Public space for refugees: community facilities in the context of permanent temporariness

Abstract

At this moment in history, a staggering 60 million refugees rely on international help - the highest number of displaced persons ever. A large variety of solutions have been developed that cater for primary needs. However, long-term public and community facilities have been neglected.

This project is addressing the necessity of dignifying community facilities in the context of permanent temporariness in refugee camps. Twelve plans for public buildings are developed, each with a different program. During the coming spring, certain parts of these projects will be built in scale 1:1, as part of the building exercises of the battalion of genie troops.

In order to develop these prototypes, a variety of camp types, public building types and techniques have been researched and analysed. All together these studies have been assembled in a catalogue, intended as a toolbox for designing public buildings for refugees.