Architectus has delivered Perth’s new Ruah Centre for Women and Children (RCWC) – a purpose-built facility housing several services in one location for women and children affected by family and domestic violence. 

Within one seven-storey building in Northbridge, RCWC provides a range of holistic support services including counselling, physical and mental health, alcohol and other drug support, legal aid, education and accommodation. It is also home to the Karlup Service, a specialised healing and recovery service for women and children affected by family and domestic violence. 

Karlup is a Noongar word meaning “a place where you belong and feel safe” and, accordingly, Architectus has designed RCWC to be a safe sanctuary for recovery and healing. The Australasian design practice says RCWC is the first purpose-built facility of its kind in Australia. By consolidating comprehensive services in one location, RCWC aims to minimise the risk of re-traumatisation for clients, enabling a more streamlined path to recovery. 

Australian Design Review (ADR) recently spoke to Architectus senior architect Lauren Hampton to find out more about the project.

ADR: In what way is Ruah Centre for Women and Children the “first purpose-built facility of its kind in Australia”?

LH: The building is designed to support Ruah Community Services’ holistic approach to caring for and empowering women and children affected by family violence. It is a first-of-its-kind in providing consolidated services for women and children in one location. This all-in-one approach means that women and children can tell their stories once and receive multiple services in a single day without needing to leave the privacy of the building. 

ADR: What were some of the challenges of designing one building for these different services? 

LH: It was a design challenge to integrate the various tailored services into a singular small building footprint. Levels were divided up by categories, such as women’s health, family and empowerment services, accommodation and corporate services for Ruah’s staff. 

It was challenging to separate the public and private user groups. The internal circulation has been well-planned and considered, featuring through lifts that provide separation and privacy between clients, staff and residents throughout the building. The safety and dignity of clients and staff were critical and challenging in the design. 

ADR: How do you hope clients of RCWC will feel when they enter the building? 

LH: Architectus strived to create a welcoming space where clients could feel calm and safe. The centre features a nature-inspired colour palette and intuitive design to help women and children feel at ease. The building orientation promotes openness and connection to the environment while maintaining privacy and security for its occupants. 

The accommodation levels feature a central ‘street’, which is light-filled and has clear legibility to the front door. The design team envisioned that the open space in the building’s core would ensure clients could access the natural elements while feeling secure within the building envelope. 

ADR: In what ways were principles of trauma-informed design implemented in the design process?

LH: The design process was highly collaborative, with extensive stakeholder and community engagement sessions held throughout the design phase. Input from Ruah’s staff, residents and local authorities informed key aspects of the design, ensuring it responded directly to the needs of the women and children who would use the centre. 

Upon entering the centre, each client is paired with their own trusted advocate – known as a Koorta Guide or ‘trusted friend’ in Noongar. Koorta Guides will ‘walk alongside’ women and children through their journey to recovery, providing support and guidance to meet their needs. 

ADR: What are some of the trauma-informed design features of the finished project? 

LH: The design team established six key design pillars to complement Ruah’s company guiding principles and trauma-informed care model. These pillars include: 

• Safe shared spaces
• green reflection 
• Aboriginal connections
• s place for everyone 
• empowering place, and 
• a storyline/legacy. 

An example of how ‘green reflection’ is embedded within the design is the building orientation and façade, which takes advantage of the views to parklands and the tree-lined streets in the neighbourhood. This positioning creates a strong visual and sensory connection to a tranquil backdrop and a direct connection to the local community. 

ADR: Can you take us through some of the material and colour palette choices? 

LH: The exterior and interior material pallet is robust, simple, elegant and timeless. There is harmony and continuity between the materials and tones from the exterior to the internal spaces. Limestone-coloured pleats, simple fairfaced concrete, timbers, metals and glass are the primary building materials. These materials are celebrated through their detailing, texture and workmanship to bring warmth, scale and depth to the building and enhance the human experience. 

ADR: Recognising that First Nations women are 33 times more likely to be hospitalised due to family violence than non-Indigenous women, their needs have been a primary focus of both the services provided and the design of the centre. How does this play out in the design? 

LH: The design team worked closely with Ruah’s First Nations Representative and Stakeholder group to create a design that embraces the importance of community and family within First Peoples culture. Further considerations included an interior palette of earthy tones and light fittings hand-woven by First Nations artists Sabrina Roy and Sharon Djalambarr upon entry into the lobby spaces. 

ADR: In what ways does the design cater to the staff working in this facility? 

LH: There are two designated levels of support services, including office administration for corporate legal and support services staff. These levels are connected via a feature interconnecting stair, which links the reception to a large breakout area and external terrace. The open-plan workspaces are flexible with a variety of meeting rooms, focus rooms, multifunctional spaces and wellness areas. The well-considered acoustics, lighting, thermal comfort and ergonomics all play an essential role in promoting staff wellbeing. 

Photography by Dion Robeson.

Read our project feature on Danala: a new landmark for education and community in Darwin.