Disciplines
Architecture | Environmental Design | Interior Design | Landscape Architecture | Urban, Community and Regional Planning | Women's Studies
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Domestic violence is a nationwide crisis affecting millions of women each year and saw an increase in severity during the Covid-19 pandemic (2020-2022). In Georgia, 37.4% of women report experiencing physical violence by an intimate partner. The situation is especially dire in rural areas, where women experience 150% more incidents at a more intense level than their urban counterparts and must travel three times farther to access resources. Rural women are also nearly twice as likely to be turned away from services due to a lack of space, staffing, and resources. Existing shelters often fail to meet victims' needs because of poor architectural design and insufficient security.
This thesis aims to reimagine the typology of women’s shelters, using qualitative research and surveys to address the specific needs of rural victims. A site in Homerville, Georgia, has been chosen to test this new approach, focusing on providing a sense of protection through secure architectural design, fostering community with social spaces, ensuring access to medical care through examination rooms, and accommodating both women and their children. The construction must be cost-effective and efficient, given the limited financial resources available, but must not compromise on safety and security.
Research for this thesis involves surveys and interviews conducted in Georgia’s rural shelters during the summer of 2024 with both residents and shelter staff, alongside a literature review comparing new findings with pre-Covid-19 data and an interview with an expert on the subject. Geographic mapping was used to identify the site, targeting areas with the least access to crisis centers. Additionally, precedents of low-cost, remote, and secure shelter designs will inform the architectural strategies employed, ensuring that the project is both functional and protective for its inhabitants, addressing the complex needs of rural women facing domestic violence.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CACM - Architecture
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Robin Puttock
Included in
Environmental Design Commons, Interior Design Commons, Landscape Architecture Commons, Urban, Community and Regional Planning Commons, Women's Studies Commons
Locally Stranded - Addressing Rural Cases of Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is a nationwide crisis affecting millions of women each year and saw an increase in severity during the Covid-19 pandemic (2020-2022). In Georgia, 37.4% of women report experiencing physical violence by an intimate partner. The situation is especially dire in rural areas, where women experience 150% more incidents at a more intense level than their urban counterparts and must travel three times farther to access resources. Rural women are also nearly twice as likely to be turned away from services due to a lack of space, staffing, and resources. Existing shelters often fail to meet victims' needs because of poor architectural design and insufficient security.
This thesis aims to reimagine the typology of women’s shelters, using qualitative research and surveys to address the specific needs of rural victims. A site in Homerville, Georgia, has been chosen to test this new approach, focusing on providing a sense of protection through secure architectural design, fostering community with social spaces, ensuring access to medical care through examination rooms, and accommodating both women and their children. The construction must be cost-effective and efficient, given the limited financial resources available, but must not compromise on safety and security.
Research for this thesis involves surveys and interviews conducted in Georgia’s rural shelters during the summer of 2024 with both residents and shelter staff, alongside a literature review comparing new findings with pre-Covid-19 data and an interview with an expert on the subject. Geographic mapping was used to identify the site, targeting areas with the least access to crisis centers. Additionally, precedents of low-cost, remote, and secure shelter designs will inform the architectural strategies employed, ensuring that the project is both functional and protective for its inhabitants, addressing the complex needs of rural women facing domestic violence.