We have eagerly stumbled out of Spooktober and into November - the month we’ve dedicated to co
We have eagerly stumbled out of Spooktober and into November - the month we’ve dedicated to completing research and initiating preliminary design.As part of research, on Thursday, we headed down to L’Arche in Mobile, Alabama. L’Arche is a highly-regarded group home with locations all over the world. Our client, Dr. John Dorsey, suggested we familiarize ourselves with different approaches to alternative supportive housing. This model in particular was well run and had quite a special culture! It houses 22 people with mental illness and severe disability. When we arrived, our new friends entertained our endless questions in their main office. We then walked a block over to their activity center, and shortly after we toured the three homes where individuals of various levels of functionality live in companionship with healthcare professionals, Jesuit students, volunteers, and exchange students. We sat for dinner with these friendly faces, touched by the sense of community and welcoming. We observed how their organization integrates independence with support, and how their built environment helped and in some ways hindered their program. They too are using housing not originally designed for their purposes and therefore they are familiar with the constant challenge of adaptation. We are finding that this is the case more often than not in supportive housing. What an incredible opportunity we have to provide enhanced independent living homes with use in mind.Aside from the eye opening field trip, our team sketched endless plan schemes at 2,000 s.f. Ideas piled up on our drafting desks: The Bar, The L, the T, The Courtyard, The Scatter, and so on. We started to think of the progression from street to bedroom. We talked about sunlight, views, noise, privacy, interaction, and the feeling of home. We are considering precedents, too, and dimensions of ADA, universal design, and Neufort. Our most daunting current challenge is taking our scientific research and translating it into architectural ideas. We’ve developed a Triple Bottom Line; If our design falls in the center of considerations for mental, physical, and emotional wellness, we will have succeeded in providing a place for the vulnerable members of our community as they regain independence and attain highest quality of life. -- source link
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