Gilby House
Architect
Gilby and Brewin Architecture
Location
Built on the land of the muwinina people of the South-East Nation Hobart, Tasmania
Year of completion
2017
Photography
Anna Gilby and Ross Brewin
Designing for complex human needs, including physical, cognitive and neurodevelopmental conditions, is a practice that has developed significantly in the past decade. While it is common for us, as architects, to employ empathy to enhance the physical accessibility of built outcomes, the design of spaces that minimize challenges for neurodivergence, and that focus on wellbeing and enablement, is still a relatively young field.
This article highlights several residential case studies in which a clear empathic presence has guided the design response. The projects are diverse in their geographic location, decade of construction and formal outcomes, but they share a deep sensitivity to the needs of the client and a profound – and often unexpected – design realization. These projects prompt us to ask new questions: How does the client relate to their own lived experience? How do we find a balance between designing for the complexities of the condition, and the needs and values of the person beyond their condition? What is the relationship between the client’s needs and the aesthetic value of a project?
