WHAT IS TRAUMA INFORMED DESIGN?

WORKSHOP8’s main design focus is affordable housing and that means designing for all different kinds of people. When we can, we like to apply some Trauma Informed Design principles to make a space more welcoming and comfortable. But, what exactly does that mean?

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) defines trauma as “an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being.” It does not discriminate based on age, race, sex or income. People of all demographics can experience trauma. In times like these, when unemployment is at all time high and the future may seem uncertain, many people are feeling the effects.

Trauma Informed Design is the practice of learning about and acknowledging the end users possible trauma and recognizing that the built environment can have a positive or negative impact on recovery and overall well being. While this practice is beneficial to projects of all types, it is most critical when designing spaces that serve our most vulnerable populations, such as homeless shelters, mental health facilities, women’s shelters, rehabilitation facilities and transitional or permanent supportive housing to name a few.