The Refuge Research & Modular Prototype on the Autonomy of Female Bodies in a Space
Columbia GSAPP Spring 2023 | Design Seminar Critic: David E. Moon of NHDM
The Refuge is a self-sustaining mini-city designed to provide safe, secure reproductive care for women from states where abortion is banned. These fortified structures are strategically located in protected-abortion states near the borders of abortion-restrictive regions. Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, clinic closures have forced women to travel long distances, adding financial and emotional burdens. Abortion clinics remain highly contested and politicized, creating unstable environments. The ever-shifting geography of abortion clinics, coupled with the need for private and secure healthcare spaces, necessitates spatial tactics, yet architecture has largely been absent in the design of reproductive healthcare spaces. The 2022 overturn of Roe v. Wade underscored the volatility of abortion laws but also highlighted the critical role architects can play in advancing safe, equitable access to reproductive healthcare through thoughtful spatial strategies.