introduction research case studies context site water stop summary appendix
Within an urban context, numerous service-oriented projects infill existing structures, often directly on the street front with little or no indoor waiting area.
How do people feel when they must line up along the side of a building in the sidewalk, street, or other place within the public realm in order to get a meal, a shower, or wash clothing?
How does it affect one’s dignity when he or she must bring all his or her personal items and valuables along? How long must one wait while being stared at, judged, and even harassed by passers-by?
In less-urban areas, service buildings are often isolated, neglected, and enclosed. Rarely can one see into or out of homeless services buildings in a way that connects people with the local context. Many are enclosed for security reasons, but enclosure creates unrelatable and outcast areas. Often the design or re-design process comes in a “top-down� manner, with the big ideas coming from investors, government officials, professional designers, and program managers.
But what about the people who will be USING the space?
What can we learn from a person living in a storage shed, a portable bathroom, a tent, a car, or under a bridge? Budget constraints in projects for the homeless are typically the driving force in the design for a facility. However, some of the most successful programs are very well designed within strict material and financial limits.
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