Satellites around the world bring together Indiana University students, faculty, and alumni to collaborate with international partners. The latest addition to this system, the IU Ghana Gateway, is a collaborative effort in its very design of the unfurnished suite, which was established in May 2024 in the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences building in the West African country’s capital Accra. provided an opportunity.
IU’s Global Gateway Network of six offices around the world builds relationships with universities, nongovernmental organizations, governments, and businesses, creating research, conference, study abroad, and internship opportunities.
Interior design students from the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design will present their design proposals as part of a client-based international project for the new IU Ghana Gateway. Photo by Alex Kumar, Indiana University
On a practical level, the office not only serves as a home base, office, and classroom for IU personnel overseas, but also as a place to meet with overseas personnel. As well as embassies, IU Global Gateway offices in Berlin, Mexico City, Bangkok, New Delhi, Beijing and Accra represent and welcome IU in host countries.
To set the stage for this ambitious mission, Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design students from Senior Lecturer Miyoung Hong’s Interior Design Vertical Studio were invited to propose and present an interior design plan for the Ghana Gateway office. Requested. The first project of the semester requires a dramatic mental shift as it instills in students the team-based ethos that characterizes the field.
“I really had to put aside my beliefs about what a typical workspace looks like,” said student Emma Adams.
Bringing interior design students out of their cultural niche was precisely Hong’s goal. In fact, her commitment to multicultural understanding was recognized with IU’s Inclusive Excellence Award.
“Emerging interior design professionals need to have a global perspective and consider social, cultural, economic and ecological contexts in all aspects of their work,” Hong said.
Samuel Obeng, Academic Director of IU Ghana Gateway, provides feedback on students’ designs. Photo by Alex Kumar, Indiana University
Although she regularly pairs her students with Indiana-based clients to develop design solutions, IU’s Client-Based International Projects program offers opportunities to connect students with clients further afield. Born. This Internationalization-at-Home initiative, run by the Center for the Study of Global Change, helps instructors add a global element to client-based projects with support from IU Global’s resources and expertise .
The extent to which a space meets the needs of its users is a kind of North Star in interior design. In other words, designing a successful interior space starts and ends with the user. The Eskenazi School’s interior design curriculum teaches students to develop sensitivity and empathy for users, in this case users from continents they have rarely visited. To foster that understanding, Professor Hong invited Nana Amoah Lamy, assistant professor in the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies and the African Studies Program in the IU College of Arts and Sciences, to introduce the basics of Ghanaian culture to her class. I was introduced to it.
Amoah-Lami’s lecture delved into the life cycle events of birth, adolescence, marriage, and death in Ghanaian culture, as well as the historical background of Kente and Adinkra fabrics and symbols. She also discussed the importance of colors to Ghanaians, including the Ghanaian flag.
“Our team really took Dr. Nana’s lectures into consideration when developing the project,” says Adams. “We thought about how people communicate with each other and enjoy a collaborative environment in Ghanaian culture. We avoided creating walls in any part of the design and included flexible seating options. provided.”
In addition to a color scheme reminiscent of the Ghanaian flag, a cooperative seating arrangement, and a biophilic sensibility that prioritizes natural light and airflow, students incorporated some of the symbols of Ghana previously introduced. . It is ananse spider, which suggests wisdom and creativity. For example, the Akwaaba symbol to celebrate Ghanaian hospitality.
The students’ design included a color scheme reminiscent of the Ghanaian flag, a cooperative seating arrangement, and a biophilic sensibility that prioritizes natural light and airflow. Photo by Alex Kumar, Indiana University
“It was difficult to incorporate Ghanaian culture in a meaningful way without coming across as rude or insincere,” said student Regan Hill. “We wanted to incorporate patterns reminiscent of Kente fabrics, but struggled to figure out how to incorporate them in a meaningful way.We learned from Dr. Nana that using Kente fabrics as floor decorations is frowned upon. I didn’t know if it was rude to use it as upholstery for furniture that people sit on.”
A presentation by Kathy Carrigan, director of the IU Global Gateway Network, deepened students’ understanding of the IU Ghana Gateway’s mission and how the space will be used. Carrigan and Amoah-Lamy were among those invited to student poster presentations of their completed designs. Other stakeholders included faculty from the Eskenazi School and African Studies Program, staff from the Office of the Vice President for International Affairs, and professional interior designers.
Visitor feedback facilitated the students’ iterative design process.
“The big turning point happened in the comments section of the presentation,” student Lindsey Reda said. “Many of our guests were concerned about where their materials were coming from, so we made it possible for them to source materials from local companies in Ghana. Locally sourced materials have a lower carbon footprint and It supports the local economy and is high quality.”
The design proposals will be further evaluated in the coming weeks to determine how they will be implemented at the Accra office.
“We are fortunate to receive support from many faculty, students, and staff across Indiana University who are from Ghana, have studied in Ghana, or have active research plans in West Africa.” Mr Carrigan said. “Their feedback helps us determine the best components for the space and helps us connect with Ghanaian artisans who can source or manufacture some of the materials locally.”
Regardless of whether their plans come to fruition, the students realized that designing for international clients can be transformative.
“I’m guilty of thinking everyone has the same experience as me and not thinking about how other cultures influence design,” said Ella Rapp. . “Seeing how they incorporate values and traditions into their designs made me realize how important it is to take these into account in all future work.”
