Shelter for Women - Tempe Quarters

The project is an attempted solution to the rising need for affordable housing for women experiencing repeated homelessness and aims to provide long-term shelters which feel like home, encourage community, connect them with nature and help them to deal with the mental issues they go through post their traumatic experiences.

The project site is located in Wolli Creek, a suburb in Southern Sydney beside Cooks river. The history of the land has been one of the key attributes and reasons for site selection. The land has a history of providing for unfortunate women and homeless people since 1864 before it was developed as a high-density residential zone in 2010.

The project intends to design an affordable unit that’s flexible, which means, it has the potential to adapt to changes, respond to the rising needs of safe shelters, and create a community-friendly environment and a balanced relationship between Public-private-shared spaces yet maintaining significant contrast in their functions taking in account the principles of flexibility, sustainability, and Trauma-informed design. Private spaces include the Units, Shared spaces include Corridor, staircase, and other amenities; public space includes a lush open central courtyard offering a view to every unit and the green open park next to the site, other social spaces like yoga/meditation deck, outdoor BBQ, paved seating spaces, etc.