Architecture & Design

Architecture & Design | 15 considerable state of disrepair due to lack of maintenance and poor workmanship of previous alterations. The location within the UCA was both an advantage and a challenge due to the financial pressure caused by the hefty fees associated with the restoration of the large façade and numerous timber apertures. How did the community outreach and participatory design process shape the project? Early on in the project we carried out community outreach activities with different stakeholders in the area including the local council and the church, as well as neighbours and immediate community. It was essential to have the community on board from the start, in supporting the project and particularly in combating stigma which is unfortunately still rife around mental health problems. We were fortunate to be met with a very supportive community that really took ownership of the project from inception. The participatory design process included workshops with the staff and service users at Richmond Foundation to understand their needs and ambitions for the project. The project avoids institutional typologies, what specific design decisions helped achieve a home-like environment? Dar Tereża, part of the Housing Authority's Specialised Housing Scheme, houses mothers with mental health problems and their children, most of whom would have already experienced considerable hardship— making the creation of a home-like environment fundamental to the approach. The ensuite bedrooms provide changeable sleeping configurations for different families and ages while the shared spaces provide different options for cooking, dining and leisure. Designing environments that offer options for engagement is paramount in designing for communal living. The interiors were designed in a gradation of spaces from private to shared and then communal, offering different opportunities to be alone or in company of other residents. In general we responded to the brief using finishes, materials and soft furnishing that one would find in a typical household, moving away from medical-type finishes that would likely be associated with this user group. How did you balance heritage preservation with the need for spaces for mental wellbeing? Much of the original fabric was retained and restored. including patterned cement floor tiles and wrought iron railings, which may not always support the needs of people with mental health problems. Existing railings were rendered safe with the addition of a clear screen adjacent to them and new railings were created in a matching simplified version. Patterned tiles were replicated in plain colours to replace ceramic tiles that had been installed in some of the bedrooms. The new patterns provide a calmer backdrop while still following the traditional language of the flooring throughout. All external windows were finished in solid timber to respect the UCA requirements, but include safe double-glazing and custom hinges which only allow limited opening. This provides agency to the residents while ensuring safety without the need for steel bars or enclosures. Working within tight budget and time constraints, what compromises, or innovations, emerged? They're challenges similar to the " People with dementia, like all people, behave differently in different places, and the environment plays a fundamental role in their wellbeing. Understanding that relationship, how space can support autonomy, dignity and personhood, became central to my work

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