Yara Boulos

On average, domestic abuse effects one in four women in the UK and has increased by 23% between 2017-2018. Despite this increase, one in six UK refuges have been closed since 2010 and, simultaneously, 73 police stations across the capital were closed between 2017-2018. 

This project is situated in the near future in 2022 and proposes repurposing a former police station as a women’s refuge, taking the Rosslyn Hill police station as a prototype for the remaining 72 closed stations across the capital. The Rosslyn Refuge offers a separate advice centre and a short-term (four to eight weeks) accommodation for women with children who are seeking refuge, blending individual pod-houses with co-living spaces, to allow time within a supportive community environment to find new homes. 

Rosslyn Refuge also features areas dedicated to play, a communal kitchen (to encourage supportive interactions), meeting rooms for therapy and legal counsel, and flexible furniture components, to allow residents control and co-authorship over their environment.