Midtown Recovery Center

Human trafficking is the illegal exploitation of a person of any age. It may take the form of forced labor, child soldiers, or forced begging. The midtown recovery center focuses on survivors of sex trafficking, which is the most common type of trafficking in the world. Traffickers exploit 1 million children per year. Sex trafficking disproportionately affects women and children and involves forced participation in commercial sex acts. In the United States, any child under the age of 18 who has been involved in a commercial sex act is considered a trafficking victim. Women and girls make up 80% of the people trafficked transnationally. Yearly, traffickers exploit 1 million children in the commercial sex trade. Midtown Recovery Center would help teen girls who have survived this trauma to heal and prepare for adulthood. Why Midtown Atlanta? Atlanta was named by the FBI as one of the 10 US cities with the highest rate of human trafficking. The “heart of the arts” is a nickname for Midtown, which has the largest concentration of arts and cultural attractions in the southeast. Our site is located in Midtown Atlanta. This site is a prime location for teens because it is next to the beltline and shops. The secluded site and local atmosphere make Midtown a good place for the teens to heal, go to school, and make friends. Our focus group is teen girls aged 14-18. Focusing on this age group will help to promote feelings of safety in the facility. These girls have survived a severe amount of trauma that most of us can’t even imagine, and we researched ways architecture has the ability to heal. We looked into the ways that light and nature when integrated into architecture can have a healing effect. We were inspired by the concrete use of Marcel Breur, the use of light by Steve Holl and the landscaping design of Roberto Burle Marx, especially his use of pattern and color in the pathways.