Homeless Shelter Check List 20m² area space Position of the shelter Garden for growth Two people shared WC, Kitchenette, Sleeping facilities, fridge, cupboard space Give back to the community The number of homeless people in Cardiff has always been an alarming number. As I have noticed this a lot more recently due to the fact I am studying in Cardiff I decided to do some research. In the number of household in the city were 123,580, the number of homeless was 4.8 per 1000 households. This shows that there were 592 people living without accommodation that year, with the number expected to grow by this year. In the subject of filed we were given a number of topics. These topics were given as a result of the future generations conferences at the start of term. These topics were eutopia, well being, social justice, outdoors, technology and sustainability. Within these topics a certain brief was given, within the brief we had to design a space for the given topic. The topic I thought was most suitable and that interested me most was the homeless/refugee shelter. The brief we were given was to design a 20m² space for two homeless/refugees. I decided to focus more on the homeless factor as I think this is a greater factor in Cardiff rather than the refugees. The reason for this is: The Site The site we were given to build the shelter is a brownfield site in the city of Cardiff on the corner of Clive Road and Daisy Street. The size of the site is rather large for this type of project therefore I will have plenty of space to decide where to position the shelter. The site is on the side of a main road, but the road is not usually very busy. There are a couple of local businesses around the area such as a corner shop, coffee shop and a barbers. Site Analysis On this site the sun path goes from east to west and is a south facing sun. This shows that if there is a garden on site it must have a decent amount of sun light to help growth and to keep maintained. The site is covered with houses as there are houses next and behind the site therefore there will be a lot of shading and coverage from the sun. The wind path follows from the West therefore I think the shelter will have a decent amount of coverage from the houses behind. The front of the shelter will be facing east and will have little effect from wind at the entrance. Group studies As a group we discovered that it would be best if the shelter would be placed towards the front of the site, this would allow a lot of allocated space for a garden / communal are for the homeless therefore they could grow fruit or vegetables in order to give back to the community. We also thought of a design. The design would be ‘L’ shaped, have a mezzanine level for the sleeping area with the kitchenette underneath and then a WC and some storage. But the main aim was to allow space for a garden specifically for the growth of produce. Also with the ‘L’ shaped shelters, if need we could extend more ‘L’ shaped shelters in order to make a square shape. Case Studies Rainbow of Hope This is a charity that aids the homeless in the streets of Cardiff by giving free food and drink on the streets, directly to the people. Also these people give advice on housing and jobs in order to get these people back on their feet. Huggard Huggard are a Cardiff-based charity tackling homelessness and seeking to overcome the problems and barriers that force individuals to sleep rough on our streets. Their services focus around a day centre open 365 days of the year, a 22 bed hostel with additional (8 Pods and floorspace for 20+ clients) emergency spaces, 14 shared houses with tenant support that accommodate 53 clients. In extreme weather conditions huggard also open our day centre at night to 20+ homeless and vulnerable, to provide shelter for people who would otherwise be forced to sleep rough. Position of the shelter The shelter for me should be put at the front of the site as it shows the homeless would like to be interactive with the community. Also to provide a large area for the garden, this will also make the garden secluded therefore they have a bit of privacy to provide and to grow natural produce to give back to the community by giving to the local businesses such as the shops. Materials The materials I choose for my shelter are very important as the weather in Cardiff is not the best. As I would like to make my shelter look a bit like a shed. Also by using these sort of materials the shelter could be used for either short term or long term stays as the materials would be strong and weather resistant enough to withstand but also would be easier enough to take down. Walls The walls will most definitely be timber cladding. But I must choose special care in choosing a certain wood, the wood I shall be choosing will be western red cedar. This wood is a softwood and is currently the most popular choice for external cladding as its’ natural resistance to decay and insect penetration.. It turns to a silvery grey colour due to weathering, and it has a life expectancy of years. Roofing The roofing material I shall be using is mineral roofing felt as it weatherproof from rain, wind and snow. But can be very short lived, the life expectancy is usually around 3-5 years. And also just a little bit of unseen damage can cause water to drip through and cause damage. Then I could also use felt tiles, they are laid starting at the bottom of the roof and overlapping each other by about 150 mm towards the ridge where a ridge capping is used. Initial Ideas First of all we had 20m² of area to use therefore my initial thought was to design a space 4 x 5m. But then I realized there will be a lot of wasted space and it would take up a lot more space on the site. So I decided to go for an area space of 16m² by using a shelter of size 4x4m. By using 4x4m there would be enough space for a path to run down the side of the house, and also it would allocate more garden/communal space at the back of the site where most of the sun would be shining. Gareth Ioan Jones ST Timber Frame Douglas Fir is the most widely used material in timber frame construction. Douglas Fir’ strength, stability, workability and rich, salmon pink to orange tone make it the perfect choice for almost any timber frame project. Douglas Fir can be used for interior and exterior applications. The form of timber frame I’ll be using is post and truss. The important difference in post and truss construction is that principal rafters are jointed into the tie beam and this forms roof trusses to carry purlins which in turn support the rafters and roof covering. Adavntages There are many advantages to Timber Frame construction, but probably its best-known quality is its environmental excellence. Construction times are reduced using Timber Frame techniques by as much as one third. Timber Frame has the lowest CO2 cost of any commercially available building material Give back to the community? The way these people could give back to the community is by using the garden area to grow fresh produce such as vegetables. This could be used to give to local businesses (or sell). Also could work in these businesses to get a little income therefore they could get back on their feet as soon as possible. Advantages Takes people off the street. Gives them purpose. Gives people a chance to give back to the community. Gives equal opportunity. Disadvantages Someone has to fund the project. Local people may not want these people in the community. Garden gets neglected. People get put together who don’t get along. May not get a sense of community.