Sarah Oppenheimer

Great James Street, Emrys Architects

Triangles inside house extension by NOJI Architects

Global Generations: Skip Garden

Discussion with a rough sleeper

Screen Shot 2018-03-16 at 15.07.34.png Dan, 45, homeless for 15 years

His journey to becoming homeless:

"I had a drug problem at a very young age,  which kinda contributed, I had no family, my parents had died and my siblings were in other countries with their own families and I didn't want them to see the state I was in. I wanted to get away from all of that and the people who I was hanging around with because I knew it wasn't right. So I left in my van and lived in there for a good 5 years where I was also a carpenter by trade so I was getting some money but not on a regular basis. I thought if I could carry on living in my van, saving money I'd be able to buy a small house, or just somewhere where I could be safe and warm. But it never came to fruition, I ended up losing my job, I had ongoing pain in my shoulder due to a cist which needed removing at the time, the pain was incredible. So I stopped working. I carried on sleeping in my van, it got to a stage where the van had had it, nothing was working including the lock system which meant it was never safe. One night my van got stolen by a group of blokes and I got kicked out with all my stuff still in the van, worst night of my fucking life.

I took an overdose, I tried hanging myself, I just thought I can't take it, I can't take it, it didn't work, it just made me even more ill and vulnerable. I ended up in Ilford where I luckily found the Salvation Army, where they feed us and keep us warm, thank god there's places like that, if there wasn't, we'd be in prison it's either that or death."

What would like to see change in the local area to make your lives better?

"Everyone (public) neglects us, yes some of the guys here are alcoholics, drug addicts and are bad people but there's some of us like me who have been clean for a very long time and have had a really shit journey to now. They (public) don't see this, look I've known you jeevan for a good 3 years now, and we've had some lovely talks and conversations which have helped me a lot, there were moments where I was gonna leave and kill myself but I didn't because I got help. Some of these guys don't get that, we need a space like the Salvation Army where its warm, safe and a place where we can just talk to people. I know why the public don't like us but they don't know what we've been through mentally and physically. The idea you had to make somewhere where we can just talk and meet new people is great, at first it would be hard because they'd be cautious and reluctant, but thats understandable. It will give us all a sense of hope." 

Thom Mayne, TED Talk, How architecture can connect us

LGA transforms warehouse into community for homeless youths in Toronto

The Skid Row Housing Trust's Star Apartments in downtown Los Angeles

Los Angeles' Skid Row Housing Trust, which serves an area with one of the highest concentrations of homeless people in the U.S., is a prime example. Its Star Apartments, completed in 2013 and officially opened in October 2014, has 102 units designed for chronically sick and mentally ill homeless people. The space is intended to house 10,000 people over the next 10 years. It offers 15,000 square feet of community space, including a garden, a running track, art rooms and a library. There's also a medical clinic, councillors and a wellness centre.

The Soloist, 2009

Los Angeles columnist Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) has reached an impasse in his life. His marriage is on the rocks, and he's disillusioned with his job. Then, while wandering through L.A.'s Skid Row, he spots a homeless man (Jamie Foxx) playing a two-stringed violin with a virtuoso's skill. Lopez initially thinks of the man, named Nathaniel Ayers, as just a story idea. But as he begins to unravel the mystery of Ayers' strange fate, Lopez realises that a change is happening within himself.

This movie shows the rare relationship a normal/rich person can have with a vulnerable rough sleepers, it shows the journey they have together and how their bond gets stronger a stronger throughout as they learn more about each other.

Gimme Shelter, 2014

A pregnant teen (Vanessa Hudgens) learns to break the bonds of her past and embrace her future after taking refuge at a shelter for homeless youths.

Time Out of Mind, 2014

A homeless man (Richard Gere) bonds with a new friend (Ben Vereen) at New York's Bellevue Hospital while trying to repair his relationship with his estranged daughter (Jena Malone).
 
 

Sculpture, Timothy Schmalz, "Homeless Jesus"

A sculpture depicting Jesus as a homeless man sleeping on a bench, installed in Glasgow city centre. Castings of the life-size statue have been placed in cities worldwide since 2013, although some churches have refused to display it. Church and homeless charity representatives hope the sculpture will help raise awareness of homelessness. Scottish artist Peter Howson has made a painting of a homeless Jesus that will be shown alongside the statue. The world-famous sculpture, created by Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz, has been placed at Nelson Mandela Place, near Glasgow's St George's Tron Church, after planning permission was granted earlier this year. Although the shrouded figure is fairly anonymous, the wounds in the feet signal it is meant to be Jesus.

Christian sculptor Timothy Schmalz was inspired when he saw a homeless person on a bench in Toronto. He named the statue Matthew 25, in reference to a quote from that gospel - "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

Sculpture, Left Out, Maxwell Rushton

The theme of homelessness has found its way into Maxwell’s practice on many occasions. This particular work, titled Left Out, developed from an almost insignificant experience when Maxwell mistook a bin bag as homeless person after tripped over it whilst walking out a doorway.

Left Out appears as a person sitting down, cross-legged, in a large, black trash bag. In 2016 in an experiment of bystander intervention, Maxwell placed the original sculpture of Left Out on various streets in London and started filming the public’s reactions as they passed, some stopping to investigate what they thought was a person in a bin-bag, whilst others would simply walk on.

Left Out - Public Reactions

Farm shop - Dalston

Framlab proposes parasitic hexagonal pods to sleep New York's homeless

California architecture students design shelters for LA's growing homeless population

Visiting Skip Garden

This was a place my tutor was recommending me to visit and speak to someone with experiencing working with plants and with sustainability. I managed to speak to one of the workers there whilst she was on her coffee break and we spoke about her experience working at skip garden and how its helped her. She spoke about how the atmosphere is so friendly, they're always attracting people in due to the querky look and natural image. The use of recycling is so effective, we see that the glasshouse is made out of re used glass and stained glass windows. Re used skips were used for bedding for vegetable plants which are then used in their kitchen to make money. It's all really a positive multiplier effect for both the company and the environment. The aspect of sustainability is what I'd like to include in my project, where they're able to grow crops, and other plants and then use them in their kitchen to feed people. However instead of workers maintaining the plants it would be the homeless and the local community which would create a stronger bond between them.

Discussion with a rough sleeper

Screen Shot 2018-03-16 at 15.03.59.pngBhupinder, 50, homeless for 18 years

His journey,

"I came from Punjab in India, on the 21st of June I will have been here 16 years. My life in Punjab was very good, I used to drive, we farmed the land we owned my two sons are there too. From Punjab I went to Thailand, from Thailand I went to Sweden. That's where my sister lives, she wanted me to go to Germany, but I told her I don't want to go there. Instead, I ended up here and was given political stay. I've been here since then, I work sometimes when I can as a builder and I get around £40 a day for that but that hardly happens now."

How has it been sleeping rough in this area?

"It's been ok, there's a lot of charities who feed us, but there is still nowhere safe to stay except for the Salvation Army. When its cold the council gives us sleeping bags, we lie in our sleeping bags, wherever there's some space otherwise i'm usually here near the police station."

How do the public treat you?

"It varies, some people help me a lot, but there's some that don't care at all. They shout names at me and I have been beaten up sometimes for no reason. I don't take drugs, I just drink, I drink beer whiskey, whatever I can get my hands on. Some of the local shops don't serve me now because they know what happens, and I'm grateful for that, but sometimes I just need that one drink because it's so cold outside and that feeling of drinking keeps me warm."

Would you go back to India?

"I can't go back home, I don't have a passport, I lost it when travelling in my early years. They (immigration) should send me but they won't, they don't have my documents. I wish they would arrest me! Why would I want to die in the cold?"

Primary Research- Questionnaire and survey in Stratford

NEW CARVER APARTMENTS

LOCATION: 1624 S. Hope St.

DESCRIPTION: 97 special needs housing efficiency apartments

TARGET POPULATION: Homeless older adults and homeless adults with chronic disease/disabilities

YEAR COMPLETED: 2009

ARCHITECT: Michael Maltzan Architecture

Newham Recorder news report

Hackney Wick Primary Research

Fish Island Village Primary Research

Fish Island Village primary research

StreetLink exists to help end rough sleeping by enabling members of the public to connect people sleeping rough with the local services that can support them. 

UK’s first vending machine for the homeless installed in Nottingham shopping centre

Rough sleepers can now get three drums of goods a day from the machine, containing items such as food, water, warm clothes and sanitary products. A key card is needed to access the machine and recipients have to attend local support services once a week to keep it activated. The scheme has been launched by a new charity, Action Hunger, and has attracted support from multinational companies such as Google and Uber.

Lava Mae is turning old buses into bathrooms and showers for San Francisco's homeless

Six days a week, Lava Mae’s two buses and one trailer roll up to different spots throughout the city. Equipped with bathroom and shower stalls that hook up to fire hydrants, they provide  20 minutes of privacy, cleanliness, comfort, and "radical hospitality" to those who need it.

The EMPWR coat is a water-resistant jacket, which can transform into a sleeping bag, or be worn as an over-the-shoulder bag when not in use. The coat is constructed of durable, water resistant Cordura fabric from Carhartt, upcycled automotive insulation from General Motors, and other materials provided by generous donors.

Daisuke Obana, homeless inspired fashion

"homeless chic" Vivienne Westwood

Constellations Bar by H Miller Bros

Dalston Curve Garden

Volunteering at the Salvation Army

For many years now I've volunteered at the Salvation Army cold weather shelter where we accommodate and feed around 25 rough sleepers during the winter periods. It's been a real eye opener volunteering here as I've been able to listen to the service users stories and how they had some struggling times. It made me grateful for what I have and gave me a different perspective towards homeless people. Creating a space for the homeless and the public to communicate and integrate would hopefully do the same.

Salvation Army Ilford

Inside the Salvation Army dining hall

Beds in the Salvation Army

Portraits of homeless people by photographer Shine Gonzalvez

John Conn – Signs of the Homeless

Out of the many he approached – there are 66 individuals represented in the series – not a single person refused to have their picture taken. Conn claims this is because he only approached those with signs. “Usually I find that, if they have a sign, they are a lot more coherent. They are reaching out, trying to grab your attention.

All his pictures are uncropped, meaning what is in the image –  hands, feet or faces –  was what originally drew him to the person. All the people he met, young and old, had a different story.

Some were totally addicted to drugs, others were looking for a bus fare home. The truth was not always clear, but the words held on a scrap of cardboard always echoed the same essential message: “HOMELESS, NEED LUCK”.

What’s Conn’s advice for passers-by? “Everyone has their story. Stop and talk to a homeless person.”

Hostile Architecture example

http://www.architecturefoundation.org.uk/events/18-ideas-for-londons-public-space-charter

Holly Lewis, We Made That
Not Just More Stuff

Douglas Murphy, RCA
Leave It Alone

Jan Kattein, Jan Kattein Architects
Accommodating Change

Julian Lewis, East
Designing the Public Realm First

Jo Gibbons, J & L Gibbons
Nature and Urban Mind

Adam Kaasa, RCA
A One Year Moratorium on Programming Public Space

 Amica Dall & Giles Smith, Assemble
Work with London's Playworkers to Develop Design Guidance for Children in Public Space

Petra Marko, Marko and Placemakers
Use Principles of Gender Mainstreaming in Public Space Planning

Alpa Depani
Empower Communities to Deliver Public Space

Heather Spurr, Shelter
Defensive Design: Curbing Hostile Architecture in London 

Phil Coffey, Coffey Architects
Banish BS 5489

Deborah Saunt, DSDHA
Transport Infrastructure Should Support Public Space

Rut Blees Luxemburg, RCA
Protect the River Thames’ Nocturnal Shade

Catharine Rossi, Kingston
Let the Night be the Night

Alan Miller, Night Time Industries Association
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Marianne Mueller, Casper Mueller Kneer Architects
Night Site

John McRae, Orms
Night Time Economy

Unemployment in London

Index of multiple deprivation in London

Sustainable architecture- low tech housing

Cities: Architecture and Society- Volume 1

Dispersed Metropolis- Movement of people

Sustainable Architecture