Katie Burdett Design Portfolio 2020

P E R S O N A L S T A T E M E N T
Design encompasses a complex nature. While we celebrate and enjoy good and
thoughtful design for the joy it brings to users, we are often uncomfortable and
sometimes even anxious when we experience poor design.
As a child I was hospitalized for a life-threatening disease. The stress and burdens
that my family and I carried during my stay were insurmountable, and the
conditions in which we were cared for in regards to the built environment were
rather forlorn. Though the doctors and nurses provided exceptional care, the
reality of our hospital room and surrounding environment was lackluster and
harsh. As a child, my stay was frightening. Bright lights and monitors blared at me
when being transported in a stretcher, and the area for my family to stay was tight
and uncomfortable. Even as an eleven year old, I felt the significance of being
confined to a small space that was not thoughtfully designed for its users, but
rather taken from a hackneyed mold. Katie
Additionally, I have always enjoyed learning about the systems in which the natural
world operates. The precise and intentional way that the earth and its inhabitants
live and grow is something that I hope to emulate through my designs. My
inspiration for each design ultimately comes from creation and the inherent beauty
and intricate systems that it contains.
I strive to create places wherein people are served, rather than hindered by their
environment. This is why I take great care to research; these researched spaces
display the holistic approach of evidence-based design and the subsequent
richness of human interaction that results from it. I echo the great architect Louis
Sullivan that “form follows function”. However, I would also add that form ought to
be integrated into function. While we study and research the purpose of the space
first during the design process, the creative nature of our profession allows us to
not only create useful spaces, but ones that inspire and connect— that allow all
people to grow and thrive.
I returned home from that hospital different from when I came in. Yes, I was
healed; however, I also began to think differently about the ways in which Overall, my design philosophy lies in this: that our designs exist for the betterment
environments can shape our behavior, and in the case of healthcare, our healing. of others— that they may be served well through our thoroughly researched and
The beautiful, dichotomous nature of art and science in design becomes more and well-inspired, functional designs that provide
BURDETT
beauty and joy for all who experience
more apparent to me as I study the impacts that the built environment has on it. Good design is noticed, but great design changes the way we live, work, heal,
patients, staff, employees, students, and more.
and grow as humans. I strive for great design— the kind of design that truly
impacts lives for the better.