HE[X]AL
_THE SAFEHOUSE The concept HE[x]AL lies in our vision of providing a safe, secure and transitionary home for homeless teenagers in Jackson, Mississippi. Our design aims to build Trust, Dignity and Ability, a consideration that stemmed from combining Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and a reinterpretation of the brief’s three principles.
Building Trust - HE[x]AL attempts to address deep-seated physical and mental issues in teenagers such as abuse, trauma, and abandonment by housing them in secure homes where they can be given time and space to find their grounding.Through provision of single private rooms, HE[x]AL aims to restore a sense of decency and order to homeless teenagers where they have easy access to necessities such as a place to rest, wash up, study, and eat.
Restoring Dignity - HE[x]AL then provides a means to restore identity and sense of empowerment in teenagers to bring awareness to their strengths and weaknesses with ample opportunities and avenues of help. HE[x]AL aims to provide spaces that express one’s individuality through personal ownership and responsibility in a small community. This is done through the design of spaces for discrete and small group interaction like corridors,pocket-breakout spaces and common study areas.
Discovering Ability - HE[x]AL lastly provides a means for teenagers to develop the physical, emotional, and social capacity to upskill themselves and be independent in facing their personal challenges. HE[x]AL seeks to provide facilities and teaching programmes located at the ground level that also cater to a wide variety of skills beyond studies such as carpentry, cooking and pottery. Larger gathering spaces like the dining hall and sports courts could be used to reintegrate teenagers into large group settings. HE[x]AL aims to also to facilitate monthly night-festivals where sheltered teenagers can test their skills in public.
