As part of an ongoing relationship with human services provider SCO Family of Services Spacesmith was retained to renovate a four-story building into a community center offering foster care services, medical and mental health support, and residential and youth justice programs. The goal was to transform an outdated and overcrowded facility into a new and efficient workplace with robust client program spaces in a welcoming and safe environment. As many of SCO’s clients are under duress, this human-centric design takes into consideration the principals of trauma-informed design: safety; trustworthiness and transparency; peer support, collaboration, and mutuality; empowerment, voice, and choice; and cultural, historical, and gender issues.
Our team began by interviewing program heads to determine space requirements and understand how each case worker and employee works. Through programming exercises, vision sessions, and test-fits, our team arranged the building with the highly trafficked public spaces on the first floor – a foster care medical suite, a family visiting area, and mental health counseling. The second and third floors accommodate additional mental health and foster care programs, while the fourth floor is dedicated to residential and youth justice programs. All areas have clear sightlines and few barriers to promote a feeling of safety and are simple and easy to navigate to promote agency.
Spacesmith developed new standards for SCO that allows for future growth by proactively considering the power and data systems needed in place to accommodate for surge conditions. Our team identified that more than 50% of SCO’s staff could be assigned a “mobile” space type and still have a designated seat. A new benching system was put into place allowing for an increase of the available square feet for alternate workspaces and amenities.
Utilizing trauma-informed design concepts, the material palette throughout focuses on creating a soothing and safe space – aesthetically pleasing but not overwhelming and complicated. Cool colors that have a calming effect and inspiring/ uplifting fixtures and finishes are found throughout, as well as biophilic themed wall prints to connect patrons with nature – found to reduce stress and pain and improve mood. Additional research suggested weighted furniture with radiused edges to avoid violent events; reception chairs with high backs to offer a sense of comfort; anti-glare lighting to help put clients at ease; and acoustic fabric wall coverings for case worker privacy.
