Our main challenge was to balance the need for safety and surveillance with the imperative from Children's Village to create an open and welcoming space that supports and enhances the therapy being provided.

The program includes residential living quarters for two distinct populations of children that need to be separated. This dictates the form of the building, dividing it into two main components— residential and administrative/shared spaces.

The residential space is clad with brick to reflect the surrounding residential context offering classrooms, kitchens, and living space. The administrative side is designed as a contemporary pavilion, using a rains screen panel system. It includes offices and meeting rooms that overlook the garden, providing a calming, therapeutic green space. To provide safety and access to the same resources, the programs were stacked on top of each other, allowing both groups to share facilities at designated times according to a set schedule.

At the center, a glass connector functions as both an atrium and a primary entry point, bringing in natural light and offering views of the outdoors. This atrium serves as the hinge of the building, following the site’s natural bend. The facility aims to offer warm, secure, temporary and stabilizing care, for children in acute crisis.