Safe house for students was my first project as s student of the Design College in Ljubljana. We were invited to participate in the second stage of creating apartments for students with different problems that needed help by Professor Lenka Kavčič. Our assignment was to create some private space for students, because the building contains just one big open space and even the beds were not separated, so there was no privacy.

“Students of the Design College (Visoka šola za dizajn) have responded to the call for help from the Student Consultancy: they were to open a safe house for students in need, called Študentska hiša SRCe, a House of the Student HEARTs. They have aquired a suitable place that has been vacated and thus inviting for creative action. The DC students developed the interior design concept and then voluntarily made everything with their own hands. They renovated old and heavily used furniture, they painted the walls and covered some with merry wall-papers, they have fully appointed a home for a young family and a communal room for six students. They have used their skills, ideas and talents. They have donated hours of their labour and with people in need in mind they have found the will to create a home for them. With their selfless contribution they have demonstrated that they understand the job, the role and the mission of a designer in our time.”
(source: http://www.monthofdesign.com/)

The assignment was not an easy one. It was about closing off some space, but not closing it off completely. These people were already on the edge of the social circle because of their situation, and separating them in closed boxes is definitely not a solution. That is why we created dividers that can be removed completely, creating one big room, or not, so that users can have some private space for themselves. We used basic blinds which we attached on each side of the shelving units and with that created a room that can be private and social.

Sketch of one of the »rooms« created with dividers. They are placed between two shelving units on a small wooden board.

Dividers now. How they separate and combine space.

This project received the PROSPECTS 2012 – INTERIOR award.