Somers Town Community for Women Part 1 Project 2019 Paula Pocol University of Greenwich | UK "As a woman, I have no country. As a woman, I want no country. As a woman, my country is the whole world." - Virginia Woolf"Women, Undoubtedly the Strongest Pillars of our Society." - Meera SatpathySomers Town Community For Women is an architectural exploration of these statements, elevating female independence while coexisting in today's world. It provide life-long private homes for elderly women, creating a community that keeps the residents engaged with all aspects of society. Ateliers and residences blend into one to provide a dynamic environment to practice and teach a craft.Opposed but not mutually exclusive concepts such as 'work/leisure', 'create/consume', private/public, individual/communal are combined in the same space to shape a diverse experience. Explorations into the 'duality of space' result in the creation of a 'perforated wall' or 'colonnade' that can be inhabited, so the 'column' becomes an active, bespoke component of the proposal and is a symbol of the women; the column takes on the role of structural element, wall, separating tool and connector.The site, Somers Town, has a socially charged history and a culturally diverse and active background, informing the programme and enhancing the experience of 'Lifelong homes, a community to live in'. Tutor(s) Benni Allan Kieran Hawkins