project02:P4

The project aims at tackling a socio-political issue, the refugee crisis, from an architectural point of view which integrates sociological aspects. In order to face the lack of housing for refugees, the project is located in an abandoned office tower block, which is becoming a widespread problem in the Netherlands. Adopting a concept of vertical city, three types of areas are defined within the building: public, semi public and private. By means of subtraction, an internal sloping street is obtained, while the residential areas equalise the remaining office tower. Finally, by means of addition a buffer zone is created between the two: a semi public area that is populated by several functions that allow refugees to work while providing opportunities for integration. Derived from the fact that refugees often demonstrate abilities of self-organisation and from the fact that refugees are a variegated society and therefore have different needs and wishes, a higher participation of the user is implemented. This has the additional benefit of contrasting the current practice of what has been defined as “forced inactivity”, which has a negative impact on refugees’ health and their possibilities to take control of their life. This implementation in the project is multi-faceted and present throughout at different intensity. Particularly, this idea is implemented as the possibility of self-building, from the design of the residential areas to the materiality and production. Some of the specific functions are then developed at the Meso scale, in which two programmes are tested, one being a textile workshop connected with a shop, the second the MultiKulti Kitchen. The latter is a project built on the framework of best practices of the European Union, that offers refugees the possibility to work in a restaurant, while also offering lessons of traditional cuisine, events that turn into occasions of meeting and integration. The materiality of the project is carried out with three core materials: concrete, wood and EPS. Each having a different function and benefits, their hybridity was central in order to produce a fragment of the project.

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