Whitestone: Transitional Housing Design

During Spring 2017, the sophomore studio class of RISD's Interior Architecture department took on the task of redesigning two room units of Whitestone Life Center -- an addiction recovery center in North Providence. In Whitestone Life Center, residents move in to the double bedrooms on the first floor initially, then they can "upgrade" into the single bedrooms on the second floor.

Existing Program + Conditions

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Picture Credit: Kelly He

Existing Problems:

- Hygiene

- Storage

- Lack of order

- Lack of privacy in double bedrooms

Design Process

I started out with a storage system on the wall. The storage system would be composed of panels that are pre-installed onto the walls of the rooms, and hardware pieces that can be hooked onto the panels.

I eventually settled on the following design, with wood panels that are 2 feet wide and 5 pieces of hardware (towel/coat hook, shelf, bar, decor board, and a table). I also designed a bed and closet to complete the whole furniture unit.

Final Design

Application

(walk-in closet wall removed for more wall surface)

Imaginary User Experience

If one resident is a construction worker, he can choose to have more hooks installed on his panels for easy access to coats, and multiple towel bars for easy access to towels.

If the other resident is a journalist, he can choose to have more shelves and decor boards installed on his panels to store his books and write anytime. Because he doesn't have the same needs as a construction worker to have so many coats and towels hang on his panels, he can choose to just have one hook for a daily jacket, and another hook for his towel.

Assembly Book (Construction Manual)

Conclusion

When faced with the task of redesigning a room for a transitional housing program, issues such as hygiene, durability and flexibility all matter significantly. But in this approach, the aspect of personalization was chosen as the focus for this project.

This is because as these residents move into a new place, they are at a stage of life where they do not have as much control over their lives as they would want to. Therefore, by giving them full control of their surroundings, hopefully this would be able to aid them in the process of regaining control over other aspects of life.