A ROOF AHEAD FAMILY MAINTENANCE CENTER

ALEXANDER DEFEE STUDIO G1 CLEMSON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE SPRING 2011 PRIMARY ADVISOR: DAN HARDING

S. HU

DSONBIRNIE

GOWER

McCALL

N. CALHOUN

N. MARKLEY

BIRNIE

ACADEMY

N

A ROOF AHEAD While Greenville South Carolina has a considerable number of facilities that tend to the needs of the homeless individual, there is a distinct absence of services catering to the needs of homeless families. The A ROOF AHEAD Family Maintenance Center is designed to fill this service gap by providing both emergency and transitional housing facilities for homeless families. The center also looks to extend its reach beyond the typical homeless shelter clientele to engage and assist families living at or below the poverty line with education and counseling. Through this dual focus, the center works to not only bring families out of homelessness, but also prevent families from ever slipping into homelessness in the first place.

FAMILY MAINTENANCE CENTER

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1 LOBBY

2 ADMINISTRATION OFFICES

3 CASEWORKER OFFICES

4 COUNSELING ROOMS

5 DAY CARE

6 LIBRARY

7 COMPUTER LAB

8 CLASS ROOM

9 STORAGE

10 TRANSITIONAL HOUSING

11 EMERGENCY HOUSING

12 KITCHEN

13 DINING ROOMS

14 FLEX SPACE

15 LAUNDRY

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FIRST FLOORPLAN

SECOND FLOORPLAN

[A] FAMILY MAINTENANCE CENTER COURTYARD[B] TRANSITIONAL SHELTER COURTYARD

The A ROOF AHEAD’s duel programs are centered on two courtyards. Courtyard [A] serves as an outdoor gathering space for community members who are involved with the Family Maintenance Center. Courtyard [B] provides a protected outdoor space for families living at the transitional housing facility. Caseworker and administrative offices surround Courtyard [B], allowing for parents to leave their children in a secure and supervised environment.

PROGRAMINGDUAL FOCUS

PRIMARY STRUCTUREASSEMBLY

STEEL ROOF STRIUCTUREASSEMBLY

SYMPATHETIC STRUCTUREADAPTABILITY THROUGH STANDARDIZATIONThe Center’s roof supporting superstructure is created from standardized structural steel tubing and W sections. All of the connections are hinged in a manner that allows the structure to express the site’s topography in its final form. In this way, the structure is uniquely sympathetic to site, while maintaining a strict economy of materials and ease of construction.

TRANSITIONAL LIVING UNITASSEMBLY

TRANSITIONAL LIVING UNITSECTION

SPACES CREATE COMMUNITYMODULAR PROGRAMINGThe modular units that compose the Center’s indoor programmatic space are designed to be adaptable and reconfigurable. As the Center’s goals and programs mature, the modules can be reconfigured to adapt to the Center’s changing needs. Just as the centers architecture flexes to address the site, the centers program can shift to address the needs of the community.