Universitatea Politehnica Timișoara

Facultatea de Arhitectură și Urbanism

Master: Tendințe, materiale și tehnologii noi în arhitectura de interior

DESIGNING THE LIVING AREA WITHIN A CONTEMPORARY HOME

You are requested to design and furnish the living areas within a contemporary permanent home,
by converting an pre-existent industrial space.
Students can opt from 3 different structural options: CONCRETE structure, WOOD structure,
METAL structure. Compared to the supplied support, it is allowed to alter/translate/adapt the
voids in the outer walls so that the spatial "shell" serves the development of the solution as well
as possible. The features of existing structure will be taken into account.

Requests
The home is intended for a couple consisting of 2 adults (and possibly 2 children).
In developing the design task, the students will establish in the early phase of design a particular
profile of the inhabitants, so that the solution is closely related to the needs and particularities of
the inhabitants and their main interests. This particular profile helps establishing the character of
the interior design, the colour and texture scheme, etc. and will constitute the pretext for the
development of the layout concept.
Within the home, you are requested to focus on and design only the spaces that make up the
living area. A major role in the development of the solution is the relationship with the existing
structure. It is requested to design a second floor configured as a withdrawn floor (a ledge that
opens towards the first floor), connected by an open staircase, a special emphasis being
assigned to the treatment of the gap on 2 levels.
Mandatory elements that the interior design should include:
- a fireplace, essential being the relationship between the object and its location in relation
to the gap on a two-storey height
- the staircase and its relation to an open area on a two-storey height

The living space will include functional zoning and furniture appropriate to the particular profile of
the occupants, determined individually by each student. It will include, indicatively, the following
areas:
- Intermediate access space: for receiving people who are not part of the intimate group, an
area on the limit between the access and the main living area
- Main social space: specific furniture with state seats, sofas, possible sunken area in
relation to state seats
- Kitchen with areas specifically designed for preparation and serving
- Dining area, integrated in the kitchen or in the living area
- Reading area that includes a library and a sitting area lit with both natural and artificial
light
- Specific spaces according to the profile of the residents: spaces for work, hobby, activity,
childrens lessons, play, etc.

It is requested to establish a functional subdivision, the furnishing layout of the space, optional
use of light spatial partitions that allow acoustic and visual zoning for certain moments/activities,
general and focused lighting schemes, material solutions and finishes.

Presentation of the solution

The final design will be delivered at the end of the semester on sheets of paper that measure
594x594 cm (to fit in A1 format), each sheet having a continuous 5 mm outline and a cartridge.
The identification cartridge has a format of 18.5 x 2.5 cm, it is placed in the lower right corner,
containing the name of the project, the name of the student, the name and the number of the
board (sheet).
Also, the final semester delivery will include a powerpoint/presentation document, serving as
suport for a structured presentation speech.

Mandatory content SHEET 1:

 Main elements: plan of the main floor and living area, followed by views of the side walls
that make up the space, shown as folded around the plan, scale 1:50
Universitatea Politehnica Timișoara
Facultatea de Arhitectură și Urbanism
Master: Tendințe, materiale și tehnologii noi în arhitectura de interior

The plan will be fully furnished, containing the illustration of the various floor
materials with illustrated description of the chosen finishes, stereotomy and connection
details between material changes.
Plan and wall views will contain illustration of chosen finishes, panelling, stereotomy and
material connection details.
 Secondary elements:
o Upper half of the board:
 Left/upper corner: the physical materialization of the concept in the form of
a design object that represents the cumulative ideas of the layout,
materiality, operating principles, etc.
 Right/top corner: short presentation text (200 words)
o Lower half of the board:
 Left/bottom corner: materialization of the general floor plan of the house,
scale 1:200 (reduces scale)
 Right/bottom corner: list of material quantities - types of materials
correlated with surfaces, including furniture (costs without labour) and total
costs

Mandatory content SHEET 2:

 Central piece: axonometric overview of the detailed area, with the 2 frontal sides of the
construction (walls) missing, scale 1:50
 Execution details at scale 1:20/1:10/1:5, with the detailed elements marked on the views
on plate 1:
o The joining of 2 different materials within the flooring (e.g.: transition between
kitchen and living room)
o Fireplace
o Step/railing/handrail
o Artificial lighting
o Fixed furniture (e.g.: kitchen counter, fixed benches, storage, fireplace, etc.)
o furniture
o Decorations (optional)
 Overall perspectives (minimum 4), with the directions of the views marked on the plan on
sheet 1

Generic requirements
 all technical pieces (plan, views) will include general dimensions
 all execution details will include dimensions and will include written specifications
 for furniture elements taken from manufacturer/supplier catalogues, the name of the
manufacturer/web resource will be specified.

Evaluation criteria
- The ability to organize the space and furnishings according to the specifics of functional
areas and sub-areas. Personalization of the proposed solution - taking into account the
visual identity and the particularities of the residents' profile, family context, professional
training, cultural background, etc.
- Coherence of the interior assembly. Clarity of proposal and ability to be representative for
this type of function
- The ability to draft the project from different perspectives:
o Design criteria: the logic of the overall concept and assembly, the topicality of the
solution, the originality of the lighting solution, integrating the layout into the
existing structure.
o Technical criteria: correctness of the representation, the clarity of the technical
drawing, coherent and unitary presentation
Universitatea Politehnica Timișoara
Facultatea de Arhitectură și Urbanism
Master: Tendințe, materiale și tehnologii noi în arhitectura de interior

o artistic/graphic criteria: pagination, designing a graphic background,

illustrative representations
o description criteria: the accuracy of the explanation of the concept within the
written text,

In awarding grades, points are awarded as follows: 1pt - included; 4 pt – originality, aesthetics,
technology, possibility of implementation; 3 points – quality of technical writing (correctness of
technical writing, details, quotation, annotation); 2 points – the quality of the artistic writing
(aesthetics of the project, writing sketches and valued perspectives).

Timetable of the project – provided as an annex

Rules in attending the class

Workshop sessions. One on one reviews

 Within the calendar of each topic, mandatory design elements for each class/workshop
will be established. Failure to present the material required by this calendar automatically
makes it impossible to complete the review.
 The workshop session has 2 mandatory hours of attendance.
 The review will be made only under the conditions in which the student works on the
project according to the phases specified by the assignment (within the workshop hours).
 At a workshop session, only one review will be made, based on the presentation of the
own material developed by the student. Passive reviews are possible but not encouraged,
meaning assisting colleagues' reviews, without having personal material.

Project delivery
 The projects will be handed in on time, on the date and time set.
 In order to have the right to teach the project, a minimum number of attendances from the
number of workshop hours is required.
Situations of intellectual fraud are not acceptable from the point of view of academic conduct.
The teaching staff of the design workshop reserves the right to refuse projects when they are
suspected of fraud or intellectual forgery. In such situations, suspected students may be subject
to additional cross-examination. In case the fraud is proven, the student does not admit his guilt
and is not able to defend/support his project, we assume the right to draw up expulsion reports.

Teaching team:

Șl. dr.arh. Maja Bâldea

Șl. dr.arh. Beatrice Lucaci
Prof. dr.ing. Marius Moșoarcă