A

Seminar Paper On
HEALING AND EMPOWERING BATTERED WOMEN
THROUGH ARCHITECTURE

For the partial fulfillment of requirements for the Degree of

Bachelor in Architecture (B.arch), TU

Submitted By:
Sanjita Basnet
073/BAE/534

Submitted To:
Tribhuvan University
Institute of Engineering

Department of Architecture
Thapathali Campus

June11, 2021
Healing and Empowering Battered Women through Architecture: Shelter
for Battered Women and Women Empowerment Center
Abstract
A form of social disparity as ‘being woman’ has become a common phrase in Nepal. The phrase
provides an exclusive excuse for domestic violence. Domestic Violence is seen high in Nepal
which has resulted psychological violence, physical and sexual violence. The persistent
violence against women has been overlooked by Nepali culture and social beliefs in the name
of keeping a woman in her place. Therefore, this seminar paper showcases the journey of
battered women from her first step into the emergency shelter to the last step until she becomes
independent to turn to the society. A shelter for woman can be the place where she is taught to
seize her basic rights, fight for her dignity and become independent throughout the healing
journey. It is a privilege for an architecture to heal and empower women; which can be the
smaller steps towards a bigger picture of women empowerment. The gender disparity as
women can also be found in the spaces, buildings and architecture. Therefore, the aim of this
seminar paper is to study the spaces that affects human behavior and de-territorialized the
gendered spaces that exist in every home. The paper draws the attention of everyone to build
such environment and spaces in the shelter and even in home where women can sense the
feeling of belongingness.

Keywords: Battered Women, Violence, Empowerment, Self-Efficacy, Independence,

Competence, Participation, Self-Determination, Healing Constructs

1.0 Introduction

The total population in Nepal has crossed 29 million of which women constitute more than half
of the population. However, the society formed in the past and in the present is patriarchal
where the father is the head of the family and have authority over everything. This has resulted
in violation of Women Rights as Basic Human Rights. Women are forced to work as slave in
their own house and this has caused domestic violence in every part of the country where
women have to suffer more. Various studies have revealed the fact that a higher level of
domestic violence against women exists in the urban and highly educated families in Nepalese
society (Joshi D. D., May 22, 2008). Violence does not have a boundary. It exists in different
forms and the color, race, class do not matter. Even, the higher-class family are the victims of
violence. The fact that matters is ‘being woman’ she has to go through what the patriarchal

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societal norms offers her to. Many women are found to have developed battered syndrome due
to which their life has been hell. Battered women are physically or sexually assaulted by their
husbands or partners. Such abuse in women results battered woman syndrome which is a
serious mental health condition. Women living with this syndrome may feel helpless and they
cannot get away from it. This persistent violence against women has been overlooked by Nepali
culture and social beliefs in the name of keeping a woman in her place. However, the actual
woman’s place is the place where her dignity is not interrogated, where she can be herself and
can decide on her own. Therefore, a place specifically designed for women should be built as
an emergency shelter for battered women and vulnerable women. Apart from being shelter just
as a place of temporary stay, shelter should provide built environments where such women can
heal themselves during their stay. WHO stated that at least one in five women is physically or
sexually abused by a man at some time of her life (Joshi D. D., May 22, 2008). Psychological
violence is seen high, followed by physical, economic, and sexual violence in Nepalese society
(Lamichhane, Puri, Tamang, & Dulal, 2011). Therefore, the most essential need for today’s
shelter is to have a built environment where women can heal themselves at first in the journey
of their empowerment during their stay. The main causes for perpetuating violence against
women in Nepal are due to low educational status of women, unemployment status of women,
less dowry and lack of communication inability (Paudel, 2017). If we analyze these setbacks,
these are actually the frameworks for empowering women. It is an opportunity for architecture
to consider these frameworks for women empowerment. Women need to be economically
empowered. She should be financially independent and should be responsible for all her
expenses. Women should be legally empowered. The women’s rights should be reinforced and
legal awareness should be initiated. According to UN Women Asia and the pacific, more than
14000 women were elected during the local federal and provincial elections held in Nepal in
2017 AD, of which, only 2% of women were elected as Mayors or chairpersons of local
government. This is the same case as women being disguised with so many legal rights written
in the constitution but never met into an action. Therefore, they should be participated in all
these aspects as the fact that all men and women are equal should be based on personal
development opportunities in all aspects. Women should be overall empowered. Women
empowerment cannot be viewed in isolation with other legal, educational aspects from social
influences. Women empowerment involves the process of creating a political environment
wherein women can breathe without any fear of oppression. Women empowerment not only
empowers women but also the society. There are different components that help in empowering
women according to different feminists’ perspective. Some of the summarized basic
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components are women’s sense of self -worth, right to have and to determine choices, right to
access to opportunities and resources and right to have the power to control their own lives.
Therefore, empowering women to be self -dependent is by providing them access to all the
freedoms and opportunities which they were deprived of in the past only because of their ‘being
women.’ There are different stages in the process of empowerment to be encountered serially.
Women need to be socially, mentally and economically strong to be a part of the present
society. Dr. Anu Dandona (2015) explains that the women empowerment model has six
dimensions: Self-determination, being meaningful, professional growth, competence and Self-
Efficacy, trust and independence to be psychologically strong. Different studies have showed
that Self-Determination, Participation, Competence & Self-Efficacy and Independence are
the domains for empowering women socially and psychologically. Therefore, in this paper
these domains are studied and explored in relation to the architecture that could provide
essential built environment for vulnerable women.

SELF- PARTICIPATION COMPETENCE INDEPENDENCE

DETERMINATION & SELF-
Communication EFFICACY Final stage of
First stage of skill is another empowerment as
women stage of Third stage of women are
empowerment empowerment. empowerment independent
when they arrive This stage is where women enough to make
to the shelter. achieved are provided their own
Women are through opportunities choices, decision
made to be feel participatory to develop and control.
safe and secured. activities, social themselves and
interactions and be self-
programs. sufficient which
they were
denied of.

Figure 1: Framework for empowering women (Author's collection)

1.1 Self-Determination
Self- Determination is the women’s need to be free from all the social structures prevalent in
various forms deeply rooted in our society. When the women suffered from violence enter the
shelter, the first thing to make sure in the beginning of their journey of social transformations
is to make them feel they are safe and secured. They are needed to be provided such
environments where they can heal at first before stepping towards more concrete approaches
of empowerment. In this stage, they are made self-realized and determined to bring themselves

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a transformation through the women empowerment center. A small hope in them to be an
independent and turn to the society is ignited in this first stage as they walk in the sphere of
empowerment.

Security
Women entering the shelter are psychologically, physically, emotionally and economically
hurt. As discussed earlier psychological violence is seen high in women in Nepalese society.
This can be relevant to all the women of different societies. In most of the cases, women are
the victim of their own relatives and even husbands. Therefore, the first necessity for every
woman entering the center is safety and security. Along with security, privacy is another need
for them. Center should have surveillance camera at entrance and exits. The fence around the
center makes them feel safe and secured. However, the high walls, window less walls can give
the center appearance of fortress and can make them feel that they are in prison (Ayers, 2003).
To avoid such, creative and soft landscaping can be created which acts as a barrier and make
them feel safe (as shown in figure2).

Figure 2: Creating Visual Barriers to Battered women for safety (Ayers, 2003, p. 15)

(Prestwood, 2010) in his interview with shelter residents, participations were found to be
frustrated by the reason they were in the shelter in the first place. The center should develop
public, semi-public, shared private and private spaces sequentially from the entrances of the
center. The in-between spaces connecting these public and private spaces should have various
transitions which can be created through walkways, courtyards, children playground and
trellises due to which women on their first step can feel safe.

Women when they come to the center, they have some belongings which they are emotionally
attached to. As per the interview with focused group by Prestwood (2010), women in the shelter
carry their belongings with them all the time so that they won’t lose it. Therefore, the personal

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lockers should be provided to women so that they can have it whenever they want to and feel
secured about their possessions. Women notice tiny details and the architectural cues of the
place that they inhibit. If the women do not perceive the space, though the place is secured,
then they may not get over their fears enough to heal. Therefore, architecturally the perception
of security can be fulfilled with the use of thick sturdy walls, visible barriers separating
outsiders, or vegetation that do not grow too closely to the walls and windows of the center
(Ayers, 2003).

Privacy
“Privacy is a psychological state where person feels secure and comfortable, and it is said to
have a positive therapeutic value (Joshi R. , 2017, p. 28)”. As, battered women upon entering
the shelter, they need private space where they can communicate with themselves.
Introspection is the necessary tool for healing the battered women and women suffering from
different violence. (Joshi R. , 2017) explains that bedrooms, privacy niches, the women’s
contemplation room, and the contemplation garden are the most private spaces where the
women sort out their situation in their own minds instead of counseling through shelter
personnel. Therefore, battered women in the shelter need the private bedroom so as they will
have feeling of control of space and be able to move freely in and out of their bedrooms to sit
up and read without feeling that they are disturbing their roommates (Prestwood, 2010). She
needs a private space to reconcile her past with her future. The concept of dormitory does not
work for women’s shelter as they need more private spaces. Some women in the interview by
(Prestwood, 2010) indicated that a shared bedroom with no more than two would be acceptable
for some women in his interview with them. Private spaces can also be categorized into intimate
spaces. The dorm rooms with two adults residing in it can be the intimate spaces where they
can share their past experiences and reduce their stresses. These dorm rooms can be established
while women are in long stay as at this point of time, they need someone to communicate with
rather than stay alone in a locked bedroom. Various studies have shown that a private ensuite
bedroom with a locker is more preferrable by women in shelter as it denotes a sense of control
of space and privacy.

Women suffering from violence seek for the shelter that feels like home. The long corridors
branching of the rooms in the shelter gives the feeling of being at hospital. Therefore, such
long corridors should be avoided while designing any spaces for women’s shelter and
empowerment center. Participants in an interview (Prestwood, 2010, p. 154) explains that a
television area was something that made the shelter feel more like home. However, the

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television area being centrally located and adjacent to many bedrooms can be disturbing at
night as some women watches television to kill their insomnia. This can be the problem for
women with children to make their children fall sleep. Similarly, women with no children and
women with children demands separate wings as they have problem with children being loud
(Prestwood, 2010). Separating the blocks for these two women can be the good architectural
solution for maintaining their privacy.

The gendered spatial arrangements in any buildings still denote the hierarchy of spaces which
have reflected women’s actual status and less power than the men (Afsharnezhad, 2015).
Spatial territories within the domestic spaces are associated with gender identities (Duncan
Nancy, N.Ducan ed.international, 1996) . The development of societies throughout the history
of western civilization is concretely marked by a masculine ideologue. Architecture in a way
is how people create their sexualities in the real world and thus, define themselves at a given
place and time (Betsky, p. 12) If we see the architecture around us, the cities, the places and
the buildings like palaces, shopping malls, they all represent man made world dominated by
man to satisfy the women needs. The domestic space allocated and a public space as a danger
space for women are the spatial territories existing in our space, society. Greek houses in 4th
century are found to use balconies or windows on a second floor with blank walls on ground
floor. It was designed on the concept such that the women should never leave their home. The
presence of such gendered spaces makes women feel of having no any control of their spaces
and are compelled to think that they are being in control from their abusers. They feel that they
have no any status relative to men in reality as well and this could be the negative effects in
their self-determination to bring positive transformation in them. Such gendered spaces help
women to perceive the space in different ways than men. Therefore, space determines and
affects human behavior as the organization of spaces is produced by and in relation to behavior.
Space becomes a place through architectural design and thereby a place for women can be
created analyzing the behavior of women. Such spatial differences existing in residential
buildings, their previous workplaces like men are provided closed cabinet spaces whereas
women are kept at open big hall without any closed space at present, need to be avoided by de-
territorializing and creating non-hierarchical spaces while designing any spaces in the shelter
which gives them feeling of privacy. The architectural style of the center regarding safety and
security should reflect the scale and character of the neighborhood. As, one passes from and
into the center, the landscaping should complement the building by creating a safe, visible, and
dignified experience (Ayers, 2003).

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1.2 Participation
Women are made to be participated in different activities in this stage. After igniting the
sleeping ashes of self-determination in them through security and privacy, women are now
stepped into the process of healing. Studies in environment psychology shows that designing
spaces such as to heal them can actually aid in healing.

Women and Environment

The way men and women perceive the spaces differs from one another. Women establish their
relationship to the world by connection while men by separation (Ayers, 2003). Therefore, the
built environment that will potentially reduce stresses should be established making the spaces
connected and make them feel reconnected and reconciled while designing woman’s shelter
and the empowerment center.

Healing Spaces
Healing is a holistic, transformative process of repair, recovery in mind, body and spirit
resulting in positive change, finding meaning, and movement towards self- realization of
wholeness, regardless of the presence or absence of disease (Firth Kimberly, 2015). Healing is
a process which happens over time and bring changes in well-being gradually. Therefore, a
healing space evokes a sense of cohesion of the mind, body and spirit (Jennifer DuBose, 2018).
Violence can kill and disables many women between the ages of 15-44 and its toll on women’s
health surpasses that of traffic accidents (Joshi D. D., May 22, 2008). This may be due to
physical and psychological violence. Therefore, healing should be considered a primary step

EXTERNAL

Figure 3: Optimal healing environment framework ( (Jennifer DuBose, 2018, p. 44)

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for women empowerment and healing spaces through the setting, components and architectural
elements can bring in the psychological, physical, emotional and spiritual well- being.

The illustration (see figue3) above indicates the four environments that helps in optimal
healing. The environment alone cannot help healing to occur but manages to engage behavior,
actions and emotions which are the bases for healing (Jennifer DuBose, 2018). These four
environments are the healing spaces arranged in respect of zoning according to privacy. These
environments can further be simplified into two distinguishing healing spaces: Private &
Interpersonal healing space, and communal healing spaces.

Communication is a tool for women’s health and psychological well-being. There are two types
of communication needed for every woman to aid in their healing: one for introspection and
the another one to be social with others (Petrakis, 2015). Communication can only be held if
the desired space is built into two distinguishing healing spaces in terms of privacy.

Private & Healing Constructs

Interpersonal Spaces
Stimulation
Healing Spaces Restorative

Social
Communal Spaces

Figure 4: Relationship between Healing Spaces and Healing Constructs (Author’s Collection)

Private and Interpersonal Spaces

Private and interpersonal spaces are the essence in any women empowerment center to aid in
healing. These are the spaces where women can communicate with themselves. Battered
women are robbed of their ability to connect with their environment and people. Thus, such
spaces in the center can be the tool for their growth and development. Architecturally, these
spaces can be perceived in the form of contemplation garden, meditating spaces, alcoves,
trellises, and secluded garden.

Communal spaces
Women in Nepalese society are treated inferior on different basis, lack of communication skill
is one of them. Women needs somebody to share her experiences and overcome the stresses.
After being spent time with herself in her first days to the center, she needs to communicate
with others. Communication with different women in the center can be established through
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 architecture in the form of communal spaces such as: indoor courtyard, porch, gardens & parks,
shared dining area and counseling area. Both the private and communal spaces with their
healing constructs aid in healing through communicative spaces (see in figure5).

Healing Constructs

Factors Facilitated by Architecture Stimulation

Architecture Healing
(Mediators) Restorative

Social

Figure 5: Architectural impact on healing (Author’s Collection)

Healing Constructs

The women should have self-realization and predetermination before stepping in a journey of
healing at first. Women in Nepal are found to be dealing with such abusive experiences using
both adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies (Bushra Sabri, 2015). Through self-
realization, they should be able to develop adaptive coping strategies from their maladaptive
coping strategies in their process of healing. It should help in mitigating anxiety, stress and
depression. These healing constructs can be achieved through effective use of spaces and
architecture. Architecture creates an environment that positively or negatively impacts
individual’s sense of control and emotional responses to their care.

Stimulation

The environment should appeal to all our sixth senses while

designing any spaces designated for women suffered from
different forms of violence. It should evoke emotions that has
been suppressed. The smell, taste, vision, hearing, touch should
find the way to connect with the environment. Too much or
less such sensory information can be unhealthy (McCoy,
1998). Such appealing environment can be created through
simple but elegant design details. A subset of stimulation is the
element of mystery (Ayers, 2003, p. 21). A colonnade of
Figure 6: Mystery: What lies beyond?
trees or trellises that frame a view or a pathway can enhance (McCoy, 1998)

the occupants being beckoned closer to discover what lies

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beyond. While walking through such pathways, the design detailing of the spaces can help in
stimulating senses. Different design considerations to awake our senses can be: (Lilian, 2001)

Light and shadow

As, women are in their journey of healing, they need spaces to communicate with. The form is
obsolete, function is dynamic and the space transcends to time. Therefore, the spaces need to
be designed carefully and to make effective communication with oneself, such spaces need to
be lit and dark at the same time to comfort their swinging emotional state of mind. These places
could be the chapel where dramatic flow of light and dark can be felt in a spiritual way of
healing by using irregular windows in different unequal intervals throughout the walls at a
greater height (see figure9). This dramatic series of light also can be produced in spaces using
brick Jalis as, it is considered to be the positive stress reducers (see figure 8). Brick Jalis
producing such lighting effects can be used in meditating spaces for its effective use in healing.
Similarly, space can create an intended experience and which can be created through focusing
of light on a particular sculpture or paintings. Some spaces should make women feel they are
connected to the eternal world as some women can be healed psychologically through spiritual
way. These spaces should give feeling like it is filled with ethereal light that connects them to
the God (see figure 7). It can be created through wall thickness and window shape, as they
diffuse the light by reflecting inside the window opening. This creates ethereal light, which
appears to be everywhere (Lilian, 2001).

A study reported that east facing windows facilitate natural light progression that helps reduce
stress and therefore supports healing (Bartlett, 2013).

Figure 9: Creating Ethereal Light (Lilian, Figure 8: Brick Jali as Figure 7: Light and shadow (Lilian,
2001) stress reducer 2001)

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Acoustics

Acoustics in the private areas of the center should be deadened as the women refer their private
space as a quiet place. The Private niches and alcoves should be acoustically deadened. The
running water can be implemented in design through various ways as, it soothes both the mind
and the body of women.

Texture

The natural material works best in the case of healing. Wood, sandstones are the naturally
formed materials and differ from each other on various properties like texture, smell. These
kinds of materials are best to use rather than manufactured materials.

Restorative

Women at this stage seek out for the coping strategies to become fully empowered. Restorative
element is the key design element in reconciling woman’s past to her future. Restorative design
elements include places to retreat to, element of fascination, and an exposure to nature. These
things uplift the human spirit effortlessly (Ayers, 2003).

The elements of showcasing exposure to nature can be the private

alcoves facing the gardens, parks or nature views where she can
read books and enjoy the views of nature (See figure11). Such
places help her to sink in the moment. The places to retreat can
be the contemplation garden. This garden should be provided
only for women at their shelter. It should be quiet, lush space
with many niches and the landscaping with a sky to look above.
The background noise of water running can be the landscape
Figure 10: Restoration from
elements (Ayers, 2003). The earth, sky, water and nature can be nature being in the moment
the tool use through architecturally to restore of their emotions (McCoy, 1998)

and well-beings.

Social

Human beings cannot live alone by nature. Likewise, vulnerable women after spending much
time with themselves, they need others to share things, experiences. This is very much
important tool in healing as well as making her able to turn to the society. Communal spaces
help in making social interactions between personnel. The spaces do not need to be large or

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small to be socially interactive spaces. They could be of various scales from porch to the
courtyards. The communal spaces in the women’s center can be:

Dining Area

Dining area is the part of any house where the conversations begin especially in Nepalese
society. Women perform the ritual of communal eating that has occurred for centuries in the
dining area. For a woman with children, it is the place where she bonds to them through the act
of feeding and taking care of them. (Ayers, 2003, p. 32). The glass wall showcasing outdoor
elements can create additional vibrant interactive spaces.

Porch

Some women might have adapted non-coping strategies before coming into the shelter.
Therefore, considering such women, some smoking zones can be created architecturally
through porch without designating the area as a smoking zone. This place, though small can be
the most socially interactive spaces in the evening as such are the convenient places to start a
conversation.

Indoor Courtyards

If shelters in the center are clustered in a courtyard configuration, the building acts as a
protective barrier and the courtyard as the therapeutic heart of the shelter. Access to the
courtyard can be from few doors of public shared spaces and from each dwelling units (Ayers,
2003) so as to have a quick interaction among each residents any time.

Therapeutic Garden

Therapeutic Garden is an outdoor garden that has been specifically designed to meet the
physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of the people and the users. Therapeutic
garden facilitates stress reduction and helps to achieve balances state of body and mind. It
provides various settings where women can have physical therapy, horticultural therapy.
Generally, plants are more used in therapeutic garden to build its healing characters. Different
anti-stressing herbs like Passion flower, Lavandula augustofolia can be used in therapeutic
garden. Along with plants, arbor with climbers on it, raised beds, hedges, patio and containers,
seating spaces, walkways can be used in the therapeutic garden as designing element.

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1.3 Self-Efficacy & Competence
This stage refers to development of confidence in women through skills and trainings to turn
to the society which lost them. In this stage, women are provided opportunities to get learnt
and be self-sufficient which they were denied of. There has been a confidence gap in men and
women and is still today. Many women of this new generation are literate, though there is a
lack of confidence in them compare to men of same education and degrees. Men apply for a
job when they meet only 60% of their qualifications, whereas women apply only if they meet
100% of them. This shows what doomed them was not their actual ability but rather the
decision not to try. The reason that fosters not to take such decisions is due to the imposter
syndrome1 caused by the society. Therefore, to boost up their confidence and be resilient
enough, those vulnerable and destitute women should be made self-sufficient. Architecturally,
the areas that promotes self-efficacy and competence for such women are: Vocational
education and trainings, library, computer rooms and multi-purpose halls.

Vocational education and trainings

The vocational education and training are defined as an education that prepares people for
specific trades, crafts and careers at various levels (Chavan, 2013). The main objective through
vocational trainings and education is to achieve outcomes for socially disadvantaged women
as their inability to contribute to the family income undermines their self-confidence and self-
esteem. The vocational training and educations make women flexible, contemporary, relevant,
inclusive and creative (Chavan, 2013). Vocational training not only provides self-employment
opportunities to women but also trigger capability to exercise control over their personal and
family life. It includes, technical work to the crafts works and cottage industries. As, in Nepal
women are treated as inferior due to lack of education and unemployment. However, the formal
education is not a prerequisite for achieving practical skills for income generation. Chavan
(2013, p. 49) says “to achieve economic self-sufficiency for all women”, there is a need for
advocacy for programs that provide women with education, training and support for success in
the work force, including non-traditional occupations.

Architectural Spaces for vocational trainings

The main design considerations while designing any spaces for vocational education and
trainings is to maintain the scale of the room. It is better to have a big common space as a

1
Imposter syndrome is the internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive
you to be.

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workshop space rather than a designated space for individual and with a proper fenestration to
ensure enough natural lighting. A common space provided to connect all the spaces that runs
different vocational programs should be introduced while designing so that it could also be the
place for social interactions and most importantly a place for exchange of intellects and
knowledge. The thermal comfort, ventilation and accessibility are the other core area to be
looked for as most of the educational institutions lacked these (Luis Rodriguez, 2016).

Library
It includes large collection of sources of information and is made accessible through a physical
space or virtual space or both. Primarily these includes books, newspapers, prints, documents,
archives, e-books and others. The size of library depends upon the number of users and ranges
from a shelf with a pile of books to the whole building. The concept of library has always been
a silent zone from the past, however there are different spaces to be acknowledged which may
require effective communication between users rather than silence especially in the women
empowerment center. Library should contain collection spaces, user seating spaces, staff-work
spaces, meeting spaces, special use spaces and non-assignable spaces. These listed spaces are
the prerequisite of a library and some of these spaces recommends contemplation while some
of them demands communication. Therefore, acoustics should be maintained with respect to
these spaces. Similarly, the north facing windows are preferable so that glare won’t affect in
reading.

1.4 Independence
Independence is the virtue of any woman, which gives back the self-esteem and dignity to
women from the society which turned away her once. This is the final stage of empowerment
as women are independent enough to make their own choices, decision and control. The women
can turn to their families and societies after they have become independent in all aspects. In
this stage, they are made financially independent with showcasing of their skills to the public.
This may be achieved with the marketing spaces, and exhibitory spaces in the center and
increasing their entrepreneurship skills. Market can be the good interactive place where women
can interact with the people outside the center. Market spaces should be made open to the
public with the consideration of security for women. Market space can be made flexible with
the canopy structures or different shades. Women can enhance their skills learnt in vocational
trainings and improve their communication skill through these programs.

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1.5 Conclusion

Space determines and affects human behavior as the organization of spaces is shaped and
produced by and in relation to behavior. The way men and women perceive the space differs
from one another. Women read every cue and find details in the built environment and try to
connect with their situations. Therefore, space is inherently transformed and becomes a place
through architectural design and thereby a place for women can be created analyzing the
behavior of women. The spaces that make them feel safe and pave way for strengthen and
independence should be fully studied and then implemented. The research intends to heal them
throughout the process of independence by providing spaces of their interactions and behavior
as gender is the differences in behavioral science not the biological. Hence, this seminar paper
calls for the attention of every individual for empowering women and ultimately empowering
the society. It is an opportunity for an architecture to empower women and set frameworks to
be used in the shelters and centers. The further research will be continued in the future
regarding comparative study of existing shelters which might give additional extensive design
criteria.

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my great appreciation to Department of Architecture, Thapathali

Campus for giving an opportunity to write a seminar paper. I would like to extend my
gratification to my supervisor Dr. Shree Hari Thapa and Ar. Barsha Shrestha for their
continuous guidance throughout this research.

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