Healthy Habits & Harmony

Health

The strength of the mind-body connection is well-documented. Physical health affects mental health and vice versa, so as part of a holistic approach to trauma-informed design, both Haven House and Cloud Nine Studios were built to improve the health of their residents.

At a basic level, this involved measures such as using premium, low-VOC building materials, modern plumbing techniques, active ventilation, and a water filtration system to greatly reduce the amount of harmful substances in the air and water.

At a higher level, this meant purposefully designing environments that promote healthy habits.

Sleeping Well

The most important of these habits is promoting proper sleep hygiene to help residents get regular, high-quality sleep.

To start, we implemented over a dozen soundproofing measures, from extra-thick walls with offset studs and extra insulation to quieter doorbells, sound-insulated garbage disposals, and industrial hydraulic dampeners to make the convertible beds close softly.

For light control, windows have either shutters or blackout shades, and all rooms have recessed, dimmable lights. Furthermore, most lights at Haven House and every light fixture in Cloud Nine Studios feature dim-to-warm technology, which means these lights automatically turn from cool white to warm yellow light as they are dimmed, which feels more comfortable and doesn’t interfere with sleep like regular lights do.

(if kept, reword previous furthermore) Furthermore, this design extends to the choice and placement of furniture/furnishings. Example: Bedside tables in Rooms 6 & 7. Encourages phones to be placed on side away from roommate. On other side of a visual barrier. Also a consistent placement, for stability, predictability.

Cooking at Home

Since diet so profoundly affects health and cooking for oneself dramatically improves self-efficacy, the environment has been designed to encourage cooking at home as much as possible.

Haven House features two full kitchens with space for multiple people to cook concurrently in each, and at Cloud Nine Studios, despite being fairly small homes, each apartment has a full kitchen with the features and counter space typically found in a regular house.

All of these kitchens are fully stocked with not just dinnerware and flatware, but also the most commonly needed cookware, baking tools, and kitchen essentials, so most residents can take full advantage of the kitchens as they are. Modern conveniences such as coffee machines and air fryers (and, at Cloud Nine Studios, induction ranges) are provided to allow residents to make healthy, tasty food at home quickly and easily. Residents who want any other equipment in their kitchen are encouraged to notify management before buying anything, as most items that can be used by others will be provided upon request.

Maintaining Cleanliness

People with depression or otherwise operating at diminished capacity can frequently fall behind on home maintenance tasks, which leads to a self-perpetuating, negative cycle

For people with depression or otherwise operating at diminished capacity, maintaining a clean and organized living space can be challenging. Falling behind on home maintenance tasks can create a negative feedback loop that perpetuates and potentially worsens symptoms.

To help combat this, all spaces have been designed with ease of maintenance in mind. Through design and material choices, nearly everything is hard to break and easy to clean.

Smaller dishwashers and laundry machines are much more expensive than normal, but Laundry Machines encourage smaller, more frequent , these tiny machines still have a normal capacity, but operate well with smaller loads. Their smaller appearance encourages

All materials are easy to clean and hard to break.

All cleaning tasks are designed to be as approachable as possible.

Reducing Clutter (reduces stress)

Cleanliness

Stress Reduction / Reducing Stress

Sleep Hygiene / Improving Sleep Quality

Harmony

Most conflicts are over light, sound (sleep disturbance) or bathroom

Simple but powerful measures like ensuring every person has their own dedicated towel rack so that there is no need to hand wet towels anywhere that could bother someone else.

On the lower floor of Haven House, a space that is designed to be shared by four people. Everything is designed to be split in half, then half again. A storage closet that is designed to be shared by four people has been divided into four perfectly identical compartments at convenient levels, with additional spaces at the top and bottom which are easy to subdivide.

Two laundry areas and three refrigerators, at Cloud Nine, in every unit.

Individual HVAC systems in each bedroom let everyone be comfortable without wasting energy. Lighting throughout the house is recessed and dimmable.

For noise reduction, security, and privacy, all doors are solid wood and each bedroom door has a heavy-duty deadbolt. Luxury vinyl flooring throughout the home is beautiful and durable. All materials used throughout home are easy to clean. Tankless water heater never runs out of hot water.