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Campus Cafe
Designing a User-Centered Space for Students
Introduction
Project Brief
Developed as part of my coursework at the University of Texas at Austin, this project involved designing a brick-and-mortar business to activate the open space in front of the art building on campus. The assignment challenged me to consider user experience, site-specific constraints, and architectural style while developing a CAD-based spatial design. The final result was presented through a curated 11x17 board designed to communicate the core aspects of the project clearly and efficiently
Project Scope
For this project, I set out to design a café and study space—something I knew I would personally benefit from as a student. While campus offers many great study spots, finding an available seat can be challenging, especially on this side of campus. Beyond adding more study spaces, I aimed to solve key pain points I’ve experienced with existing spots.
Goals
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Maximize Study Space:
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Solve Key Pain Points:
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Create an Atmosphere:
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Provide ample seating to accommodate a significant number of students while maintaining a balance of comfort and aesthetic appeal.
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Address common issues faced with current study spaces such as space hogging, no outlets, and depressing atmosphere
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Create an environment that fosters productivity through intentional space planning and architecture
Research
The Problems
To create a user-centered environment, the most important step was to identify the problems faced with currently available study spaces. I spent time exploring other study spots on campus to observe these problems.
An Inefficient usage of Space: An Observational Study
Is the lack of available seating at the study spots simply an issue of too many people? Or is there something that can be done to accommodate a growing student population?
To answer this question, I spent 10 hours over the course of 2 days at a popular study spot on campus. During my time there, I kept track of how many seats were available, how many were taken, and what seats were getting taken first.
Here's what I discovered:
The Most Optimal Outcome
What Should Happen
What Actually Happens
As demonstrated in the above graphic, even if there is ample seating, most of the time only a fraction of that seating is used. This is due to the natural tendency of people to occupy the center of an open space. If there's plenty of space, why not make the most out of it?
Though large tables are sometimes beneficial for study groups, group projects, or physically large projects, a vast majority of student are studying come by themselves or in pairs.
To combat this issue, I decided to prioritize individual/pair seating in my design. This minimizes the possibility of students occupying more than 1 seat.
The Space
The space is an open lot directly south of the art building, bordered by two sidewalks. Its central campus location ensures steady foot traffic, making it ideal for a student-focused establishment.
Aesthetic Inspiration
The next step was to gather inspiration to form a general design direction that I want to pursue. The key elements that I wanted to incorporate into my work was modern contemporary architecture with brutalist influence, ample natural lighting, and a touch of nature.
Concept Development
I began by constructing the building with basic geometric blocks, progressively refining the form while considering the functionality of each space. Once I had solidified the overall structure, I translated my vision into a more detailed sketch to visualize the final design.
Next, I replicated the design in 3D using a CAD software called Rhinoceros 3D. Since this was my first time using Rhino outside of YouTube tutorials, I used it as an opportunity to familiarize myself with the program and explore its many features.
Being able to see the building in 3 dimensions allowed me to better understand the space and flesh out design choices in real-time.
To maximize space, I designed the building to have 3 levels, each level accommodating for different needs:
Ground Floor
For people who like working in public spaces. Includes group seating, social spaces, and the coffee bar. Plenty of floor-to-ceiling windows to create an open feeling to foster a busy environment without feeling crowded.
2nd Floor
For grinders and crammers. Only has individual/pair seating, and has a more closed off feeling to minimize distractions. Also includes outdoor seating options for those who want some fresh air.
3rd Floor / Rooftop
For relaxation and resets. Fully covered by a wood canopy-like roof to allow for outdoor enjoyment while still being protected from the elements. Includes hammocks for naps.
I finalized the design and created a detailed model of the building, along with furniture pieces, to better illustrate how the space would function.
Presentation
The final stage of the project involved presenting my design clearly and concisely on an 11"x17" presentation board. I began by sketching a layout to determine the best way to organize the space on the board and showcase my design elements effectively.
Once I knew what components I needed, I started rendering out different shots of the building using Rhino's built in rendering engine.
I used Adobe Photoshop to create renderings of how certain spaces could be used.
Finally, with all of my assets ready, I assembled the presentation board on Photoshop.
Presentation Board
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