Women in Construction Resource Center

The Women in Construction Resource Center creates office, teaching and work space for a non-profit organization whose mission is training and placing women in non-traditional construction occupations.

The training program is part of Moore Community House, an organization founded over 90 years ago by the National United Methodist Women to serve low-income families in Biloxi, Mississippi. The interior renovation not only serves Women in Construction’s functional needs, it communicates the “can-do” philosophy of the organization.

In response to growing and changing needs of the program, WinC leadership decided that its space needed to expand to encompass the adjacent offices which were previously utilized by its parent organization Moore Community House.  The removal of one load-bearing wall and a ramp from the central corridor of the original layout allowed a large classroom to be carved out for students, while still offering offices and a small conference room as spaces for private meetings, as well as a collaborative work space for staff. In the spirit of collaboration, staff from GCCDS joined former WinC students and staff members to help demolish and reconstruct the new Resource Center. New piers were put in place to support the new ramp, and part of the floor was reconstructed to deal with the changing floor levels that occurred within the central entrance lobby.

The new training center adds to the capacity of the organization functionally, socially and economically. It provides useful workspace as well as communicates to funders, students and potential employers the mission and “can-do” philosophy of the organization.