ET102 – St. Elizabeth's Shelter: A Dignified New Living Typology

Additional fee, registration required.

Nestled in the historic St. Elizabeth's campus, this flagship homeless shelter project is the first in Washington, D.C., designed to accommodate a variety of discrete support programs. The project encompasses a daytime service center, health clinic, multi-purpose space, dining room, teaching kitchen, laundry, showers, computer lab, salon, donated clothing boutique, and dormitories holding 395 beds.

Project team members will discuss stakeholder, community, and historic agency involvement during the design phase. They'll detail their success designing for a stigmatized population and creating a secure, intuitive, and welcoming environment that provides dignified living conditions for the most vulnerable.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify key building systems and program elements relating to community outreach and stakeholder engagement for a new typology of homeless shelters to promote safe, dignified, and empowering living conditions.
2. Review strategies relating to accessible, sustainable design within a historic campus, including building over a metro tunnel.
3. Explore ways to provide short-term and long-term transient housing for those who are disproportionately impacted by economic impediments and social barriers.
4. Analyze the lessons learned from designing a first-of-its-kind project with respect to vandalism, security, and material and equipment use.

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