Welcome to the Canadian Centre for Youth Abroad!

Environmental Design Thesis
by Krigh Bachmann

Globalization of the Individual

To be against “globalization” is wishful thinking. We are no longer a series of small tribes scattered across the globe. We are an interconnected network of people and places, and the objects and knowledge we pass between them. In recent year we have come to realize the finite limits of the Earth and that the issues we face are global, but we still feel disconnected.

Proposed in this thesis is a new idea, globalization of the individual; a change in the way the individual sees themselves as part of the whole. To accomplish this, the Canadian Centre for Youth Abroad (CCYA) would educate and connect youth (from both Canada and overseas) by encouraging them to work/volenteer in countries abroad. By working overseas, it submerses the individual into that culture (rather than passive observer or tourist).

WHAT IF... A YOUTH CENTRE COULD BRIDGE OCEANS?

This centre will be a bridge for youth as they move from one place to another and interact with fellow travellers, educators and staff running the centre. It encourages individuals to learn about a foreign culture and the links between them.

WHAT IF... A ROOM WAS DESIGNED TO START CONVERSATIONS?

The CCYA is an attempt to go beyond the ordinary youth hostels and employment centres the world travellers find themselves confined to. It was create to encourage social connections between it’s users.

The café and lounges were placed with the intention of creating pockets of social activity that would draw people into conversation as they moved through the space. The resource centre through classes, research and communication (in person and via media), provides the users with the tools and knowledge to make better decisions both on their journey and for years to come.

The living quarters, are warm, quiet and enveloping, but small enough so that the users will seek out larger spaces of the lounges.

WHAT IF... A THESIS COULD BE BUILT?

This centre was not an attempt to make a grand conceptual statement, produce an idea that could never be built, or one that if built would sacrifice the purpose of the structure: the users. It was designed to show that a first steps towards a better world are possible today.

KRIGH BACHMANN With a major in Environmental Design and a minor in Industrial Design, Krigh is working towards completing his Bachelors of Design at the Ontario College of Art and Design. He is also working full time in an award winning interior design firm and quickly establishing himself

in the interior design community. With strong interests in sustainable design and a technical computer graphics, Krigh also hopes to pursue a part-time careering teaching design. To view examples of his work, feel free to visit: www.KRIGH.com