This project was featured in the Physical and Digital Graduate Degree Show at the Glasgow School of Art in 2022, The Interior Educators Re-Form Show 2022 in London, The Skinny Magazine June Digital and Print Issue 2022, Traits D’Co Magazine the September Digital Edition and November Print Issue 2022
traits-dcomagazine.fr/dear-fiction-house-une-cure-de-design | interioreducators.co.uk/craft-making-2022
Dear Fiction House is a Cancer Recovery House that challenges boundaries of healthcare, through the primary use of entertainment as a means for healing. The Fiction House takes cancer survivors on a hopeful, explorative, and experiential healing journey, allowing them to reestablish their drive in a stimulating setting.
Often healthcare spaces are unsupportive to Cancer sufferers and survivors due to their mundane atmospheres and their lack of providence of sense of control. Dear Fiction House challenges these constructs with an aim to deinstitutionalize and destigmatize the recovery healthcare environment through a playful and inventive approach, allowing them to gain independence in a creative engagement process.
With an uplifting energy, the space is sensitively designed to allow each individual to be in control of their own unique recovery journey. Dear Fiction House encourages the engagement with positivist interactive entertainment, immersive, mediated and beyond, to aid their restoration and provide meaningful social interactions. This can loosen intimidation in recovery spaces and change the tone of voice, allowing the individual to feel more at ease. The approach shifts to focus on transparency, with emphasis on friendly and inviting atmospheres, to build a community experience, reducing loneliness in the Cancer community.
At Dear Fiction House, there are two entertainment strategies: Positive Distraction and Constructive Entertainment. These are integrated in the various interactive spaces around the building, promoting the sense of choice. The integration of entertainment can allow individuals to find enjoyment and meaning in their healing journey, influencing stimulative restorative effects. This can make recovery a manageable experience, getting away from the mindset of ‘life or death’, implementing a more hopeful message.
W E L C O M E
A N I N V I T A T I O N
The entrance experience into the Fiction House is designed to be engaging to loosen any fears that can emerge, offering a peace of mind, making the experience a smooth and reassuring journey in and out.
C L O S E C O N N E C T I O N T O T H E
R I V E R C L Y D E
Dear Fiction House is located in the Former Cotton Mills in Dalmarnock, Glasgow (121 Carstairs Street)
I N V I T I N G A T M O S P H E R E F R O M T H E M O M E N T O F A R R I V A L
The reception area is designed to be dynamic, lively and charismatic, ensuring to leave a positive lasting first impression. A moment of immersion occurs, positively distracting visitors.
R E C E P T I O N I N T E R A C T I O N
The reception area is presented in an open plan setting to allow for ease of movement and improved line of sight for carers.
C O N T R O L S T A T I O N
The Establishment of the Sense of Control
The Establishment of the Sense of Control
The sense of control is an important factor that is prioritized in the Fiction House, to allow individuals to feel a sense of personal choice in the uptake and implementation of their recovery. To make harnessing the sense of control a creative engagement process, the design strategy is built on deconstructing healing into layers within the space. Because everyone’s healing journey is uniquely different, the many healing surfaces in the space will be beneficial to provide flexibility, making it more digestible, adding to the overall inviting experience.
The healing layers are categorized into 4 main methods: ‘Heal with You’, ‘Heal with Care’ ‘Heal with Support’ ‘Heal with Fiction’. These are represented as ‘Control Cards’ and are the main interactive feature in the space.
C O N T R O L C A R D S
The ‘Control Cards’ offers visitors and residents the opportunity to define their own recovery journey, through a guided immersive experience by allowing them to choose the activity they want to participate in. This feature uses playful yet clear symbols, making it an accessible quality of the journey.
C O N T R O L S T A T I O N S T R U C T U R E
The control cards are present in the ‘Control Station’, a landmark which is present on each floor of the Fiction House for ease of access. This strategy can act as a tool to boost their confidence and independence when there is no staff around, developing a creative and playful engagement process.
Interactions and Zones in the Control Station
Storyboard exploring the playful engagement process to define their own recovery journey within the Fiction House.
T H E F I C T I O N J OU R N E Y
Experience the Fiction House Journey
Experience the Fiction House Journey
P E R S P E C T I V E S E C T I O N O F T H E F I C T I O N H O U S E
A world of possibilities and interactive opportunities aiding Cancer Survivors individual healing journeys within the Fiction House.
T H E T H E A T R E
The Fiction Theatre is accessed mainly through a different specialist entrance that embodies the playfulness of the brand.
The Fiction Theatre is accessed mainly through a different specialist entrance that embodies the playfulness of the brand.
A M O M E N T O F C U R I O U S I T Y
The entrance dramatically marks the threshold of a new journey, allowing people to anticipate and be immersed in it’s atmospheric gaze.
A D R A M A T I C T R A N S I T I O N
The noise softens, concealed through the acoustic quality of the thick walls, causing a shift in atmosphere as you pass through the transition leading to the theatre’s reception.
T H E A T R E R E C E P T I O N
T H E A T R E P E R S P E C T I V E S E C T I O N
The dynamic changes and build up within the journey through the Fiction theatre create the space for free interaction, exploration and the feeling of belonging to a community through the love of performance, positively distracting visitors and residents.
F I C T I O N H A L L
The Fiction Hall is a space based on entertainment for recovery interventions. It functions like an interactive museum where people can experience the space through a journey route. Interventions here include: Fiction Gallery, Immersive Installations, Community Art, Experience Route, Aromatherapy and Embed Music Room.
F I C T I O N H A L L S E C T I O N
A dynamic view through the Fiction Hall, offering a world of possibilities that people can experience. The entertainment interventions are designed with purpose to offer either a positive distractive effect or constructive effect, allowing Cancer Survivors to experience a defined journey of their own.
E M B E D R O O M E X P E R I E N C E
The embed room offers the opportunity for people to experience their own music allowing self-expression. It combines tactile restorative sensory effects with sound offering a multi-sensory interactive experience.
S U P P O R T G R O U P E X P E R I E N C E
Support group spaces in The Fiction House integrate an art installation to target self-reflection healing responses.
A P O W E R F U L C O N V E R S A T I O N
The support group space uses an interactive light installation and soft sensory materials to create an emotive and relaxed atmosphere. The interest of this atmosphere contrasts well with the function of a support group, targeting their self-reflection. Here, neurotherapy monitors their mental wellbeing throughout the support group session, creating a strong and powerful sense of belonging to a group.
B E S P O K E E L E V A T O R S
The Bespoke Elevators are a recognizable landmark within the building, offering a unique immersive transitional experience.
A M O M E N T T O P A U S E
Two bespoke elevators are strategically placed on either end of the Fiction House, between the room towers, further enhancing people's journey experience. They are designed with a circular, dome-like structure, featuring a glass wall that allows people to look at the stimulating view of the Fiction House through a void space.
R O O M T O W E R S
My Fiction House
My Fiction House
Rooms in The Fiction House are designed as Towers, rather than floors to minimize long corridors that feel endless. This was a strategic decision considering the large scale of my site. People can locate to the elevator nearest their room towers, making wayfinding easier and more manageable.
R O O M T O W E R S E C T I O N
The Room Towers opens the opportunity for communities and friends to emerge and gather, as each 3 rooms share an indoor balcony overlooking the world of fiction that awaits them. This makes it feel less institutional and more personal and friendly - a safe zone.
A P E A C E F U L S E R E N I T Y
The rooms are designed with consideration to the needs of the individual, making sure to be neutral while maintaining the playful character of the Fiction house. The balcony extends the floor length of the room, adding an extra dimension to the space.
B E D R O O M E L E V A T I O N
M O R E H E A L I N G J O U R N E Y E X P E R I E N C E S
T H E F O R E S T
T H E F O R E S T P L A N
T H E R A P Y P O D S E A T I N G
B L I S S F U L C O N N E CT I O N
In the therapy pod, there is an integration of guided meditation and music therapy available to allow Cancer Survivors to relax in the sanctuary of the forest.
T H E S P A
H Y D R O T H E R A P Y
T O G E T H E R
An atmospheric spa awaits, with a view over the River Clyde, community energy emerges here beautifully during their Hydrotherapy session. Here, a restorative purpose meets community engagement. In the Fiction spa, residents can interact independently or together, providing a choice for their sessions (Hydrotherapy, Physiotherapy, Massage, Sauna) in a stimulating and relaxing ambience.
C A S S E T T E M U S I C T H E R A P Y
A M U L T I - S E N S O R Y E X P E R I E N C E
In this space, ‘Dawn’ devices create a sensory experience through the application of multiples of ambient sounds, allowing the user to meditate, causing positive distraction to occur.
C O N S U L T A T I O N
C O N S U L T A T I O N S P A C E
Dear Fiction house encourages transparency in care. Within the Consultation area, people can freely express their thoughts or worries and can get redirected to follow-up care.
I M M E R S I O N
B A K E R Y D I S P L A Y
A playful scene unfolds through the arcade-like design integrated within the bakery, adding a theatrical touch to the space.
F L O O R P L A N S
E X P L O R E M Y J O U R N E Y T O C O M P L E T I O N
Throughout the year, I handled all aspects of the project, from writing the brief and conducting interior research to developing innovative solutions and delivering the final vision. I also supported my project with a research paper: ‘Analysis of the Use of Media Entertainment to Promote Wellbeing as an Integral Element of the Interior Design of a Recovery Space’, which provided theoretical evidence for the restorative effects of entertainment and guided my design decisions and was also nominated for the Interior Educators Writing Award in 2022.
C O N T R A C T J O U R N A L
In this journal, I set a full brief for my project ‘Dear Fiction House’, in which I generate my proposal, aims, target audience, vision, challenges, design considerations, key resources and much more! This journal is used as an ongoing reference to assist me with meeting the overall requirements for the project.
R E S E A R C H J O U R N A L
In this journal, I examine issues and stereotypes within healthcare environments, including deinstitutionalization strategies. I explore key case studies, while highlighting audience feedback and pivotal design considerations, prioritizing inclusivity. Moving on, I analyse entertainment in recovery methods, derived from theory, and discuss their practical implementation in the interior healthcare environment.
S I T E A N A L Y S I S J O U R N A L
In this journal, I analyse the features of my site chosen for the project, exploring mainly the sites surrounding context, noise levels, movement, interesting features, historical context and interior background. I contextualize them into diagrams that start to build up my understanding of the site’s energy and the soon to be Dear Fiction House’s aura.
B R A N D + D E S I G N S T R A T E G Y
In this journal, I establish the brand of Dear Fiction house and examine the advantages of incorporating a brand into a healthcare setting. Then, I develop atmosphere scenography boards and mood boards that align with my project's vision. Additionally, I introduce a design strategy, the 'Control Cards', which help determine the zoning layout for the activities in the fiction house.
T H E J O U R N E Y J O U R N A L
In this journal, I record my key decisions while designing each main space within the Fiction House, creating moodboards and sketching different variations of arrangements. My main aim was to translate the whole concept into the practical interior formation, while maintaining the inviting and inclusive energy of the project.