Emma Hegarty: GIDE Project - Creativity for Local Enterprises

It is now the first semester of third year (crazy how quick time passes by) and we are now about 4weeks into the new project. The project we have been given is for GIDE (Group of International Design Education), which will be hosted in Dundee this year in February. Only a few students work will be selected to be shown and presented at this exhibition along with the work of students from other Universities.

The brief is ‘Creativity for Local Enterprises’, I felt that this left it very open to decide what is that I was going to design and who would it be for. After a number of mind mapping sessions with groups and as an individual I decided I wanted to design something around the though to prostitution. This mind map below shows the things that I thought about when I consider this word.

I found an organisation in Dundee called Women’s Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (WRASAC) which helps women and families through a number of kind of abuse. With in this organisation I came across a project which they do called ‘Vice Versa, Discovering New Directions, Dundee’. It is a support network for women in prostitution to be able to go to a drop in centre on a Wednesday evening to receive support and help from the people that work there. It is a place for women to go to get advice on lots of different topics, feel safe and hopefully try and exit the habit they have got themselves into.

After meeting with a women who works in this project I have learnt a lot more about the type of women that are taking part in the drop in centre, she has given me insight as to what the women need and what the support workers need as well.

My aim is to design a better centre than the one they already have, so that it is a place that is open 7 days a week, have room for the women to be able to stay the night(s), medical support place and mainly a place for the women to feel safe.

From talking with the women from vice versa there are a number of things I have to think about when designing this centre such as -
Location - it can’t be far out of the area that the women walk the streets as they are more likely not to go to the centre. Also can’t be in a very quiet area as this will open up dangers for the women.
Security - there has to be better forms of security to the premises (intercom, roller shutter, safety glass etc)
Support groups - have different parts to the building for different things, such as medical and education try and keep them apart

I have been researching into curve within architecture as I want the building to be full of feminine shapes as it is a centre for women. I have found a lot of inspiration that has helped me get an image of what I think the building should look like. My main inspiration at the moment has been Frank Gehry.