7th Floor Lounge

Every day I walk past our lounge on the 7th floor of South (new residence hall) and I tell myself that I want to use this space. People can access it from three directions . The two are by walking down the hallway from the two directions. The third is by exiting the elevator. The lounge is its separate room designated by corner pillars. The lounge only has two walls, but is clearly its own space. Where the other two walls should be are hallways.

If you look at the photo closer, you can also see that the carpet helps designate its own space. The center of the room is a solid color. It makes a large rectangle which embodies the room. The hallways also have their own design in the carpet. There are two parallel lines that run the entire length of the hall way. Those lines help direct people to the next space. On the right side of the picture, you can see them turning left. They could have bent and gone through the lounge, but the lines did not and helped highlight the two spaces.

The lounge is centered around a huge television on the wall. There is one couch and four sofa chairs surrounding a nice table. The room is cool because it’s functional without being secluded. Behind the couch is a small seating area for people who want to do homework. I love how the space can be used for a specific purpose, but still be social. Anytime I sit there, I watch TV but also talk to friends walking by.

I see a lot of students using the lounge as a game room. People play cards and bored games all the time. Students also use the are for eating in the morning since the lounge is placed next to the kitchen. I enjoy seeing people using the space and being social instead of staying in their rooms which are right down the hall. It is also a nice way to catch the news when the TV is on that channel.

On the ceiling, there are three main lights that direct people to the TV. They are in a line that is surrounded by sixteen smaller lights built into the ceiling. The users of the space can turn on the three main lights or the other lights. It gives them an option to control the mood of the room with lighting.