When it comes to decorations, members of the Bowdoin Architecture and Design Club (BAD) agree that posters of Muhammad Ali, Jimi Hendrix, and Bob Marley are cliché fixtures in dorm rooms.
With its new dorm room design contest, BAD hopes to reward those who transcend the expected, while inspiring others to take an interest in creatively redefining dorm standards.
Julie Sylvester '09 described BAD as a "struggling organization." With 50 members and only ten active members, BAD needs to "take a step forward and promote itself as a campus organization," according to Sylvester.
"People are surprised that we have an architecture club," said Tony Blout '10.
When Hank Garrett '10 suggested organizing a dorm design competition similar to one in which he participated at boarding school, BAD saw an opportunity to raise student awareness about the use of space as well as about the club itself.
The contest will require little effort on the part of students, according to Garrett. After a room enters the competition, members of BAD will come to "hang out" and take pictures. Depending on the number of participants, there may be multiple categories based on class year or type of residence. Students should submit their rooms for consideration before Spring Break and judging will take place after students return.
"All of our assignments in architecture deal with small homes. Within those design parameters you have to negotiate space. Dorm room beds and dressers become walls, obstacles you have to deal with," said Sylvester.
The contest will address how well students devise public and private space, use lighting, and achieve creativity with furniture. In the first-year dorms, "There's only one way everything fits," said Gwen Hutton '10 and BAD wants to find, in Garrett's words, "cool ways people deal with awkward spaces."
"If people tend to hang out in your room a lot, it's a good indicator that it's doing its job," said Garrett.
The contest will also provide first years who are unfamiliar with the housing lottery a venue to explore available options.
"The first-year brick renovation reiterates the fact that good design creates a good environment for the student," said Sylvester. "If [the College] didn't think that, they would have kept the stuffy little hallways in Maine and Winthrop."
The two or three architecture-related courses offered every semester include a design studio class and an art history class.
However, Visiting Assistant Professor of Visual Arts Wiebke Theodore said she believes that there are as many as 20 architecturally mindful classes offered on campus, including classes in physics and psychology. Architecture is about, "being aware in a thoughtful way in your built environment," said Theodore.
"Anything we do to transform our built environment reflects our values," said Theodore, noting that in dorms, plastic is prominent because of its convenience.
Considering design in college living spaces will allow students to create an environment that better reflects their values," Theodore added.
"Everyone at Bowdoin can benefit from a visual consciousness," said Theodore.
BAD encourages students to submit their rooms to the contest even if their focus is on one unique design aspect.
"If you have a nice space to live and study it totally improves quality of life," said Blout.