| This children’s home, operated by the County’s Human Services Department, provides shelter care for children who have suffered abuse or have been abandoned. The architectural challenge was to create a “homelike,” therapeutic environment that included varied spaces, natural light, color, detail and staff-child interaction.
The rural site is appropriate for the program’s mission, providing a restful atmosphere of distant views to wooded foothills and open space. Each unit has access to play yards that can support active and passive activities.
The architectural program required housing units for a diverse population in terms of age (babies through teens), gender and behavior. The residential units contain nine double-occupancy bedrooms, dayrooms, and program areas. Each residential unit has a different room arrangement and furnishing scheme.
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