YHA Stay

The brief aimed to design an urban youth hostel to attract an 'Insta-savvy crowd". During my research I found that the largest demographic of people using social media every day was women aged 25-35, making up 16.3% of all users in 2021. Women were often taught to dislike their bodies and many women feel pressured to have a perfect body image and social media is often criticised for encouraging this ‘perfect image’. However, I aimed to connect women and create a meaningful experience by celebrating different body types

As the Mowbray building is in the old industrial part of Sheffield I made sure to take inspiration from the Steel history of Sheffield within the use of materials. Once entering the building the style is predominantly industrial, however as the user walks further into the space, it becomes more feminine. To represent the feminine aesthetic, I stayed away from the typical use of pink tones and instead, I used the shape and form of the female body within the space, becoming more predominant in the back of the building. By combining these contrasting styles in one space, I aimed to connect women with a more 'grunge' style and women with a more delicate style.