Stratman, Zoe

The most important thing in life to me is love. Life is all about the people we love, the experiences we have, and the passions we hold. I strive to love others always through kindness, and I cherish the relationships I have with friends and family. I desire to always live a selfless life for those around me putting others first in my career designing for peoples needs, in my classes or workplace, in my community around me, and within my family and friends. I am very intentional in everything I do so I am diligent with my work, my studies, and my time doing what I’m passionate about. I have so much to be thankful for and try to live life in contentment, being thankful and grateful allowing me to be present in the here and now. Life isn’t easy and sometimes there are hard seasons and hard times, so I try to be steadfast and resilient through them knowing these are teaching and growing me. Giving others grace and forgiveness as well as myself is important because it’s a form of love and we are all trying our best as we move through life. I love to love and serve others, live positively, work hard for my dreams and goals, but this takes a lot of self control. Above all else I love and am thankful for Jesus, whom all things flow from. My relationship with Him is what makes me who I am, and its because of His love for me and others that I am led to love and serve others.

Do you have any plans after this semester?

After this semester, I plan to update and continue working on my portfolio and website to then begin applications for internships next summer.

What type of designer would you like to be?

I would like to design more in the commercial realm. I would love to work in a non profit setting or for those who are in need. I’m not really sure yet but I know I want to design to truly help people.

Can you tell me about any problems you ran into in the studio or outside?

This semester was my hardest semester so far. For me, it takes a long time to produce the assignments and my work and I felt stressed under the pressure of time limits to get things done on time. This semester it was also really hard to balance studio, my other classes, and life things like work, grocery shopping, and cooking for myself. I feel I worked really hard this semester and felt the feeling of burn out as well.

What kind of place would you like to design next?

I would love to design another adaptive reuse project. I would also love to try and design something in the healthcare field, like a hospital or physical therapy office.

What do you think makes a good workplace?

A good workplace has a variety of spaces that can be used in a variety of ways with different experiences that fit the needs of individual users. A good workplace caters to the specific needs of the company as well as the individual needs of the employees. A workspace should facilitate community and relationships. A workspace should be an environment that people want to be in all day 5 days a week, making people want to come to work in person. A good office space has both focus spaces to work and public spaces to build relationships and produce good hospitality.

Can you tell me what evidence-based design means to you?

Evidence based design to me is design well backed by research and reason. Design decisions are backed with reason and based on research gathered to help make the most successful design.

Compared to previous semesters, the semester may be challenging in many ways, but you may be able to see your accomplishments. Reviewing your accomplishments, what did you learn from this studio?

I learned a lot from this studio. I improved my technical skills in working with Revit, Enscape, photoshop, indesign and illustrator. I learned time management. I learned how to design more inclusively. I also learned a new way to think and approach design with a more research and evidence based style. I practiced and learned how to truly think about all the important details of design.

Would you like to share anything with future students of this studio?

Though this studio is challenging and takes much of your time and effort, it shapes you to be a better designer. I am very thankful for all the hard work and everything I have gained from this semester alone. Work hard, be confident in your abilities and design decisions, ask questions, and know it is truly worth it in the end.

The NEXT architecture and interior design firm is in need of a new office. This global company based in Los Angeles, California strives to design for the client, keeping them first in everything they do. NEXT truly cares for their company, employees, and communities they serve. NEXT promotes teamwork and collaboration across the global teams, within the offices, and those working remote. This new office will allow for better client care within its location, an added collaboration space amongst the global team, and facilitate another team of designers. With their innovative outlook, this office will provide a work environment that encourages and caters to employees needs, making work in the office flexible and more of an appeal. This design office space will cultivate connections and relationships, producing a community between employees, clients, and the NEXT company as a whole.