INTERSECTION OF DESIGN & MEDICINE
COMMUNITY D
E
Monalisa Tailor, MD a
SIG
S
R
O
H
T
nd Pa
AU
ul S
N
irek
, AI
A, N
S
peaking with my older patients, I
have noticed all the ones who do
well have a community around
them. They share strengthened
communal bonds, interests, beliefs
and life experiences. Of all popu-
lation groups, our veterans are the
ones who need this community the most. We
have seen this in our waiting rooms at the Veterans Affairs Hos-
pital. Veterans form friendships while they wait for their doctor’s
appointment because their unique experiences bond them together.
Luckett & Farley, a local architectural firm, is forming a community
around homeless veterans to give them a safe place to address each
individual’s root causes of homelessness and provide hope for the
future. I spoke with Paul Sirek, lead architect of this project, who is
partnering with Veteran’s Club to make this community possible.
Thankfully, Paul was able to make time to answer some questions
about this project. overall population that have served and sacrificed for all of us. This
really takes what side of the aisle you are on or personal opinions about
the ‘why’ someone is in the situation they are in, out of the equation.
Veteran’s Club, through the construction of Camp Restoration, is an
actionable response to the homeless issue that Louisville faces. This
focus is on creating an environment where homeless veterans can
take a moment to catch their breath and selfishly focus on themselves
to better their situation without the added stress and worry that
ultimately accompanies being without a place to live. The Veteran’s
Club is interested in helping veterans address the root cause of their
situation in a safe and supportive environment. For all these reasons,
I personally, as well as Luckett & Farley as a whole, am honored to
be involved with this project.
QUESTION: WHY WAS THIS PROJECT APPEALING TO YOU?
PAUL: First and foremost - homelessness in Louisville is a divisive containers and Quonsets—the idea was to create a familiarity without
relying on the starkness of these forms. The design endeavors to evoke
a memory based on a foundation of a shared experience, then layer on
and polarizing issue. This project focuses on a homeless subset of the
20
LOUISVILLE MEDICINE
QUESTION: LONELINESS IS BECOMING AN EPIDEMIC AROUND
THE WORLD. VETERANS ARE A UNIQUE GROUP OF INDIVID-
UALS WHO HAVE A SHARED EXPERIENCE. WHAT INSPIRED
THIS DESIGN?
PAUL: We took inspiration from military forms by the use of shipping