tripod chair

TRANS Safe Centre is a centre for those who have to deal with physical violence and abuse, both the victims and the abusers. We sought to create a space that would create the right atmosphere for dealing with such strong emotions of hurt and anger. We used the concept of a "wombic" space to evoke a feeling of safety. Curved wood walls wrap the counselling rooms. Curved arches "embraces"and "softens" the harsh HDB void deck spaces. Soft cove lighting gently curves throughout the spaces creates a more relaxed mood. Spaces are less open and more "protected" to give clients and staff more defence from abusive clients that may act up.

At the same time, TRANS runs 3 other centres at this HDB void decks co-located with the Safe Centre: the Family Service Centre, the Resource Centre and the Community Space. The clients of these centres are widely varied, ranging from the young to the elderly. Community spaces are designed to welcome the community into their spaces - homely, cosy and inviting.

The overall design vision is to unify all these separate centres to create a unified brand, something that would relate to both the young and old. The Curved Arch is deemed to be a relatable form and is deployed throughout the centres. Each arch however becomes unique and takes on a form based on the use of the space: some arches form the entrances, or frame objects such as books shelves, or frames the display screen, take away counter, pantry counter, or the meeting/dining table. A whole gamut of events, activities, uses are carefully framed within each arch, creating varied spaces yet with a recognisable unified look and feel for the different TRANS centres.