Date of Submission

Spring 5-12-2026

Degree Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Architecture

Department

Architecture

Committee Chair/First Advisor

Robin Z. Puttock

Abstract

Survivors of gender-based violence in Northern Nigeria face layered barriers to recovery, including trauma, stigma, displacement, and loss of livelihood. Yet the built environments intended to support them remain largely unresponsive. This thesis proposes a trauma-informed, climate-responsive wellness campus in Maiduguri, Borno State, grounded in cultural and environmental context.

The research asks how trauma-informed and sustainable design strategies can be implemented in healing centers to reduce re-traumatization, foster safety, and support reintegration through self-supportive, educational, and communal spaces?

How can trauma informed and sustainable design strategies be implemented in wellness centers to foster safety and healing while reducing re-traumatization, and supporting community  reintegration, through self-supportive, educational, and communal spaces?

The hypothesis posits that culturally grounded, community-integrated environments, combining trauma-informed design, biophilic patterns, and WELL building principles, can restore agency, support healing, and enable long-term social and economic re-integration.

The methodology integrates literature review, precedent and cultural analysis, and programmatic and material studies to define healing environments. These are translated into spatial strategies and evaluated through adjacency modeling and environmental performance mapping.

The project results in a transferable design framework organized around reducing trauma, fostering community, and ensuring safety and wellness. Through layered thresholds, vernacular strategies, and integration of nature, spaces for care, learning, and livelihood position architecture becomes an active catalyst for healing, dignity, and long-term reintegration.

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