Integrating our communities : housing the chronically ill : a group home for people with AIDS

Abstract

It is my belief that it is within the realm of architecture to provide responsible, dignified housing which promotes the assimilation into society of those presently excluded, and that by so doing it is possible to overcome the objections of those resistant to change. A population consisting of individuals suffering from chronic illness who are otherwise capable of living productive lives make ideal candidates for integration into communities. The investigation of architectural form which accommodates the particular exigencies of the chronically ill is needed. These forms then require models of intervention which are integrated with their specific communities. The presence of a well integrated facility within a community would diminish the occupants' feelings of being separated from society, and provide a positive example for others. For the purposes of this inquiry I will design a housing and care facility for a population suffering from a chronic illness, in this case AIDS, on a site within an existing community in Tucson, Arizona.