Project Update

I'm currently working up a (roughly) 5000 word document investigating the context and underlining thought processes of my proposal. This will include an understanding of the social environment in which the site exists and theory which supports the decision to create a community building in this location as well as case studies and initial design development.

I've been supporting my writing through numerous books and writings, including Christopher Day's Places of the Soul, C. Richard Hatch's The Scope of Social Architecture and Jack Rostron's Sick Building Syndrome.

I'm sure I'll update the blog as the document and project evolve but there's currently too much to post without boring people to tears, so I'll offer the following which defines what 'Community Well Being' might be and at the bottom a quote which I find interesting from C. Richard Hatch's book.

well-being: n. the state of being comfortable, healthy or happy

community: n. (pl. communities) 1. a group of people living together in one place 2. (the community) society 3. a group of people with a common religion, race of profession: the scientific community 4. the holding of attitudes or interests in common 5. a group of animals or plants living or growing in the same place. Origin: Old French comunete

community care: n. long-term care for mentally-ill, elderly and disabled people within the community rather than in hospitals or institutions.

community centre: n. a place providing educational or recretational activities for a neighbourhood.

community service: n. socially useful work that an offender is required to do instead of going to prison.

The dictionary definition of ‘Well Being’ as a state of comfort, health and happiness suitably sums up the ambitions of this project, albeit expanded so as to integrate a whole community rather than being individually focused. ‘Well Being’ can refer to the activities taking place in the building as well as the building itself, well designed, considerate architecture is essential in this process.

“Society has been fragmented into “interests” that are the unavoidable effect of a competitive market in labor. Community is almost unknown; society is reduced to an aggregation of fearful and mutually suspicious individuals.”