Louis-Christophe Bigras
160109
UNDER TAKING AUTO NOMY
AEE Program
PROGRAM
Louis-Christophe Bigras
Tutor
Thomas Chevalier Bøjstrup Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture Institute of Architecture & Technology Architecture & Extreme Environments
160109
Spring
2018
Contents
Preface 02
Project Positioning
04
Course Description
Uwanja wa Fisi 12
Hyena Square
24
Affirming Realities
30
Stigmas & Knowledge on HIV
36
Structures & Development
Built Intervention 42
Proposal
48
Themes
60
Field Work into Social Inquiry
Methodology 68
Functions and areas
72
UN Global Goals
80
Scope of submission
82
Time-frame
Appendices 86
Acknowledgment
88
Design References
96
Investigative Device
102
Bibliography
104
Image References
105
Curriculum Vitae
PREFACE
Preface
2
Project Positioning
Undertaking Autonomy What, Why, Where?
booming with new development and investment from the east. Confounded between new infrastructural potential and a plethora of possible development agendas for the city, local government ignores the struggle of sex workers within its slums.
Project Positioning
Located on the Tanzanian east coast, the city of Dar es Salaam is
Undertaking Autonomy relates to the current conditions and life situations sex workers find themselves in, in Dar es Salaam slum areas. Young HIV Positive women, down on their luck, with no male figure to help with the costs involved in raising children, are a common sight in sprawling, dense cities such as Dar es Salaam. Uwanja wa Fisi (Hyena Square) has become a mainstay these women turn to for barely enough money to get by. Amplified by police brutality, corruption in law enforcement and, in cases, drug addiction, these women have very little way out and non-existent health related assistance.
With the introduction of a water distribution and sanitation infrastructure at the urban square scale, the project camouflages its deeper intentions of creating spaces for the safe practice of sex work to conservative regimes in place. Through this technological front of health and sanitation, a people’s clinic, and basic services for the neighborhood, the project attempts to investigate and unlock the potential of the area, enhancing the quality of life its sex workers face, and relinquishing to them the autonomy they sought in Uwanja wa Fisi.
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How?
Preface
4
Course Description
Program & Course Content
Architecture & Extreme Environments This architectural program is situated within the master of architecture and extreme environments unit. The masters in remote locations around the globe. Through a site-specific approach, it favors research on the place, and scientific testing of local phenomena to inform architectural design. This is achieved by direct on-site involvement in the form of active expeditions.
Course Description
research unit aims to respond to local challenges and issues
To explore the intersections between architecture & environment students design and travel with an architectural device in order to investigate the potential of a certain scientific field and to respond to present and future global challenges. In close collaboration with local communities, scientists, experts and professionals, this master program engages with the possibilities architecture has to offer when imbued with acquired knowledge from local investigations and on-site experience. Too often is culture and the environment disregarded for the advancement technology in architecture. As students of investigating the design potentials technology has to offer, not only in terms of absolute performance, but also as a process with aesthetic and culturally conscious considerations. By focusing of the acquirement of site-specific knowledge and local design traditions, architecture can be sustainable, and offer less resistance to its environment, allowing for a smoother integration. With the help of science and technology, a larger vocabulary of approaches and solutions can then be applied to building design and construction.
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Architecture and Extreme environment consideration is put into
Extreme Environments Preface
Addressing Social Impact
Tangent to the Masters of Extreme Environment is the field of Social impact design. Which through its approach to design does not have a deeply different methodology. Both have a humanistic core to solution finding and have the responsibility to be critical in their proposals. Ethically, designers must cultivate deep empathy, acknowledge different worldviews, be learners, questioners, creative, intuitive, humble and critical, but they must also practice an intellectual rigor in order to advance in their solution finding. They share very similar methodologies; most of which are mixes of collaboration work, co-design, prototyping, questioning and context immersion. These emerging design methodologies are problem-based, solutionoriented practices. And for social impact designers, answers lie in a certain
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negotiation between affect and knowledge; empathy and expertise. When empathy becomes insightful it can unpack dogmatism. And while the imperative of social design is to have empathy, it is important to hold off any immediate response, to assess and ask questions before acting without discipline. Questioning, curiosity, and naivetÊ are all useful in such cases and usually, the designer’s perspective and approach are often atypical to that of the other stake-holder’s disciplines, allowing questions to be raised that allow for fresh perspectives.
An exchange of ideas is crucial in creating a debate and allowing all actors in a wicked problem, are meant to be involved, willing and able to establish a dialogic cooperation. At its best, co-design helps groups have more freedom and more willing to embrace change. It invites and acknowledges a diversity of new ideas, and reveals the incentives behind people’s behaviors and attitudes.
Course Description
for a kind of an “open source� architecture to develop. In short,
As a design method, prototypes are often earlier versions of end products shared with users to explore the possibilities of what it can be and where it can fail. However, it can become second nature to use prototyping after requirements are established and a pre-defined solution is in mind. Yet, sometimes there is a great advantage to using prototype as tools for inquiry rather than evaluation as they can help understand not just what users do and say, but what they dream, aspire, and feel. Lastly, it is urgent to stress the importance of the type of knowledge that can only be attained on a cultural foundation. from spending time with people, watching them live their lives, and understanding their worldview. These stories can then begin to make assertions about local human behavior. The assertions then become the foundation for design work; they become the container within which designing can occur and they privilege the voice and perspectives of the end users.
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Insights drive strategies, and arriving at these insights comes
Political Stances
Policy, Legality and Preconceptions Can technological propositions reconcile stigmatized and marginalized
Preface
environments around Commercial Sex Work in Dar es Salaam? Do these overtures have the power to reveal potential and entice development opportunities and infrastructural change? More generally, can architectural design activism play a role and spark
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societal change within the preconception on sex work and practices?
Local Men Frequent the Square Daily
tackles local cultural stigmas and taboos around sex work and HIV for positive social change. As a time dependent proposal, it employs gradual interventions and change as a tool for a greater acceptance of development in the Square.
Project Positioning
In its framework and development plan proposition, the project
Local government is very far from investing into, legalizing or framing any kind of prostitution. Religion is still very much rooted in Tanzanian culture, and prostitution remains a very taboo subject. Yet, with rising interest from the government to invest into the architectural infrastructure of slum areas much like that of Uwanja wa Fisi, the square faces an opportunity. By aiming to entice authorities into investing towards the square the project uses technology as a tool for the enhancement locals life quality, intrinsically enhancing that of the sex workers it lodges. Central to the project is a brand new water tower, who’s sanitation facilities such as public showers, and latrines can spur said curiosity from potential investors. Through slower, small-scale interventions of developing of services that benefit the area’s residents, such as a people’s clinic, community garden, grain drying facilities, and kindergarten the proposal then addresses a larger urban development intention.
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potential for an appendage of water distribution and public
UWANJA WA FISI
12 Uwanja wa Fisi
Hyena Square
Hyena Square
Five minutes later we meet Momma. More than a representative of the area, she acts as a maternal figure for some of the younger girls that work in the square. Site Visit - December 2017
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As we approach the square, our guide Samwel, tells us we must contact the local authorities, for a fee, before even considering entering the square. We walk up to a photocopy shop, two blocks away from Uwanja, and he asks me for my letter signed by the Health Ministry, as proof of my academic interest in the place.
14 Uwanja Wa Fisi
Hyena Square
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Map of Tanzania Dar es Salaam, previously the country’s unofficial capital, lies on the Eastern coast near the Indian Ocean
Map Of Dar es Salaam
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Uwanja Wa Fisi
The developing city of Dar es Salaam is separated by dense inland slum districts and coastal commercial centers
Hyena Square
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Manzese Area - Square Vicinity
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Uwanja wa Fisi
Places of Worship, Public Health, Security and Entertainment
Affriming Realities
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Legend Churches & Mosques Clinics & Dispensaries Taverns & Bars
Police Stations Public Toilets Drinking Water Stations Water Towers Trading Stalls
Children of the Square
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Uwanja wa Fisi
Many of the square’s resident’s young children roam it’s adjacent pathways in search of activities and ways to pass time
Communal Water Tower
Uwanja wa Fisi (Hyena Square) “In Manzese, drop at the Darajani bus stop. Take the road to the Tandale Market, follow the road where they sell fish, and you will
Hyena Square
Project Site
find a square.� Uwanja wa Fisi is located in the Dar es Salaam Manzese Slum area. Otherwise known as Hyena Square, it has, over the years become a central figure in the Dar es Salaam prostitution scene. Women work and roam the square in search for multiple costumers daily and most live on or near the square. The conditions these women are subjected to are terrible to say the least. Nearly half of them have HIV and work for less than a dollar. Some are addicted to drugs, others; malnourished. Some even have no home to go to and do their business outside.
lined with 1-room and 2-room houses. A larger road connects the square to an even larger, main road to the south. To the east a road connects to a food market, a few blocks down. Uwanja wa fisi is surrounded by a first layer of bars and entertainment, varied shops (photocopy, beauty), a grocer, a church, and some food stalls. Deeper within the area are residence, covered in haphazardly angled tin roofs
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Access to the square comes from all sides, through small alleys
Uwanaja wa Fisi
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Drone Imagery Grains can be seen drying during the day. Most of the built envrionment around the square is housing in the , with cement and tin roofing
Building Typologies The Square is surrounded by retail commerces, food stands, bars, housing and a church. Most of the costumers frequent the bars before employing a sex worker
Hyena Square
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Legend Bars & Taverns Commercial Residential
Water Acess Point Public Toilet/Latrine Tree
Uwanja wa Fisi
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Affirming Realities
Affirming Realities
“No cameras this time� Samwel says. We need to establish a friendly contact and show that we are here out of humanistic academic interest rather than simple curiosity. For the women to feel comfortable in answering my questions, they must feel respected and at ease. Site Visit- December 2017
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As we enter Hyena Square for the first time, its inhabitants are surprised by the sight of a Westerners. All 6 of us surely stand out, stepping out of a gray van in the center of the square.
From Marginalization to Initiation Turning to Uwanja
Many women and young girls are forced into prostitution due to poverty, lack of job opportunities, culture, and the disintegration of the family unit. Uwanja wa Fisi
In Dar es Salaam, there are many open-air flesh markets throughout the city, thousands more teenage sex workers, and little sustained effort by the Tanzanian government to create incentives for girls to remain in their villages or provide alternatives to commercial sex work. Uwanja wa Fisi has become a mainstay younger girls turn to when I need of financial stability. The square is recognized for its opportunities in the practice of sex work, especially for those that are uninitiated and without
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inhibiting drug habits.
2000 Tanzanian shilling equates to roughly 1 USD and is a common price given to the clients in the square
Neema with a Potential Costumer
Affirming Realities
Corruption & Bribery Enforcement & Abuse
In Tanzania, prostitution is considered as a mere misdemeanor and a minor offence under the country’s penal code. The government had been reluctant to push for tougher laws and public prosecutors have also refused to
The problem lies when cash-strapped police officers are involved in raids and the arrests of girls in high density sex work areas, and they often are. When these policemen make an arrest what they are really after is the 50’000 shilling bail money they can pocket. When the girls and women cannot pay such an amount, enforcement abuse their of their situation and push for sexual favors.
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institute serious charges against the younger sex workers.
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Uwanja wa Fisi
Happy, a 19-year old sex worker, smokes a heroin-laced cigarette
“I’m in the business of selling my kuma (vagina) not my face,” Pili, a 28-year-old prostitute, shouts when she sees my camera. “And if this mzungu (white person) wants my kuma he can come to my room and pay for it like everybody else.” Now three fatherless children and a drug habit trap her here. At 16 years old, she’s the youngest prostitute in the area and one of the busiest; men aggressively pursue the younger girls believing they’re less likely to be infected with HIV. Some men force her to have sex without using a condom— others she allows if they offer her more money. Jeffrey Porter - 2010
Stigmas Around Sex Work De-humanized acceptances of fate
Affirming Realities
In Tanzania, general discrimination against HIV positive women is also a major challenge. The Tanzania Stigma Index 2013 Report by the National Council of People Living with HIV shows clear infringements on the rights of people living with HIV. Reports show that women can be coerced into sterilization and pregnancy termination due to their HIV positive status.1 This type of stigma means that many people living with HIV practice self-censorship and have feelings of guilt that affect their quality of life. Around 44% of those surveyed for the Stigma Index had low self esteem, and 30% felt ashamed of their current position.1 This, in addition to the marginalization and abuse from being a commercial sex worker, can push the women to accept their fate and feel de-sensitized toward sex work itself. The struggles they face and in cases the burden of caring for children pushes them
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to give up on their human rights, health, access to justice and freedoms. Some of the young women who are initiates to sex work adopt taking drugs to overcome sexual inhibitions and the shame and degradation associated with being a prostitute. Once addicted, it is virtually impossible for them to leave sex work.
PLHIV Stigma Index Tanzania Country Assessment 2013 1
Uwanja wa Fisi
Stigmas & Knowledge on HIV Would you buy fresh vegetables from a shopkeeper or vendor if you knew that this person had HIV? In Tanzania, 26.8 % of people would respond “no”.1
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1
DHS Sensus 2010
Proliferation of HIV
Marginalizing HIV Positive Women Tanzania’s HIV epidemic is generalized, with pockets of who inject drugs, men who have sex with men, mobile populations and sex workers. In 2008, the Tanzanian parliament passed the HIV and AIDS Act, protecting the rights of people living with HIV and AIDS. The Act makes it illegal to discriminate against someone because of their HIV status. The criminalization of high-risk groups in Tanzania
Stigmas & Knowledge on HIV
concentrated epidemics among key populations such as people
such as sex workers and men who have sex with men is at odds with this law as it makes it almost impossible for these groups, already marginalized and stigmatized, to access proper care and treatment. Gender inequalities and gender based violence continue to hamper the HIV response in Tanzania. Around 10% of women between the ages of 15-49 reported their first sexual intercourse as forced and 48% of married women reported experiencing sexual violence.
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Tanzania in 2014
43.4% Knowledge about HIV Prevention in Young People Age 15-24 Yet, 70% of Sex workers use Condoms out of a 155 450 Estimated Sex Worker Population, 30% of which are affected with HIV AVERT
https://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-around-world/sub-saharan-africa/tanzania#footnote48_sms6szl
UNAIDS
http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/unitedrepublicoftanzania
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UNAIDS View On CSW Commercial Sex Work
public health goals require States to consider measures that may be considered controversial, particularly regarding the status of women and children, sex workers, injecting drug users and men having sex with men. It is, however, the responsibility of all States to identify how they can best meet their human rights obligations and protect public health within their specific political, cultural and religious contexts.� International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights 2006:16
Stigmas & Knowledge on HIV
“In the context of HIV, international human rights norms and pragmatic
UNAIDS bases its efforts to address HIV and sex work on three essential pillars. Pillar 1: Assure universal access to comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. Pillar 2: Build supportive environments, strengthen partnerships and expand choices. Pillar 3: Reduce vulnerability and address structural issues
1.4 Million People Living with HIV 4.7% Adult HIV Prevalence 55000 New HIV Infections 33000 AIDS-Related Deaths 63% Adults on Antiretroviral Treatment 48% Children on Antiretroviral Treatment UNAIDS data 2017
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Tanzania in 2016
Uwanja wa Fisi (Hyena Square)
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Uwanja wa Fisi
Lili, 16 years old, waits for a costumer along one of the many passageways surrounding Hyena Square in Dar es Salaam
Stigmas & Knowledge on HIV
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Uwanja wa Fisi
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Structures & Development
Structures & Development
After four different groups of women, one gathering seems most open to answer my questions, which Samwel graciously translates. They welcome my interest and share remarkable and incredibly personal insight into their plight, yet they all seem to take a transparent liking to Camille, the only woman in our group. Site Visit - December 2017
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We are sat down at a crossroads between an small passageway and a bar entrance when Samwel addresses a small group of women workers and curious men. It will be the first of many speeches recited by Samwel in Swahili that explains the intentions behind our visit.
Manzese Slum
Neighborhood Development The square is dilapidated but in a state of light infrastructural growth. Over the last ten years it has gone through dramatic change with the addition of Uwanja wa Fisi
a new water tower, and a shift from makeshift structures to cement house constructions. The square has also seen quite a lot of development around its periphery. New bars, shops and houses have been constructed. Possibly executed as a way to gentrify the area in the hope of driving out sex work, drugs and crime, most housing was rebuilt with concrete blocks, and tin roofs. These changes have been an incentive from the local Manzese government and authorities but in all cases these same authorities have no
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future plans for the square or its area.
Hyena Square Circa 2010 - Jeff Porter
Structures & Development
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View Atop the Water Tower - December 2017
BUILT INTERVENTION
Intervention
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Proposal A Proposal for the Establishment of a Framework for Regaining Autonomy within the Business of Prostitution in Uwanja Wa Fisi, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Building Program
Self-Undertaking Autonomy means providing the framework and the tools with which these women can emerge from their condition.
Proposal
Multi-Faceted Development Plan
Uwanja wa Fisi as a transitional environment for self-betterment and feminine empowerment; - A place for the safe practice of prostitution - A place for a wealth of information and recourse on AIDS - A place free from police harassment - A place with the means to provide decent health services As such; the proposed program is multi-functional. Centered around an open plaza and a people’s clinic it encompasses training programs, safe spaces, and access to information. The challenge is to create a safe space for sex workers in the propose a project that would prove interesting to local authorities. The project is to be presented and perform on two fronts; as a development for the neighborhood, and second one that caters to female sex workers in the evening and in the nighttime. This camouflaging of intentions will spark design decisions as the project catalyzes. A proper balance between the protection of prostitution, a health clinic, and the proposal for offering a real alternative trade is primordial and all programmatic elements have to co exist to make the project sustainable morally, politically and socially.
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area, without outright advertising it as such, and to convincingly
Achieving such a proposal will require consideration of both night and day environments. The square changes dramatically from daytime to night time. During the day, children, can be seen playing around the square, which is being used to dray grain. Buisnesses such as food stalls, Intervention
hairdressers, butchers surround the area are are bustling with activity. During the day, the sex workers ususally wait near their residences, as they usually consitute visits from more regular clients. During the evening, most commercial activity is concentrated around food and pubs. Local working men visit the bars and tarverns around the square spending their money gambling and drinking. While children are back home, the women frequent the bars in search of new costumers. The area become relatively unsafe, even for locals, since some men are on drugs, have lost their money or extremely inhibriated. With the exception of lighting emanating from the commerces around the square, the area is pitch black, and even more so are the pathways that surroung the small two-room and one-room
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houses of the residents of the are.
28 year Pili must take care of 3 children
Proposal
Time Dependance
A Coordinated Framework By proposing a framework and development plan over time, with a buildings and infrastructure to be erected slowly, the program attempts to let the area settle before important transformations, the project does not wish to and rebuilt at once, as it assumes that most push-back will arise for local government. In this respect, by proposing small changes over time, through crowdfunding and NGO’s, the project attempts to unlock the potential of the area and use it a driver for additional government interest, and investment.
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be considered as a white elephant proposal where everything is demolished
Kolokolo Tables
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Intervention
Sixteen-year-old Susie, left, and Neema, 17, interrupt a local dice game to solicit customers. The girls say it’s best to stop by the Kolokolo tables early, before the men lose all their money
Functions and Areas
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48 Built Intervention
Themes
Themes
On our second visit to the site, less explanations are needed. We are allowed to photograph the square’s architecture this time, but I must point to what I want to capture before getting a sign of approval from the local authorities.
As we are about to depart I see a familiar agitated, but friendly face. A young nameless man on his motorcycle, who tells me he saved up and purchased the bike to provide lift and commute services around the square in order to help the women financially. Site Visit - December 2017
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It is clear that people do not want to be photographed and it doesn’t take long before some shout at us at the sight of my camera.
Autonomous Upheaval Self-Regained Autonomy
The girls generally have migrated from Tanzania’s remote, rural areas, lured
Built Intervention
away from their poor villages by promise of a better life Dar es Salaam. But when they arrive they quickly discover what thousands of other young girls who have arrived before them already know; jobs are scarce, and without any secondary education or vocational training, their bodies become their only resource—and last hope for survival. The proposed program is framed to allow the women to regain the financial stability and autonomy they came seeking at Uwanja wa Fisi. Eventually the square would transform from a place of commercial sex work practice to one where girls, who come to Dar for opportunities, without vocational
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training or education, can regain their economic autonomy and dignity.
Children of the Women in the Area Play Within the Square
Hence, the project proposes programs and architectural interventions that aim to teach and instruct on a plethora of fields. The could include training plant use and cultivation, organic farming principles, health and hygiene awareness, and proper family planning. Classes could be held on tailoring and nursing training. This type of Education combined with vocational training generates income and enforces economic self-sufficiency.
unexperienced girls to approach when they are left with no other
Thmemes
Uwanja wa Fisi will maintain its status as a place for young option, but will, over time, transition into a safe haven without the implications of sex work. They would learn and share experiences with ex-sex workers. The square’s present notoriousness would accelerate this type of change, and on it would be grafted the vision of an environment of self-help and transition into autonomy. In this regard the proposal would promote regained dignity. On an architectural scale, the design and the framework it implies should be able to convey an expression of empowerment. A development that is welcoming to its inhabitants heightens their expectations and hopes; essential for the commercial sex workers, for whom a lack of self-confidence and feelings of shame are often part of and personal space through new housing and refurbishment, encouraging locals to become involved in its maintenance and safety, facilitating community involvement and pride.
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their realities. The project will bring forth the idea of ownership
Intent Camouflaging
Deceptive Aims, Showcasing Potential The stigma against prostitution has been exacerbated throughout history
Built Intervention
by marginalizing sex work outside of town centers and by referring to the workers with notorious nicknames. This type of activity promotes disrespect and entitles local authorities harass and brutally conduct searches and raids in these areas. Working to promote the squares potential, the project will make use of sustainable, technological systems to reshape its image into one of autonomy, self-sufficiency and, most importantly, legality. Using technology and urban development plans as tools, the project will propose water production, distribution and reuse systems. Through these implementations, it will transform this marginal area into a resilient one and, in-so-doing,
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increase life quality and the peace of mind of the local women.
Pili’s 3 Children Sleep Behind a Curtain While Their Mother Works
Themes
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21 Year old Asha passes time at one of three outdoor billiard tables
Housing Density
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Built Intervention
Typical Alley in Uwanja wa Fisi, with doors leading straight into single bedrooms for CSW practice
Themes
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Built Intervention
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Happy Waits for a Costumer Outside Her Tiny Room
Independent Systems
Multi-Purpose Water Consumption and Production Through an implementation in water collection and distribution, the project, the square has the opportunity of unveiling new infrastructural, economic and commercial potential. the integration of the fall semester’s investigative device. The integration of the device technologically, and the experiential
Themes
The idea of Undertaking Autonomy is manifested through
knowledge acquired from in-context deployment can be incorporated to the project via the water tower directly at the center of the square. Introduced on a technological front, as a tool to further entice local authorities and government to go ahead with the project, the system used would provide improved water sanitation facilities to the public within and around Uwanja wa Fisi. The infrastructure would capitalize on the presence of the water tower on site to showcase its autonomy for legal supply and distribution. Water from the tower is already available, free of use for anyone in the area, yet its distribution could be oriented towards public infrastructure such as latrines, showers, and in-home use. Later, could append their needs onto the already present systems. Waste water could also be treated before being expelled out into the city. Water purification and distribution would provide a way into new forms of employment and vocations and could engage intrinsically with the women in the sex industry of the area as a means to move away from prostitution.
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clinic facilities, local small businesses, sewage, and a kindergarten
Daily Square Use
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Built Intervention
The clear area in the center of the square is used to dry grain used for feeding poultry.
Themes
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Built Intervention
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Fieldwork into Social Inquiry
Rapid Bilharzia Prevention
The device bridges notions of water distribution and community engagement to create a fully functional rapid Schistosomiasis prevention water purification platform.
Fieldwork into Social Inquiry
Protoype for Social Investigation
Therefore, the device works on two fronts; technologically assessing the possibilities a locally produced filter offers and socially investigating knowledge and preconceptions of locals about the illness they so often interact with. In this regard, the device becomes an experience prototype, which is not only used it to look at how the prototype performs but how people react, what do they do and say about it, how they aspire and feel when interacting with it. It aimed to reveal underlying motivations of human behaviors, and help string together and understand locals’ lives. These types input. In this regard the device investigations do not steer too far from the intention behind the proposed project program. To propose an architectural technology embedded in a complex and fascinatingly intricate environment in order to drive and spark discourse and change deep social behaviors and conceptions distinct to said environment.
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of installations help us reflect and stimulate new thought and
Prototype for Inquiry
Addressing Access to Illness Knowledge Today, better sanitation and hygiene habits, better latrines, more water access and, more importantly, better health education which is the Built Intervention
neglected sector in the age of mass drug administration, which is the current method of Schistosomiasis prevention. But being in contact Anette Olsen, the founder of the Danish Billharzia Laboratory, in Copenhagen, it was obvious that Schistosomiasis was caused by more deeply rooted cultural habits of locals. To a certain extent, the Tanzanian people that go to these waters always negotiate with themselves the health risks associated with the illness and perhaps to achieve the most impact does not require huge scientific proposals but less tangible social interactions. The device itself was not only a proposal for filtration but also for community engagement and learning
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about the illness.
Prototype Deployment in Muheza County.
Activated Coconut Husk-based Filter and Tap
Fieldwork into Social Inquiry
Locally Sourced Filtration
Community Savoir-Faire and Local Potential The worm that penetrates human skin in the Schistosomiasis life cycle is quite large compared to other viruses and bacterias. And while most filter on take time to filter. Instead, removing the pathogen with a small enough mesh that costs a few dollars allows water to pass through quite quickly. An additional filter that would purify water a little more than it is currently, could be incredibly cheap and produced locally was added. The husk of the coconut, which is a very common agricultural waste product in Tanzania, could be burnt into charcoal and then transformed into activated charcoal by bathing it in salt water for a day. Activated charcoal is a filtration method proven throughout time because it has an incredibly large surface area that can trap many pollutants.
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the market today filter nearly 99% of viruses, they are expensive and they
Device Deployment
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Built Intervention
At Ardhi University in Dar es Salaam, the device is deployed to explain the design and illness to fellow architecture students
Fieldwork into Social Inquiry
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METHODOLOGY
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Intervention
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Functions and Areas
Status Development Plan Proposal
Immediate Remediation
Health & Safety booth First response, first aid and informational booth about women’s rights, freedoms and HIV.
Play and Safe Public Spaces Public Showers, canopies and parks for the young children of the women in the square.
Sanitation Latrines
Preliminary Development
Housing Refurbishment
Local Government
Phase 2
Renewal and small improvements to the homes of local residents. Better doors, Water ...
Clinic Local clinic for residents to have basic health checkups and information, and training
Vocational Training Programs Training programs are introduced via the clinic and square.
Safe Water Distribution Local clinic for residents to have basic health checkups and information, and training
Locally run kindergarten, by the women, for the women.
Pubic Transport Stop Bar Refurbishment Grain Drying Platform Locally Run Commerces
Small commerces ran by the women accepting & helping young girls take ownership of their own success.
Phase 4
Additional Housing
Additional Housing
Additional low-income housing development for financially troubled, expatriated young girls
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Services & Economical Backbone
Kindergarten
Square Economy
Phase 3
NGOs & Crowdfunding
Phase 1
Funding
Functions and Areas
Functions and Areas
NWW
NW
NNW
E
SEE
SE
SSE
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Methodology
W
NNE
NE
NEE
S
SSW
SW
SWW
Functions and Areas
N
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View Atop the Water tower The water tower stands in the center of the square, providing free water for the neighborhood’s residents.
Methodology
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UN Global Goals
Sustainable Communities Intrinsic Global Goal
What is implied in the proposed framework of the project is one can grow and be self-sufficient. The aim is to allow the square and its residents to build upon the proposal and inhabit the area with a lesser environmental impact, but also through safe and inclusive means. The project therefore builds upon Targets : 11.1, 11.3, 11.7, 11.C
UN Global Goals
of sustainability in the community. To create a neighborhood that
11.1: SAFE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING 11.3: INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE URBANIZATION 11.7: BUILD SAFE AND INCLUSIVE GREEN PUBLIC SPACES 11.C: SUPPORT LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES IN SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT BUILDING
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Goal 11: Sustainable Communities Graphical Assets for supporting the goals can be found here: https://www.globalgoals.org/resources
Gender Equality Intrinsic Global Goal
Intrinsic to the project is giving women of the area the respect and care they have had to relinquish to practice their profession. By denying them equal
Methodology
rights, we deny them the power to change their situation and a chance to live life at its fullest. Economic and social equality for women is crucial. The taboos, stigmas and prejudice related to sex work must be dismantled for them to emerge from their current situation. The project therefore builds upon Targets : 5.1, 5.2, 5.6, 5.A, 5.C
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5.1: END DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS 5.2: END ALL VIOLENCE AGAINST AND EXPLOITATION OF WOMEN 5.6: UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS 5.A: EQUAL RIGHTS TO ECONOMIC RESOURCES, PROPERTY OWNERSHIP AND FINANCIAL SERVICES 5.C: ADOPT POLICIES AND ENFORCE LEGISLATION FOR GENDER EQUALITY
Goal 5: Gender Equality
Goal 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
UN Global Goals
Peace and Justice, Strong Institutions Implied Global Goal
Persecution, injustice and abuse still runs rampant within the square. Workers are being harassed and abused by local corrupt police enforcement. This means the project must aim to change minds about the area and convince tion. The project therefore builds upon Targets : 16.3, 16.5, 16.10, 16.A, 16.B 16.3: PROMOTE THE RULE OF LAW AND ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOR ALL 16.5: REDUCE CORRUPTION AND BRIBERY 16.10: ENSURE PUBLIC ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND PROTECT FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS 16.A: STRONG INSTITUTIONS TO PREVENT VIOLENCE, TERRORISM AND CRIME 16.B: PROMOTE AND ENFORCE NON-DISCRIMINATORY LAWS
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local government to provide basic rights and justice to the women in ques-
Decent Work and Economic Growth Intrinsic Global Goal
As the GG states, sustained economic growth is primordial and it will have a platform for its expanse within the framework proposed by the project. The project, by allowing economic stability and providing a safe area for the Methodology
women to practice, will provide stable and more importantly sustainable income to locals and which in turn, could also be invested towards furthering the development in place. The project therefore builds upon Targets : 8.6, 8.8
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8.6: PROMOTE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION AND TRAINING 8.8: UNIVERSAL LABOUR RIGHTS AND SAFE WORKING ENVIRONMENTS
Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
Goal 1: No Poverty
UN Global Goals
No Poverty
Implied Global Goal Eradicating poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice and the key to unlocking an enormous human potential. A lack of enough food and clean water paired with the care of children can be what drives women in everyone in the area the skill set and freedom for a equal chance to prosper and live a productive and rich life. The project therefore builds upon Targets : 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.B 1.1: ERADICATE EXTREME POVERTY 1.2: REDUCE POVERTY AT LEAST BY 50% 1.4: EQUAL RIGHTS TO OWNERSHIP, BASIC SERVICES, TECHNOLOGY AND ECONOMIC RESOURCES 1.B: CREATE PRO-POOR AND GENDER-SENSITIVE POLICY FRAMEWORKS
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the area to practice sex work. Through its approach, the project aims to give
Clean Water and Sanitation Intrinsic Global Goal
Through the implementation of the prototype of the fall 2017 semester, new notions of water distribution and knowledge on the access of water for
Methodology
locals has driven the building program to incorporate infrastructure for the equal distribution of safe drinking water for the neighborhood. Implemented in services around the square such as public baths or showers, and throughout a clinic, it could promote good sanitation habits for everyone. The project therefore builds upon Targets : 6.1, 6.2, 6.3
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6.1: SAFE AND AFFORDABLE DRINKING WATER 6.2: END OPEN DEFECATION AND PROVIDE ACCESS TO SANITATION AND HYGIENE 6.3: IMPROVE WATER QUALITY, WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND SAFE REUSE
Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being
UN Global Goals
Good Health and Well-Being Implied Global Goal
As the program advances, the potential of better sanitation facilities and a local clinic can promote good health within the square. A better knowledge of HIV and a secure workplace around their homes can reduce the risks of practicing sex work. The project therefore builds upon Targets : 3.3, 3.5, 3.7, 3.8, 3.C 3.3: FIGHT COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 3.5: PREVENT AND TREAT SUBSTANCE ABUSE 3.7: UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE CARE, PLANNING AND EDUCATION 3.8: ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE 3.C: INCREASE HEALTH FINANCING AND WORKFORCE SUPPORT FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
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contracting communicable diseases such as HIV and AIDS for the women
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Scope of Submission
Proposed Deliveries This ‘status’ proposal intends to develop the square over time to mitigate and lower the chances of pushing present sex-workers away due to gentrification. By developing the square over multiple phases,
This calls for the project to be tackled through varied scales and media. The proposal will be explored and presented through: This scale will be employed to explore the urban footprint and potential of the square, within the neighborhood, outlining public access and connection to the city.
1:100
This scale will define the project at a more local scale, providing a detailed look at the entirety of the project and relationships between program functions and zones.
Time-line
A time line will define the project at as a development, shedding light on questions of gentrification, device implementation and local societal change. These could be in the form of isometric drawings
Isometrics
Multiple isometric views, zoom-in snapshots, into daily lives of the square can provide an better understanding of daily life within it. If realized in hyper-detail it can help overlap and visualize the layers behind the multi-functional development.
Log
Site Model
The project’s development and overall body of work will be documented in the form of a process book. All research and data collection will be compiled in A4 format. The model of the square and its surroundings will prove crucial in understanding the formal proposition in its entirety.
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1:1000
Scope of Submission
local government can accept providing help to workers in the area.
February
March
M T W T F M T W T F M T W T F M T W T F M T W T F M T W T F M T W T F M T W T F
Methodology
05 06 07 08 09 12 13 14 15 16 19 20 21 22 23 26 27 28 01 02 05 06 07 08 09 12 13 14 15 16 19 20 21 22 23 26 27 28 29 30
Programme Intent Developpment Project Narrative References
Data Gathering Site Modelling Climatic Simulations Behaviour Mapping Physical Working Site Model (1:2000)
Proto-Designs Preliminary Sketch Work Three Scales: Hood, Square, Local Tehnological
Proposed Design
Proposed Design Presentation References
Final Alterations
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Design Tweaks Presentation Drawings Planning
Final Production Log Book Models
Site Model (1:2000) Square & Tower Model (1:500)
April
May
M T W T F M T W T F M T W T F M T W T F M T W T F M T W T F M T W T F M T W T F M T 02 03 04 05 06 09 10 11 12 13 16 17 18 19 20 23 24 25 26 27 30 01 02 03 04 07 08 09 10 12 15 16 17 18 19 22 23 24 25 26 28 29
Timeframe
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Thesis Calendar Schedule of the phases planned out for the project.
APPENDICES
Appendices
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Acknowledgment
Acknowledgment
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Most of the images and accounts in this program are re-distributed with the approval of Jeffrey Porter who has spent quite some time in Hyena Square with his wife photographing and interviewing the women of the area. Without his collection of images, the program would be bare of much needed photo-graphical references of the area as it is much harder today to capture images of locals in the neighborhood. Jeffrey Porter Photographer http://jeffreyporter.net/director/Photograhpy/ Pages/Hyena_Square.html
Appendices
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Design References
Design References
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Women are often working at the square to amass enough money raise their father-less children
Nadukupam Vangala Centers
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Appendices
April 2008
Empowerement and Autonomy Women’s Self-Help Centers
The Nadukupam Vangla Women’s Center in Tamil Nadu opened in April 2008 for three women’s self-help groups. Today social this project was to provide a place for a local association, called the Women’s Self Help Group, a training center for women empowerment and a day-care center for children. Other programs were developed so that the building could facilitate, such as support groups, town meetings, literacy classes, etc.
Design References
enterprises are run from these one-room centers. The aim of
An additional labor team of 25 was hired to, produce the CSEBs (Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks). These masons not only gained valuable skills and received payment, but now earn a consistent income with acquired skills and teach them to others as far a consistent income with acquired skills and teach them to others as far. The center strives to generate income training in medicinal plant use and cultivation, organic farming principles, health and hygiene awareness, and family planning. Several classes for adults are hosted at the NCWCB including tailoring courses, nursery training, Education combined with vocational training generates income and enforces economic self-sufficiency. Furthermore, the community has been strengthened and many local workers have benefited from the training that the NCWCB now supplies.
Architecture For Humanity openarchitecturenetwork.org
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and local investment in ecologically sustainable initiatives.
Centre pour le Bien-ĂŠtre des Femmes
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Appendices
FARE Architects 2006-2007
Centre pour le Bien-ĂŠtre des Femmes Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Completed in 15 months by a local builder, under the direct supervision of FARE studio, the CBF is functional and costidentity for the entire local community. The project privileges an integrated approach to interactions between built space and climatic-environmental conditions , based on considerations of sustainability and appropriateness.
Design References
effective, and primarily representing a center of aggregation and
The project seperates two distinct, though closely related buildings: a Training Centre dedicated to activities of awarenessbuilding, and a Consultancy Centre, used for medical visits, legal assistance and psychological counseling. Since water and power are not available in the area, the Centre is fully independent, integrating the systematic control of consumption and the self-production of renewable resources. Water is provided by a newly drilled and dedicated well. voltaic cells have been installed along the perimeter wall, reducing the use of the electrical generator. The elimination of mechanical air conditioning using an elevated roof structure is also a major achievement of the project in terms of environmental sustainability. All this is sure to affect both personal behavior and collective responsibility positively.
FARE https://www.archdaily.com/8319/ womens-health-centre-fare
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In order to achieve independence from external sources, photo-
Khayelitsha Township
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Appendices
Capetown, South Africa
VPPU
Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading Through small targeted interventions, and according to the police crime statistics overall crime in the Khayelitsha township has been reduced by 20% over 5 years. The program brought forth the idea residents on their environment, encouraging people to become involved. Managing buildings well, and maintaining environments helped enhance this sense of involvement and pride.
Design References
of territoriality, or owned spaces, to give a sense of ownership to
There are regular patrols by volunteers to keep streets and public spaces safe. A system of “facility guardians� has been introduced as a mix of resident volunteers and police personnel. Residents feel safer and the concept of volunteer surveillance activities for the greater good of the community are an entry point to skills development and subsequently income opportunities. It was reported that there was virtually no vandalism on any of the facilities constructed via the VPUU program, and more than 200 Khayelitsha based businesses have been benefitting from its implementation.
learning, youth development, recreation and economic activities were constructed. Additionally, community buildings such as a multi-functional building which comprise of a library and an early childhood development resource center were built. Each of the facilities has a functioning facility management group to ensure community oversight. Parks are not fenced and instead engage with the streets, they are well-lit and pedestrian pathways mark safe passages for residents of the area. VPPU hayelitshacommission.org.za
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From an infrastructural perspective new facilities that support
Appendices
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Investigative Device
Device Module Connection and Water Trajectory
Investigative Device
Device Field Work Billharzia Prevention
During the month of November 2017, I spent one month in Tanzania, two weeks in Dar es Salaam specifically with 6 other students as part of an expedition focused on the testing of individually designed architectural and Tanzania revealed various hyper-specificities with their associated problematics. The research was focused on the issues of water distribution and the Bilharzia illness. Locals would walk on the device and in doing pump water up to a filtration tank. The filtration process would use local found material, converted into activated charcoal to increase the purity on of the water being pumped. This allows women and children who must fetch water for tasks such as cleaning and to do so without the fear of contracting the disease, which could be caught simply by being in contact with said water.
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devices. Prior to leaving, initial research of the city of Dar es Salaam
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Investigative Device
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Architectural Device The walking platform for Schistosomiasis filtration acts as a tool for social inquiry and engagement into knowledge on the illness
Water Pumping Module
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Appendices
The water pumping module uses foot activation over manual siphoning pumps to relocate water from under the module to the filter
Investigative Device
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Filtration Module The Filtration Module receives water from up to 6 adjacent pumping modules for filtration. It uses locally sourced activated charcoal.
Appendices
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Bibliography, Image Refs & C.V.
Bibliography 2.
John Dewey. Excerpts from “Experience and Nature”. Open Court, Chicago, 1925. (Revised): London: George Allen & Unwin. Currently in print: New York: Dover, 1958. Also in: The Later Works, Volume 1, Carbondale, 1981, with an introduction by Sydney Hook. Excerpts and remarks by G. Pate: October, November 1996
3.
Julier, Guy. “From Design Culture to Design Activism.” Design and Culture, vol. 5, no. 2, 2013, pp. 215–236.
4.
Lundin, Stefan. “Healing Architecture: Evidence, Intuition, Dialogue.” 2015, p. 2015.
5.
Scoates, Christopher. “Leap Dialogues, Career Pathways in Design for Social Innovation.” Leap Dialogues, Career Pathways in Design for Social Innovation, 2016.
6.
Notzke, Claudia. ‘‘Indigenous tourism development in the arctic’’. Annals of Tourism Research, Volume 26, Issue 1, 1 January 1999, Pages 55-76. Consulted Feb. 1st 2017.
7.
“Design Culture and Dialogic Design.” Design Issues, vol. 32, no. 1, 2016, pp. 52–59.
8.
“Social Perspectives on Architecture and Design.” Social Perspectives on Architecture and Design, 2006.
9.
E-mail Correspondences with Photographer Jeff Porter. December 2017 and Ongoing.
10.
Elizabeth Pisani. Wisdom of Whores; Bureaucrats, Brothels and the Business of AIDS. Granta Books. 2009. 400 pg.
11.
Philip Setel. A Plague of Paradoxes: AIDS, Culture and Demography in Northern Tanzania (Worlds of Desire). University of Chicago Press. 2000. 272 pg.
12.
Jeffrey Porter (2010) The Uninvited: Snapshots from Hyena Square. http://niemanreports. org/articles/the-uninvited-snapshots-from-hyena-square/
13.
Jeffrey Porter (2010) Hyena Square Photographs http://jeffreyporter.net/director/Photograhpy/Pages/Hyena_Square.html
14.
HIV And Aids in Tanzania. https://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-around-world/sub-saharan-africa/tanzania.
15.
Hyena Square. (2007) https://vimeo.com/1725640
16.
Street Girls, Tanzania, Africa. (2015) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEPHQIa1XZY
17.
Ramani Huria (2016) Drone Mapping for Flood prone areas in Dar es Salaam. http://ramanihuria.org/data/
18.
Laura Nyblade et al. Moving Forward: Tackling Stigma in a Tanzanian Community. USAID International Center for Research on Women. https://www.icrw.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Moving-forward-Tackling-stigma-in-a-Tanzanian-community.pdf.
19.
UNAIDS Guidance Note on HIV and Sex Work. http://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/ sub_landing/files/JC2306_UNAIDS-guidance-note-HIV-sex-work_en.pdf
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Buchanan, Richard. “Wicked Problems in Design Thinking.” Design Issues, vol. 8, no. 2, 1992, pp. 5–21. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1511637.
Bibliography
1.
Image References Page 3: Page 8: Pages 14-15: Pages 16-17: Pages 18-19: Pages 20-21: Page 22:
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Program Logo by David Garcia | School Logo from kadk.dk Jeffrey Porter (2010) with Nikon SLR Modified Map by author; original base map provided from Google maps Modified Map by author; original base map from Open Street Map Modified Map by author; original base map from Open Street Map Author’s Image. November 18th 2017. Fujifilm X-Pro2 35mm Modified Drone Imagery by author; base map from Ramanihuria.com Modified Map by author; original base map from Open Street Map Jeffrey Porter (2010) with Nikon SLR. jeffreyporter.net Jeffrey Porter (2010) with Nikon SLR. jeffreyporter.net Jeffrey Porter (2010) with Nikon SLR. jeffreyporter.net Jeffrey Porter (2010) with Nikon SLR. jeffreyporter.net Jeffrey Porter (2010) with Nikon SLR. jeffreyporter.net Jeffrey Porter (2010) with Nikon SLR. jeffreyporter.net Author’s Image. December 18th 2017. Fujifilm X-Pro2 35mm Jeffrey Porter (2010) with Nikon SLR. jeffreyporter.net Jeffrey Porter (2010) with Nikon SLR. jeffreyporter.net Jeffrey Porter (2010) with Nikon SLR. jeffreyporter.net Jeffrey Porter (2010) with Nikon SLR. jeffreyporter.net Jeffrey Porter (2010) with Nikon SLR. jeffreyporter.net Author’s Image. December 18th 2017. Fujifilm X-Pro2 35mm Jeffrey Porter (2010) with Nikon SLR. jeffreyporter.net Author’s Image. December 18th 2017. Fujifilm X-Pro2 35mm Author’s Image. December 1st 2017. Fujifilm X-Pro2 35mm Author’s Image. December 1st 2017. Fujifilm X-Pro2 35mm Author’s Image. December 9th 2017. Fujifilm X-Pro2 35mm Author’s Image. December 18th 2017. Fujifilm X-Pro2 35mm Global Goal Icons provided by UN SDG Website. Jeffrey Porter (2010) with Nikon SLR. jeffreyporter.net Eco-Building. Page 14. https://www.slideshare.net/ssuser825ff5/cusdresearchcompilationbookfinalcompressed-110208140144phpapp02 FARE Studio. Centre Pour le Bien-Etre des Femmes . https://www.archdaily.com/8319/womens-health-centre-fare Violence Prevention Through Urban Upgrading. www.khayelitshacommission.org.za/bundles/category/30-file-1-vpuu-docs.html Author’s Image. December 7th 2017. Fujifilm X-Pro2 35mm Author’s Image. December 11th 2017. Fujifilm X-Pro2 35mm Author’s Illustration. January 25th 2018 Author’s Illustration. January 25th 2018
Curriculum Vitae Technical knowledge
Education
The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts Master in Architecture & Extreme Environments McGill University B.Sc. in Architecture - Faculty of Engineering Dawson College Diploma of College Studies in Pure & Applied Sciences Dean’s List Notre-Dame-De-Lourdes College High School Diploma in Sciences – International Program
Copenhagen, DENMARK September 2016 - Ongoing Montréal, QC, CANADA September 2012 – May 2015 Montréal, QC, CANADA September 2010 – May 2012 Longueuil, QC, CANADA September 2005 – May 2010
Contact
Vienna, AUSTRIA December 2015 – May 2016 Montréal, QC, CANADA August 2014 – November 2015
christophe.bigra@gmail.com Canada / 32 rue d’Auvergne, Longueuil, Québec, J4H 3T7, Canada / +1.514.299.9621 Denmark / 14 Andreas Bjørnes Gade, Kobenhavn K . / +45.91.80.09.18
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Work Experience
Architecture Intern / Coop Himmelb(l)au Six-month internship at the Coop Himmelb(l)au offices in Vienna. Building details and plans for a residential 20 story tower in Vienna. Archivist / Complexe Desjardins Archival of 35 years of electrical, mechanical, and architectural plans for projects and restorations of the Montréal Complexe Desjardins
Image References / Curriculum vitae
Computer Modeling Rhinoceros V-ray for Rhino, Grasshopper, T-Splines Revit AutoCAD 3dsMAX / V-ray for 3dsMax SketchUp Other programs Adobe suite / Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, After Effects, Premiere Pro ArcGIS Mapping Programming languages JAVA / Processing / Arduino Physical modeling Laser cutting / 3D printing / CNC / Vacuum Forming / Metal Welding