All images by Isabella Zannier and Ana Rebeca Chu

Isabella Zannier and Ana Rebeca Chu are both recent graduates at Tulane School of Architecture. Below the pair share some images of their final thesis project, titled Architecture of Liberation. 

Archinect's Spotlight on 2020 Thesis Projects: 2020 has been an extraordinarily challenging year for architecture graduates. Students were displaced as schools shut down, academic communities had to adapt to a new virtual format, end-of-year celebrations were canceled or changed dramatically, and now these students are graduating into an extremely challenging employment market. To support the 2020 class we're launching a summer series of features highlighting the work of thesis students during this unique time of remote learning amid COVID-19. Be sure to follow our 2020 thesis tag to stay up to date as we release new project highlights.

Architecture of Liberation: Developing a system of spatial conditions for protection transition and growth

by Isabella Zannier and Ana Rebeca Chu

Shelters for victims of domestic abuse are often improvised settings in existing structures, resulting in unsuitable spaces for women and children that have become homeless in a moment of crisis. Moving away from the hierarchical, isolated, and secretive nature of existing women’s shelters opens the floor for an architectural solution that would rethink the shelter typology as a healing force in the recovery process. 

This thesis studies the typology of shelters for women and children survivors of domestic abuse. A new model of women’s shelters investigates the architectural element of the boundary as a spatial organizer and regulator of connectivity between public and private areas. Additionally, it considers the stages of healing of its occupants and the importance of their transition to the community.

The project presents a shelter space as well as a family center with the purpose of educating users and visitors. It is sited in Panama City, Panama, a developing country that faces high domestic abuse rates with little resources devoted to addressing the problem. 

However, the investigation provides a comprehensive strategy that surpasses a site-specific approach and would potentially assist in the design of any women’s shelter. The site chosen for this thesis is specifically in a zone called Albrook, characterized by its abundance of vegetation and its proximity to the central part of the city.