There's a lot of speculation at the moment on where our heroes will be sleeping and living during their time at Beacon Academy. Opinions vary between a large barracks-like sleeping block to individual rooms. I prefer the mid-way option of individual dorms for each team. As the intention is clear that teams should learn to live and work together - to rely on each other as their families - it seems logical to me that they would be housed together.
Freshman to Junior Year Dorms[]
Basic Generic Dorm Unit
Having had an interest in technical drawing and architecture in my youth, I thought I'd try to throw together an idea of what these might look like (see the thumbnail to the right). I'm a bit rusty but I remember most of the tricks; I hope it's clear enough.
I'm thinking that, for Freshman teams, the décor would be pretty basic - neutral colours like beige and buff. The furniture would also be pretty basic for the main area. There would be a study desk and chair for each resident, a bookshelf and there would also be a centre table and a four-section sofa that can be broken up into various groupings as desired.
It has been established that the Vytal version of TV uses free-floating holographic displays. Therefore, I suspect that the dorm will also have a public broadcast display terminal in front of the plate glass windows. I also think that the kids will all be issued tablets that are hard-wired to interface with and only with Beacon Academy's WiFi system and library network.
In the case of teams like JNPR, with mixed gender rosters, I think that the sleeping room layout might change with the boys in one corner and the girls in the other with cubicle-style dividers between them to maintain privacy and decency.
You'll notice a lack of cooking/dining facilities. I suspect that younger students will be expected to eat in the cafeteria, although I'm sure that a small refrigerator, a microwave oven and stuff like a toaster or waffle maker plus a coffee maker will find its way into the dorm in time for snacks and 'crunch time' TV meals whilst studying.
I suspect that the teams will be allowed if not actively encouraged to customise the dorm as much as possible for their needs. Mutual reliance and a sense of family would be a vital aspect of their ability to function as teams. That means that they need to have the feeling that their living space is their home in a very real sense. That includes learning to work together to make it equally suitable and comfortable for them all.
Feel free to copy the basic layout and customise as you wish with furniture and fittings moved around. Only structural elements like windows, doors and walls are unable to change.
Upperclassmen Dorms[]
It's my feeling that the team will be moved into a different living space when they enter Senior year to reflect their almost-graduated status. I suspect that there would be four studio accommodations radiating around a central communal living area. They would likely have their own kitchen/dining area too, as the students would be transitioning to independence for their adult vocation.
One other aspect of upperclassman accommodations that occurs to me - the sleeping/study spaces with their en suite bathrooms are highly customisable because at least some will be in committed relationships or might even be married (most graduates will be 20 or 21 years old after all). Thus they would need to have the option to have shared quarters with their partners.
Uncertainties[]
There are some things that we don't know that could change the relevance of these design concepts. As some examples:
- Are teams issued vehicles? Would there need to be access to the parking/maintenance space, especially for those in Senior year;
- Would the dorm have to double as a ready room? If so, there might need to be a maintenance area for personal equipment;
- Just what is the attitude of Vytal culture regarding interpersonal relationships in young people? if it is very strictly taboo, then separate sleeping cubicles would be a must;
- How militarised is Beacon? The exterior of the building might be fortified, making large windows and a balcony less likely.