ARCHITECTS FIRM Burke Culligan Deegan has won a competition to design a special refuge to help children who have been exposed to domestic abuse in their family.
The €1 million centre has been commissioned by Aiobhneas, the women and children’s refuge based in Coolock. The charity is launching a fundraising campaign today aimed at securing donations and volunteers to help build the facility in north Dublin.
Terri Morrissey, chairwoman of Aiobhneas, said the Coolock refuge has helped more than 2,000 women and 5,000 children since it was set up in 1999.
“Aoibhneas is concerned about the recent spate of killings of women and children and the subsequent suicide of the male perpetrator,” said Ms Morrissey. “Children can suffer post-traumatic stress as a result of their experiences of domestic violence and leaving their homes to live in a refuge,” she said.
“We want to pave the way in changing how the refuge works . . . to become a place that truly supports children . . . by creating a specialist children’s centre where children can reclaim their childhood.”
One client of Aiobhneas, who has lived at the refuge, said her children were withdrawn and afraid to speak when they arrived but they now felt safe and could relate to other children.
“However, we feel guilty using up the playroom space to spend time on our own as a family . . . we know during that time other children, mothers and childcare staff have nowhere else to go,” she said.
The winning design was submitted as a collaborative effort by three architects Dara Burke, Damien Culligan and Cian Deegan. They have now decided to form an architects practice called Burke Culligan Deegan.
The design integrates the children’s centre into the existing site of the refuge in the form of a house with a livingroom at the heart of the design. It will also feature a series of gardens (teenager, creative and activity). Residential units at the refuge now have a small garden with a tree, offering a space to relax alone.
See: www.aoibhneas.org