Creating safer spaces for women and children

For women and children escaping domestic and family violence, access to safe shelter is an immediate and essential need. Architects Without Frontiers is supporting a family violence service in Australia to develop a proposal for a new distributed refuge facility.

AWF Network Partner Jackson Clements Burrows Architects (JCB) has developed the concept designs, supported by pro bono planning consultancy from Tract Consultants and cost planning by Slattery. Together, the collaborators are bringing architectural, planning and cost expertise to a project with a clear social purpose.

Turning a need into a design proposal

The project is at concept design stage. This is an important point in translating a service need into a proposal for a place: considering the accommodation to be provided and bringing the professional disciplines needed to develop the idea into the conversation.

Architecture is one part of that work. Planning advice and an understanding of costs are also necessary to help a proposal progress. The combined contribution of JCB, Tract and Slattery allows these considerations to be addressed alongside one another.

The intended outcome is a facility that provides shelter for women and children escaping violence. That purpose remains central to the project and to the way AWF communicates its progress.

Sharing the work responsibly

For security reasons, the identity of the service and the project’s location remain confidential. We can acknowledge the professional generosity behind the proposal without disclosing details that could compromise that confidentiality.

The project reflects AWF’s role in connecting organisations serving communities in need with the resources of the built environment professions. In this case, those resources are helping a family violence service develop its plans for new refuge accommodation.

We thank JCB, Tract Consultants and Slattery for contributing their expertise to this work. Their collaboration demonstrates the practical contribution design professionals can make in supporting organisations whose work centres on safety and care.