A House Is a Center Is a House: Participatory Design for a Community Counseling Center

Using an environmental-design concept called pattern language, an architectural design group worked with five mental health center staff members to locate, design, and move into a setting for a satellite counseling center. The group first identified environmental problems, especially the lack of privacy, that existed in the counselors' previous setting, a remodeled storefront. However, in their new quarters, a two-story house, staff decided against having private offices; they used the upstairs rooms for counseling and the downstairs for shared spaces and work stations-inexpensive, individtial cabinets with desk space that were placed to allow privacy for the user, yet permitted the communication essential for work as a team. After 18 months of use, staff's and clients' reactions to the setting continued to be favorable.