Skin Deep, a veteran housing project for the rehabilitation of homeless female veterans. 

​

Women make up only 8% of the homeless veteran population causing their needs to be overlooked in a predominately male group.  These women have a need to feel safe and secure, separated from the men who outnumber them.  Skin Deep will provide a place for female veterans to reconnect with society and build each other up in a community of recovering women. 

​

The formal strategy for skin deep was to create a barrier around the perimeter and turn the focus inward, providing separation for the women while creating a special place just for them on the VA campus.  The form resembles a geode with its rocky exterior and crystalline interior, a symbol of hope for internal recovery and self confidence for the recovering women who reside there.  While the exterior is rough, linear, and uninviting, a surprise of openness and dynamic space await those who enter sending the message that true beauty  is more than skin deep. 

.

​