Student Work
1∕10
Title
Designing Delivery
Project Description
People always say “it takes a village to help” when talking about birth. This life-changing experience not only impacts moms at the birthing moment, but also their attitude towards themselves and their families. Birthing is a collaborative experience which includes moms, the family and the whole birthing team. This birth center cares for all three groups of people involved in the birthing experience, which encourages the family to be actively engaged, moms to be comfortable enough to talk about their needs and stories and the birthing team to be fully supported, therefore fostering a bigger community around maternal health. This birth center consists of a community center on the ground floor, providing educational resources and amenities for moms to keep coming back, an elevated winter garden, offering private indoor walking trials and landscape to adapt mobility during labor, 4 individual birthing suites, which could host 4 or more different families and a welcoming supporting team space for midwives’ office and other cares. Moms are encouraged to stay longer in their birthing suites. They could move in 1-2 weeks before their labor and stay at least one week after their birth, increasing the chance to know other moms and share their stories. The swing room which is connected by garden or in-suite could serve for multiple scenarios to provide flexibility, including partners staying over-night, postpartum stays for other moms, early exams and midwives’ call rooms. This birth center aims to create a home-like experience for the birthing person and the midwives are working just across the “street”.
