🌎 Resumen en español · traducción automática
Estudiantes de diseño de interiores de la Universidad de Kentucky crearon propuestas para reimaginar los espacios de cuidado infantil de The Nest, una organización sin fines de lucro de Lexington, incorporando principios de diseño informado por trauma. La estudiante Jillian Mandel desarrolló un diseño que incluye sistemas de paredes flexibles, zonas de actividades organizadas, opciones de asientos variados, formas curvas y materiales suaves para crear espacios que devuelvan a los niños una sensación de control y seguridad emocional. El trabajo de los estudiantes ya está influyendo en los planes de renovación de The Nest.
Traducción y resumen generados por IA a partir del artículo en inglés. Puede contener errores; consulte el texto original.
LEXINGTON, Ky. — University of Kentucky interior design students have created a series of proposals for reimagining The Nest’s childcare spaces with trauma-informed design principles, according to a University of Kentucky News report.
The School of Interiors at UK’s College of Design partnered with The Nest, a Lexington nonprofit that supports families facing crisis, for a spring studio focused on how physical spaces can support emotional well-being for children and families.
Assistant interiors professor Aanya Chugh said most childcare design standards prioritize safety and function but often overlook emotional needs. “That gap can leave spaces feeling overstimulating or unsupportive for young children,” Chugh said.
Through site visits, interviews and observations at The Nest’s facility, students studied how children, families and staff experience the space daily. Interiors student Jillian Mandel centered her design proposal on seven principles: empowerment and personal control, peer and staff support, emotional and physical safety, connection and belonging, reduced angles and soft spatial design, and sensory considerations and adaptability.
Mandel’s design introduces flexible wall systems to create defined classroom spaces while maintaining clear supervision sight lines, organized activity zones to help children navigate confidently, and varied seating options that give children a sense of choice and control. She also incorporated curved forms, soft materials, calming corners, warmer finishes to make spaces feel residential, and gradual transitions between active and quiet areas.
“I wanted to create spaces where kids can feel like they have their control back,” Mandel said. “Trauma takes that away.”
Jenny Norman, assistant executive director and director of childcare at The Nest, said the student presentations were meaningful. “What stood out most was how thoughtfully the students approached trauma-informed design, not just focusing on the physical space, but really considering the emotional experience of the children, families and staff we serve,” Norman said.
The students’ work has already influenced The Nest’s planning for the upcoming renovation of The Morton House, the historic building that houses The Nest Family Center. Founded in 1977, The Nest has served Lexington for nearly five decades, providing free childcare, parenting education, domestic violence counseling and assistance with basic human needs for families in crisis.
Chugh emphasized the real-world value of the project. “If even one of these proposals leads to a quieter corner, a softer transition or a small change that helps a child feel safer while a family moves through a difficult season, this work has done something meaningful,” Chugh said.
Sources
This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from University of Kentucky News, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://uknow.uky.edu/student-news/softer-place-land-uk-interiors-students-envision-new-possibilities-nest-s-childcare.
