Issy Mason

Turning Tides is a transitional women's shelter for thirteen adult women without children that combines 298 and 302 Broadway in Newmarket. Inspired by The Moon as a feminine entity, Turning Tides overlaps ideas of reflection, diffusion, luck, weathering, form and material significance.

The door handles to the thirteen private bedrooms share the form of adder stones. These are stones weathered by the tides of the moon with holes through them. They are considered a lucky charm and honour the shifting of one’s fortune with the simple act of opening a door. The same symbolism of the stone is reflected in the central courtyard, making the shelter a giant adder stone. The central courtyard and rear patio were carved out to open exterior places for the women to rest, eat or garden within the security of the shelter.

This project intends to shift recovery from an isolated experience through a woman-centred design for reciprocal care, becoming a communal experience and effort.