Protection + Connection

Elizabeth Bryan

Thesis

Proposal: Emergency Accomodation and Supports
Location:Sean MacDermott Street, Dublin 1

Critical Care evokes principles such as connectivity, sensitivity and the importance of relationships and users; values which can be viewed as more feminine in their outlook. A discussion of Critical Care therefore leads one to highlight how and why such ‘caring’ principles can be lacking in Architecture. This Architectural Interest positioned the project on the remnants of a site in desperate need of Critical Care, namely the site of The Magdalene Laundry on Sean MacDermott Street. Choosing to design a women’s refuge on this site also acknowledged the legacy of its past by helping women and children who are the victims of abuse today. The themes of connectivity, sensitivity, security and the user’s relationship with the architecture and design, were the main driving forces when designing the refuge. Furthermore, there was an equal need to apply sensitivity to the surrounding environment; a community within Dublin’s North East Inner City.