Tasmania
Arch South is the first example of a multidisciplinary response to sexual harm in Tasmania, a place where counselling and support services for sexual assault come together in the same location as specialist police services, making it possible for victim survivors to present to a single location and be empowered to make informed decisions.
The Arch project was an opportunity to assist the Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management in the development of an emerging building typology. Consulting and counselling rooms were combined with functions commonly found in police stations, such as interview rooms, forensic and operational areas.
A warm, cosy fit out with natural light and planting was sought to make the centre more accessible. Colour psychology was employed to instil perceptions of healing and renewal. Natural timber accents are used to provide a link to the endemic natural environment.
The Alexander North Award for Interior Architecture
The Arch South project offers a powerful example of the potential for architecture to transcend client and user expectations and add meaningful value to the experience of our community’s most vulnerable people.
Arch South is the first example of a multidisciplinary design response to sexual harm in Tasmania, a heavy brief that has been lifted and resolved through a trauma-informed approach to a sensitive and intelligent design outcome.
The strength of the interior strategy lies in its secure and non-threatening environment, while still achieving the clinically functional requirements of a police station. This is a fine and difficult balance to strike, and it has been skilfully achieved here. The positive outcomes garnered by this approach for both victim-survivors and offenders alike has been noted and applauded by the police.
This project balances a complex brief of circulation, security and sensitive needs in a sophisticated and seamless outcome. The empathy and attention to detail is an approach that has now been adopted by police departments at a national level, and is being adapted for a diverse range of spaces nationwide.
The design and flow of Arch South reflects a trauma-informed approach. The incorporation of public, semi-public, and private spaces supports services within Arch South to provide a coordinated, multidisciplinary response by providing collaborative spaces, yet also different zones for therapeutic services and a police response. Victim-survivors of sexual harm and external stakeholders have noted the peaceful, calming effect of the space. Victim-survivors who have previously engaged with police at a police station have commented that being in the Arch South space has been a vastly different experience, and that the look and feel makes them feel safe and valued.
Martin Stephenson, Director
Jacob Britten, Design Architect
Dixie Makro, DPFEM, Graphic Design
Engineering Solutions Tasmania, Services Consultant
Noise Vibration Control, Acoustic Consultant
Southern Lighting, Lighting Consultant
The Australian Institute of Architects acknowledges First Nations peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands, waters, and skies of the continent now called Australia.
We express our gratitude to their Elders and Knowledge Holders whose wisdom, actions and knowledge have kept culture alive.
We recognise First Nations peoples as the first architects and builders. We appreciate their continuing work on Country from pre-invasion times to contemporary First Nations architects, and respect their rights to continue to care for Country.
