I have a confession: the idea I had about a woman?s path from victim to survivor in cases of domestic abuse was all wrong. I thought that seeking emergency shelter meant looking for just that?an immediate, short-term, safe place to go that provides basic resources. In reality, a shelter needs to be much more than a roof over your head. In designing a women?s shelter with my team?the Green Haven Shelter for Women in Orillia, Ontario?I quickly realized the potential impact the built environment can have on the well-being of survivors of abuse. 
In the case of Green Haven, the nearly 30-year-old organization gives survivors of abuse a safe space and allows them to live in an environment of mutual respect. But the former shelter building could no longer effectively serve the needs of its users. It had become outdated and uncomfortable. So, my design team needed to create a new building with robust security features that didn?t feel like an institution.
The design team wanted to create a powerful sense of arrival at the new Green Haven Shelter for Women. The shelter?s design includes a welcoming canopy that brings warmth to the façade.
Walking through the front door of a shelter is not the end of a journey to recovery?it?s the beginning. One of the main reasons a woman might return to her abuser, even after seeking shelter, is the fear of change and the perceived comfort in returning to a predictable environment. Uprooting her own life and, if she has dependent children, the...