenges.

The primary beneficiaries of this project are the homeless individuals in Franklinton, especially those grappling with mental health challenges and unemployment. Demographic studies reveal a diverse population, including veterans, women, and families with children, all of whom will benefit from the comprehensive services offered by the Support Center.

This project addresses critical needs within the community by offering a holistic approach to homelessness. Beyond providing immediate amenities like public restrooms, the inclusion of therapy and job offices recognizes the interconnected nature of challenges faced by the homeless population. By addressing mental health and employment issues simultaneously, the Support Center aims to break the cycle of homelessness and empower individuals to regain stability and independence.

Interior Design | Learning

TotSpot

This project entails the adaptive reuse of a selected building in Franklinton, Columbus, to establish a combined daycare and co-working space. Tot Spot is an innovative design which aims to create a supportive environment for single parents, enabling them to pursue personal and professional goals while ensuring the well-being and development of their children. By converging childcare and co-working within one space, the project fosters a community-driven approach that addresses the unique challenges faced by the residents of Franklinton. Franklinton serves as an ideal location for this project due to its diverse yet underserved population. With a significant demographic of 72.8% single-parent households, primarily led by single mothers, and only 10% of residents holding a college degree, there is a pressing need for accessible resources to uplift and empower this community. As new construction projects in the area contribute to rising living costs, the proposed adaptive reuse project aligns with the ethos of inclusivity, seeking to counteract displacement and promote socio-economic resilience within Franklinton.

Interior Design | Wellbeing

Franklinton Fresh Market

Franklinton Fresh Market would provide fresh produce, ready-meals, and employment to individuals in the community. With a partnership with Franklinton Farms, fresh locally sourced produce will be available for in-need families and individuals. This market would also provide a third space flex area for visitors to work, catch up, or enjoy their food.

This project's goals are to create a stronger sense of community in Franklinton through providing employment opportunities and a community gathering space for casual hangouts. This project will also improve the health and well-being of Franklinton residents through offering locally sourced produce and ready-made food options, creating a stress-free environment, and focusing on personal health through food.

The design incorporates stairs made of steel with a linear pattern, symbolizing the railway that divides Franklinton, aiming to contrast and divide the space. Positioned in central Franklinton, the market serves as a communal gathering place for all community members. The flooring on level 2 features Interface tufted pattern loop carpet tiles from the “Human Connections” collection, with mossy tiles inside the river shape and grid patterns outside, reflecting the community's diversity. Additionally, custom flooring patterns on level 2 mimic the Olentangy River's shape, subtly referencing Franklinton's location and community gatherings in the 3rd space.

Interior Design | Social Good

The ReVamp Collective

The ReVamp Collective is a unique program that offers a dual-purpose space, part learning, and part thrift store. Currently, the Textile & Fashion Waste Report about Central Ohio shows that “Franklin County Sanitary Landfill receives over forty-six thousand tons of textile waste annually” (Caine & Caine, 2023). Therefore, this space serves as a place for those who are interested in the fashion world to learn how to upcycle clothing into new items. The thrift store component of this project is featured on the first floor and has multiple points of slow fashion implementations, such as a customization zone, an art installation, and upcycled work. Also, students will earn a profit from the items they create and feature in the store. The upstairs features learning spaces where the new clothing items will be upcycled. Students have the option to pick from the sewing, screen-printing, and digital design labs to create new items.

Interior Design | Social Good

Franklinton Non-profit Community Hub

With a speculative mindset, this project aims to use adaptive reuse as well as the creative processes of interior design including programming and space planning to reimagine a new use for a historic engine house in Franklinton Ohio. As a small community disadvantaged over the years due to flooding, the neighborhood has not historically had the same economic growth and social mobility as other nearby communities. What Franklinton does have is a set of non-profit community organizations that are committed to “driving much needed connections to education and available resources currently unknown to existing Franklinton families and residents” (Franklinton.org).

Through the re-utilization of Engine House NO 6, this project envisions the transformation of this structure into a dynamic, multi-purpose space that will serve as a home for local non-profit organizations deeply rooted within the community of Franklinton. Engine House NO.6 has the interior ability to foster nonprofits in carefully curated spaces providing a comfortable environment to encourage collaboration between organizations. The cafe and co-working space welcomes the public, providing a relaxed and inviting environment for individuals to connect and network. Private office and conference spaces supply the non-profit organizations with places to hold meetings or counseling services that might require a private setting.

The event center offers adaptable space and ample storage for the unique services each non-profit provides. The garage doors located in the front of the building allow easy access to the outside, providing a place for outdoor work, as well as a space for “Franklinton.org on wheels”-a van for all the non profits to use, extending their outreach beyond this building. Those goals will be met through sustainability, biophilia, wellness, identity, belonging, and creative place making. By fostering a place for collaboration, this project aspires to create a space that meets the practical needs of the non-profit organizations and the residents of Franklinton.

Interior Design | Social Good

Canvas of Courage

Canvas of Courage" is a visionary interior design project dedicated to addressing the crucial need for specialized therapy resources tailored to military members and their families, with a particular focus on those navigating the challenges of PTSD.

This transformative space is meticulously designed to foster personal connections, nurture mental well-being, and offer a holistic healing experience through the fusion of art therapy and traditional therapeutic approaches.

"Canvas of Courage" is meticulously designed to meet the unique needs of military personnel undergoing therapy for PTSD. Incorporating trauma-informed design principles, the environment is crafted to provide a secure and supportive atmosphere conducive to healing. At the heart of the building, the central gathering space symbolizes warmth, unity, and communal support.

This focal point fosters a sense of community, providing a space for interaction and shared experiences among therapy participants. The lobby houses an art gallery, aptly named the "Gallery of Resilience," showcasing therapeutic artwork created by military members and local artists. Insights from therapy sessions are leveraged to contribute to enhancing corporate environments, reflecting a steadfast commitment to improving the overall quality of life for those who have served.

Interior Design | Learning

Franklinton Community Library

Franklinton Community Library is a speculative design proposal for a Library of the Future in Franklinton, Ohio. In the contemporary age of information, how can a library maintain its physical relevance as a useful and desirable place for communities? Development brings renewed interest to Franklinton after years of economic hardship, crime, and population loss. With the ongoing threat of gentrification, a public, community-based library serves as an accessible third-space and resource bank for residents.

The primary design goal is to encourage community dialogue to nurture a culture of knowledge sharing, promoting trust and relationship-building. The space recognizes community members as sources of information in their own right. Using the Scioto river as metaphor for the channels of knowledge that flow through a community, the program re-orients the Library around end-users instead of information stacks and encourages community dialogue.

Programmatically, Floor One tells the story of Franklinton in an exhibit-like manner. It displays historical archives in an approachable and interactive way and amplifies community voices to simultaneously serve as a diary of today. Floor Two is geared toward frequent library users, equipped with flexible meeting spaces and tech resources like printers, computers, and a recording booth.

Interior Design | Wellbeing

Ember: Wellness & Recreation Center

Ember Wellness & Recreation Center is located in the Franklinton neighborhood of Columbus, OH aiming to help residents strengthen mind, body, spirit, and community. Using pieces from sports around the world, community building advocacy, and motivation styles, the proposed recreation center brings a different energy to the neighborhood, adding a spark of vibrancy.

Movement and sport have a unique psychological way of bringing people together and convening people for one common goal. Dissecting the current state of the community through the history, infrastructure, politics, and their current impact creates a better understanding of the lifestyle of residents in the area. The neighborhood suffers from high crime rate and housing costs paired with below average income rates, education, and life expectancy, causing quality of life and community morale to intensely suffer.

Grocery stores are nowhere to be found with 52% of the population living in poverty and 65% of the larger Franklin County population falls under overweight or obese. Located on Broad Street in the old Engine House 10, the design utilizes adaptive reuse to revitalize a building and practice environmental consciousness while promoting movement within recreational sports leagues for all ages, open gym space, and numerous exercise classes.

Additionally, the center provides an in-house refuel station, providing healthy ready-to-eat meals and snacks alongside health supplements for easy access to residents. Integrating ideas of somatic therapy, the recreation center takes on strengthening minds and spirit alongside the body, with mindful and meditative offerings throughout the week.

The recreation center intends to take care of the residents in hopes that healthy residents create a thriving community. Holistic wellness becomes the primary motivator, with every resource serving a direct purpose for the community as a whole.

Interior Design | Social Good

The Ladder

“The Ladder” is a restaurant and culinary school that aims to serve as a pathway to employment for people in the community of Franklinton, Ohio. The culinary school is on the building's second floor and provides certifications to those who complete the courses. Here, the students learn safe food and kitchen sanitation practices; kitchen, food and equipment preparation; knife skills; food presentation and serving; nutrition basics; a variety of cooking methods; etc.

The restaurant on the first floor offers jobs to those who have a challenging time getting jobs elsewhere (those with no bank account, permanent address, education, experience, etc.) and those who take classes at the culinary school upstairs. The employees learn about the food industry, customer service, management, bartending, etc. and gain experience, all of which help them be more hirable in the future.

Interior Design | Learning

Franklinton Urban Ecology Center

The summer of 2023 was the hottest in recorded human history. Over the past 40 years, insect populations have declined by 45%. The journal, Environmental Science and Technology published a study concluding that rainwater is no longer safe for human consumption, globally.

There is a severe insufficiency in how we as a species view and interact with the environment. We do not exist in a vacuum and it is essential that we, as a society at large have a deep understanding of our relationship and reliance on preexisting ecological systems. Franklinton is a fantastic example of a failure to understand our relationship to these systems.

Constructed on a floodplain in 1797 the neighborhood has been inundated by regular floods not fully understood until the 20th century. Today, the construction of levees, dams, and floodwalls has alleviated the impact these systems have on humans, helping to stabilize the lives of thousands of individuals.

As a side effect, the native habitats of the plants and animals that were there before have been destroyed. Franklinton Urban Ecology center aims to educate on the importance of natural systems reflecting on the past and looking into a brighter future.

Interior Design | Wellbeing

Fresh Franklinton

Fresh Franklinton is a proposed community hub that aims to address pressing issues of food insecurity by serving as a fresh market, dining space, and learning center, centered on the utilization of fresh food. The heart of this community hub will be its open kitchen space, dedicated to cooking classes that focus on harnessing the potential of freshly grown food sourced from nearby Franklinton Farms locations. The welcoming and comfortable dining and lounge areas will be a focal point for communal meal gatherings, aimed to foster a sense of fellowship among community members.

Interior Design | Technology

Community Squared

The concept of adaptive reuse in interior design is about restoring a building's purpose while meeting the needs of the community. In Franklinton, where educational attainment levels vary, Engine House 10 is proposed as a developmental community center. This center aims to address gaps by offering GED prep, resume building, woodworking, and vocational training, catering to residents seeking to enhance their skills. Located strategically with accessibility in mind, it serves as a center for skill development and community engagement. Inspired by Franklinton's resilience and creativity, the design integrates familiar elements and local art to create a welcoming atmosphere. Community Squared embodies the spirit of self-reliance while providing vital resources and opportunities for personal growth within the community.

Interior Design | Wellbeing

Urban Nourish Market

At Urban Nourish Market, we celebrate the synergy between personal choice and community strength. Our space is intricately designed to reflect our commitment to nurturing wellness and fostering connections: featuring a vibrant array of small pop-up stalls from local restaurants and meticulously curated grocery sections organized by purpose.

Every nook and cranny in our market tells a story of dedication to non-GMO produce, wholesome ingredients, and revitalizing food and drink options. Our standout feature, the beverage bar, transforms into a communal tasting area where patrons can sample and savor the unique flavors of our local culinary talents, encouraging a personalized yet shared dining adventure.

Urban Nourish is more than just a marketplace; it is a hub for well-being aficionados and a gathering place for the community. Here, we honor each person's unique path to wellness while celebrating the collective energy of holistic living. Immerse yourself in a space where individual healing journeys intertwine with the power of community, as we lead the way in a lively, personalized, and communal approach to urban health and happiness.