Juliet Saunders

Project Description:

This project re-imagines Edinburgh’s historic building, 60 The Pleasance,  into a refuge for women and children who have experienced domestic violence. It is specifically designed to support the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community, responding to their cultural values, spatial needs, and ways of living.

Located just off Cowgate in Edinburgh’s Southside, the building dates back to the 1800s, and is currently occupied by The University of Edinburgh as a Societies’ Centre. Originally a brewery, the building retains a strong architectural character which is shaped by successive adaptations. Despite spanning four floors, it’s intimate and domesticated qualities make it particularly suited to a refuge environment.

The central aim of this project was to create a space that is both culturally responsive and emotionally supportive. Designed specifically to the needs of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community, in order to respond to the significant lack of dedicated refuge spaces for the GRT community in Scotland. My design focuses on a glass column intervention which promotes visibility and connection across all floors of the refuge. It’s spatial arrangement draws inspiration from the wheel of the Romani flag, with the column acting as the symbolic physical core, while ancillary spaces radiate outward from it. Restoring dignity, safety and belonging through culturally responsive design.