Architecture Senior Emily Simms' Research Featured at Fall 2024 Symposium

Student: Emily Simms 
Major: Architecture, Senior 
Hometown: Rome, Georgia 
High School: Model High School 
Faculty Advisor: Robin Puttock 

Description: Along Martha Berry Boulevard in the City of Rome, Georgia, is the proposed Tax Allocation District (TAD), which slates redevelopment for blighted areas, including motels that have been a hot spot for criminal activity in the area. A new long-term facility is proposed within the Tax Allocation District that blends the community of Rome within the threshold of the facility, as well as designing patient rooms and day rooms to control daylight and artificial light to regulate circadian rhythms, therefore reducing self-harm incidents and improving recovery for patients diagnosed with depression.   
 
Inspiration: The inspiration behind the project comes from my background in social work and government. I earned an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Berry College in 2015, and I worked for local and state government in different capacities. I saw firsthand the need for mental health facilities and resources in the Northwest Georgia area. This research merges my prior experience and my new knowledge in architecture at KSU and applies existing research in mental health to the design of spaces within a community that I am intimately familiar with. 
  
Challenges: The challenge I have faced with this research is narrowing my research to depression and harm reduction. Because of my previous experience, it was difficult to specify an issue of focus within mental health because there are many to address. However, I have found that making the research more direct and specific has given my thesis more direction regarding the design process. 
  
Lessons: I have learned that the path of research is not a straight path. The research has taken me down different paths than I first imagined, but I have really enjoyed diving deeper into the research as research decisions created turns in my journey. 

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