Space and Power: Designing for Healthcare Equity

Abstract

This thesis examines the relationship between space and power, investigating how architecture can challenge systemic barriers to sexual, reproductive, and gender-affirming healthcare. Adopting a feminist perspective, the project analyzes how built environments have historically excluded or harmed those at the margins of care, and how spatial design can instead cultivate agency. Set in the medical block of Halifax, Nova Scotia, the proposal envisions a healthcare facility that provides clinical and community-based support. Building on zine culture as a design methodology, the thesis goes beyond traditional architectural approaches to explore community-focused care strategies. It incorporates non-institutional forms of representation and uses architectural methods that emphasize ease of navigation, sensory involvement, and advocacy. Rather than isolating care, this thesis proposes a model that embeds it within the public realm, transforming the healthcare facility into a site of empowerment.