Part I: Facts
For my thesis project, I propose to design the interior of Asiameriq Villa, which will be a state-of-the art contemporary psychiatric centre and resort for people to enjoy their leisure while undergoing psychotherapy. I choose this name to categorically depict both the Asian touch and the contemporary modern (especially American) relevance of the services to be provided at the proposed villa. Naming of the facility as a villa is meant to attract guests by creating an interest and a desire in them to spend their quality time and undergo psychotherapy at a luxurious home setting. A wide range of Asian traditional and western gourmet cuisine, wellness therapies, activities to relax the mind, and a level of luxury that has never been available to people from all walks of life and ages will be offered at the Asiameriq Villa. Stylish, spacious, and quietly sophisticated, Asiameriq Villa will be designed to cater for the Asian-American residents of Daly City down town, as well as Americans from all over the continent, not to mention the tourists who frequent the city due to its rich Asian culture, artifacts, and museums.
The structure is a Class B building, composed of three floors, with thick concrete walls, cemented floor, and a high ceiling. I intend to design the main feature of the villa to house occupational leisure activities on the ground and the first floor, while offices, boardroom, and storage will take up the second floor. Currently being used as a shopping mall, the building complex is located along Campus Drive in Campus Surgery Center in the downtown Daly City of California. Campus drive is well off Serramonte Boulevard that braches from the Cabrillo Highway in the north, while Hickey Boulevard will also land you on Campus Drive and into Campus Surgery Center from the Junipero Serra Highway on the east. The other directions to the proposed villa are Skyline Boulevard from the west and the south of Daly City down town. Currently, Down Town Group of Supermarkets is using the ground and the first floor of the complex as a shopping mall, while the second floor is for lease. The mall is due for closure later this year due to heavy indebtedness.
Part II: Thesis justification and acceptance standards
Asiameriq Villa is designed to be the only available and affordable ideal destination for people to relax, indulge themselves in Asian and western luxury, psychotherapy, and leisure activities that will find in no other place. The guests will also benefit much from interactions and learning of each other’s cultures, hence this will promote appreciation of the diversity of humankind while at the same time promoting unity in diversity. Indeed, this will be nothing close to the regular resorts or psychology centers. People will engage each other in activities of their choice that sooth the mind and wash down all their worries, without direct supervision or coercion. Clients will be treated to tasting of tea form Asia (commonly known as caf), tasting of wines from all over the world, massage, yoga, gym, taichi, and boxing on the ground floor of the proposed villa, while the first floor will house acupuncture, facial, pedicure/manicure, flower arrangement/Ikebana, calligraphy, painting, ceramics, library, music lab, and the consultation area. The playing ground will be outside for the purpose of outdoor games, especially for children as the villa will seek a holistic and inclusive approach to ensure people from all walks of life and all ages find the much needed rest, relaxation, psychotherapy, and indulgence whenever they want.
My proposed interior design for the facility eliminates a reception, and instead brings in a subtly lit entry into the driveway that leads Japanese designed front door to a circular bamboo enclosure that greets quests at the entrance, spelling the irresistible luxury of Asiameriq Villa. Every incoming guest will be warmly greeted and welcomed by a couple of waiting ushers well groomed and dressed in traditional Asian attire who will lead them to a striking Korean-designed circular table for ‘caf’, the tea-tasting tradition of Asians to introduce the Asian touch of the traditional and contemporary activities and services offered here.
Additionally, the impressive layout of the villa will have natural Asian decoration material, original Asian sculpture installations and proportioned sections for the various indulging occupations to create a sophisticated and modern ‘Asian influenced’ villa. The most impressive aspect of this proposed design of Asiameriq Villa is how contemporary finishing will bind heavy Asian aesthetics effortlessly, creating a balance that exudes a compelling and relaxing ambience. My employment of quality elements such as natural timber, Shoji glass, limestone, textured nickels, and lacquered paper panels will make Asiameriq Villa an understated luxury and effective therapy for those seeking satisfactory relief from the troubles of today’s daily hustle and bustle both in the city and in the countryside. I have considered the interior design aspects of unity to ensure related theme and internal consistency of the villa as a whole unit with different sections; symmetrical, asymmetrical and radial balance to adjust sections and items in their most appropriate space. I also consider proportionality to allow enough space for every section, and focus to place each decorative artifact, article, equipment and furniture to make the overall design of Asiameriq Villa attractive and enticing to the eye of the onlooker.
Location at Daily city down town is the most appropriate as it is a serene, peaceful, and quiet environment where people from all lifestyles like spending the valued leisure time. Moreover, the Daily is a metropolitan city with many Asians very popular for their occupational therapies, and is the home to people of different nationalities who coexist harmoniously. Additionally, running such a business here is costly; hence, one would still get large profit margins even with the intended fair prices for services offered at this facility in comparison with other such establishments elsewhere in the country. This design will definitely be reckoned with in the interior design fraternity as it brings ancient Asian practices and artifacts to the present modern world, enhancing appreciation of various cultures of the world as it will as well recognize the socio-cultural aspects of all the visiting guests. This will impact positively in relieving the mental troubles of school going and home environment of children and teens, the stresses of financial and marriage constraints of young adults and the middle age group. In addition, the old people in society will also find refuge for their mental disturbances related to ageing. Indeed, this will be the place to be for literally everyone seeking indulgence, serenity, and peace of mind.
As for the office space, the interior of the second floor of the complex will be something close to a mall, where all office activities will be taking place in an open and extravagantly spacious. This will eliminate the notion commonly held by people when the go to see their psychiatrists, and make the clients take the consultants as their close friends and partners in enhancing their psychological wellbeing. There will be traditional and contemporary Asian and American oriental medicine psychiatrists, acupuncturists, herbalists, and bonesetters, psychic healers who attract a vast majority of Asian Americans, Americans, and many tourists to Daly City downtown. Discussions with the contemporary and traditional psychiatry consultants will take place at the lounge area at the center of the room, while the comfortable couches at the sides will be preserved for interactions among clients. I find it worth writing a thesis on the interior design of such facilities due to my interest and passion in planning the interior of institutions and offices by innovatively blending the various colors, textures, furniture, lighting, and space work together to effectively and efficiently meet the needs of particular facilities and institutions. Office and institution interior design is what I intend to explore in the coming three quarters of my study.
REFERENCES
Christine P. M. (2008). Becoming an interior designer. Phoenix: John Wiley & Sons.
Love to know. (2006). Asian style interior design. Retrieved on July 30, 2010. <http://interiordesign.lovetoknow.com/Asian_Style_Interior_Design>.
