STORYTELLING: A Women’s Refuge
A PROJECT BY CANDICE CHEAH, MARIA GRYGORYEVA, AND FAITH LYNCH
OUR MISSION
Media distorts the perception of marginalized groups, neglecting to tell a truthful and informed story free of assumptions and stereotypes. Women are not only one of the largest groups who suffer from this phenomenon, but they are also the fastest-growing demographic of those who are affected by poverty and homelessness.
It is our mission, then, to combat this insufficiency of care by creating an infrastructure that addresses holistic wellbeing and transitory habitation.
STORYTELLING will act not only as a shelter but also provide opportunities for non-market housing and accessiblity to amenities such as a community closet, medical services, a grocery store, communal gathering spaces, educational services, counseling, and child care.
OUR VISION IS TO
blur the lines between shelter and non-market housing as a way to combat stigma and preconceptions and to streamline women's homelessness towards independence.
Through the adaptive reuse of the Calgary Board of Education building, a strong and secure exterior shell is provided that houses a safe and therapeutic interior where the needs of homeless women and their families are to be cared for — beyond the physical. Creative needs are often overlooked and can thus be cultivated through the act of STORYTELLING.
Homeless women should not be merely considered as another case or statistic. They deserve a sense of identity, belonging, worth, and dignity.
The exterior plaza space is surrounded by vegetation and with views to the interior residential courtyard and open patios, reinforcing the sense of community and interiority. A central glass pavilion acts as a refuge. This is a safe place where authenticity is welcomed through the unfiltered storytelling of the residents.
Interior garden spaces allow residents to cultivate and care for their own plants and produce, helping to further accentuate a sense of community building.
Site/Plaza Plan
Ground Floor Plan: The inclusion of a private entrance for residents with access to amenities such as a community closet, doctor's office, pharmacy, and grocery store
Second Floor Plan: The provision of educational and emotional services alongside an exhibition and creative spaces
Third Floor Plan: Social communal spaces that include dining, lounging, and childcare programming
Fourth Floor Plan: Communal indoor garden and gathering spaces surrounded by dedicated space for residential suites. Accessible units are located near elevator cores
Fifth Floor Plan: Communal indoor garden and gathering spaces surrounded by dedicated space for residential suites. Accessible units are located near elevator cores
Cross Section
Longitudinal Section
South and North Elevations
East and West Elevations
SELF EXPRESSION THROUGH CONSTRUCTION
THE KIT OF PARTS
Inspired by the interchangeability of movie sets, the design of shelter and non-market residential housing is built within a shell providing the infrastructure for internal manipulation by the user. The kit of parts provides partitions and furnishings that can click into tracks on residential and communal floors, allowing for the construction of public and private realms to suit user-specific needs. Women are given agency and control for perhaps the very first time in their lives.
SHELTER UNIT DESIGN
For shelter users, it is important to consider the possibility of a variety of needs. Different bed situations such as pull-out couch beds and bunk beds can provide aid in emergency situations or for women with children. As these users are likely to have fewer personal belongings, furnishings and the level of customization may be minimal.
Reimagined for a woman and her two small children, the shelter unit provides the basic necessities for living and eating. The possibility for customization as a means of making the space less institutional is apparent through decoration, wallpapers, and the painting of partition walls and chalkboard accessories.
NON-MARKET HOUSING DESIGN
This non-market housing unit was designed by a single woman. Though largely made up of the kit of parts, the space also features personal items and tokens that are important to her. This takes into account a greater need for storage.
In this case, the kit has provided her with the base for customizing her living space with wallpaper and personal items. The space, as well as the other units, are also able to accommodate pets that make the unit feel even more at home, acknowledging the importance of pets in the lives of many individuals.
MERGED NON-MARKET HOUSING DESIGN
Every second unit has the ability to be merged with an adjacent unit, dependent on availability, to form a larger living space. This unit was designed for a single mother with a small child. It features a full bedroom and an additional couch bed with the ability to be used as a playroom during the day.
As this is a non market unit, the space is filled with collected personal belongings. Accommodating for the different needs of women who are getting out of homelessness, there is also an office space for a work from home set up.
