There's No Place Like Home

The phrase 'There’s No Place Like Home' evokes a sense of longing for one’s home and the familiar, comfortable surroundings it provides. It implies that home is a safe and secure place, a sanctuary from the outside world; it is a place where one belongs. However, this is not always the case for the survivors of domestic abuse.

In recent years, we faced an incredible increase in incidents of domestic violence these last few years, with Greece having the highest increase during the pandemic (Louloudi et al., 2023). In 2020, 8 victims were reported, and in 2022 this number soared to 24, an increase of 200%. We live in a society where we assume that everything is perfect or are we simply pretending that this is the case. Perhaps we need to stop and reflect: What lies behind these appealing facades of households? What role does the home play in the interpersonal relationships within a family?

“I would like people in general, and not only architects, to understand that architecture is not only what it looks like, but also what happens in it.”

As Bernard Tschumi adds, “Architecture is defined by the actions it witnesses as much as by the enclosure of its walls”. — Bernard Tschumi, 1981