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PROLOGUE
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Prologue The ensuing portfolio is a document criticizing the current rise of political and social nationalism throughout Europe. Politically, nationalism manifests itself within populist party leaders such as America’s Donald Trump, Britain’s Nigel Farage, Denmark’s Kristian Thulesen Dahl. Socially, nationalism reveals itself within anti-migrant discourse and a refusal of the native population to integrate with immigrants creating division between communities in our cities. This xenophobia is promoted by political policies such as Trump’s wall, Farage’s Brexit or Dahl’s ‘Jewelry Law’ seizing all migrant belongings valued more than € 1340. Nationalism in Europe is a barrier to integration within our cities. A successful and diverse city requires the fall of nationalism.
This portfolio highlights the darkness that could ensue in our cities if the rise of nationalism continues in Europe.
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CONTENTS
CONTENTS THE RISE OF NATIONALISM IN DENMARK, NARRATIVE LOOKING BACK AT LIBERAL COPENHAGEN, 2017 NORREBRO’S INTEGRATION ISSUE, 2017 MASTERPLAN, LEARNING FROM NORREBRO, 2017 NATIONAL MUSIC THERAPY CENTRE FOR REFUGEES, VALBY, COPENHAGEN, 2024 TECHNICAL DESIGN, 2024 DESIGN STATEMENT BIBLIOGRAPHY
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FALL OF DANISH LIBERALISM
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THE YEAR IS
2024, DENMARK’S SOCIALIST UTOPIA LIES CRIPPLED IN THE WAKE OF THE UKRAINIAN REFUGEE CRISIS.
THE CELEBRATED POLITICAL LIBERALISM OF DENMARK HAS BEEN REPLACED BY POPULIST NATIONALISM. ANTI-REFUGEE SENTIMENT IS RIFE.
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FALL OF DANISH LIBERALISM
‘A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. Most likely, they cannot return home.’ U.N. Refugee Agency 2017
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GEOPOLITICAL CONTEXT
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2017, President Trump delivers on his 2016 isolationist campaign promise and cuts U.S. N.A.T.O. spending in Eastern Europe. Putin responds backing a Russian separatist revolution in Ukraine resulting in civil war. A new Refugee crisis emerges in Europe.
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RISE OF ANTI REFUGEE DISCOURSE IN DENMARK Uncontrolled immigration from both Syria and Ukraine has led to the decline of Denmark’s welfare state and socialist utopia. Immigration coupled with extremist terror attacks throughout Europe leads to anti-migrant discourse socially and politically. 12
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RISE OF ANTI-MIGRANT DISCOURSE - DENMARK GENERAL ELECTION Populist nationalism and anti-migrant sentiment in Denmark manifests itself politically within the rise of the Danish Peoples Party and their eventual formation of the first majority government since 1909.
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RISE OF ANTI-MIGRANT DISCOURSE - POLITICAL POLICIES Danish people’s party become the most popular party in Danish modern history due to constant policy theme of maintaining control of immigration. They win a majority in parliament using the promise of building new refugee centres that can controversially monitor and control the movement of refugees in Denmark which appeases the nationalist anti - refugee zeitgeist of Denmark 2024.
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FALL OF DANISH LIBERALISM 2020-2023 Refugee Journey A constant stream of refugees predominately from the conflict in Ukraine creates a crisis in Denmark where numbers of refugees entering Denmark soared to a record 44,000 in 2020 at the start of the conflict. 2024 The new majority government responds by housing the uncontrollable numbers of refugees in masterplans through out Denmark that house refugees whilst their applications are processed which can now take up to 12 months, double the waiting time of refugees in 2017.
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2024 Danish People’s Party follow through with refugee housing policy building refugee masterplan in Valby,20 Copenhagen.
‘The new Valby refugee centre ensures both the happiness and safety of asylum seekers through out the process of their asylum application whilst reassuring Danes that their government is in control of who is entitled to contribute to our society.’ Kristian Thulesen Dahl, Leader of the Danish People’s Party, 2024
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LIBERAL COPENHAGEN
LOOKING BACK AT LIBERAL COPENHAGEN, 2017.
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LIBERAL COPENHAGEN
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LIBERAL COPENHAGEN
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LIBERAL COPENHAGEN
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INTEGRATION
LEARNING FROM THE PAST COPENHAGEN’S INTEGRATION ISSUE IN THE ‘GHETTO’ OF NORREBRO
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INTEGRATION
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INTEGRATION
Copenhagen’s 2015 solution to Norrebro’s integration issue: B.I.G. Architect’s Superkilen park
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REFUGEE MASTERPLAN
VALBY MASTERPLAN Learning from Superkilen’s ‘Integration via Play’ strategy. 2024 Masterplan aims to integrate refugees into the smaller masterplan community via play & music.
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2024
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REFUGEE MASTERPLAN
GOVERNMENT BRIEF The Danish People’s party (DPP) made an election campaign promise to maintain control over the new influx of refugees into the country. Facing overcrowded and cramped conditions in exsisting camps the party decide to build a new flagship refugee centre in Valby. The centre would appease nationalist voters by controlling immigration but the design would reflect the liberal attitude of designers in Copenhagen. A sympathetic architect aims to improve the lives of the refugees living within the centre, while their applications are proccessed, and the party supports this as long as the DPP are seen to be tackling the issue of migrants in the eyes of the electorate.
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MUSIC THERAPY CENTRE
VALBY MUSIC THERAPY CENTRE FOR REFUGEES
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VALBY MUSIC THERAPY CENTRE Isonometric Diagram
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MUSIC THERAPY WORKSHOPS Interior Section Render
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VALBY MUSIC THERAPY CENTRE Perspective from inside masterplan.
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TECHNICAL
Technical Report
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thermal mass
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urban detail
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STATEMENT DESIGN STATEMENT The ongoing European refugee crisis has been the catalyst for social and political change in Europe. This change has moved once liberal, internationalist nations towards more isolationist policies implemented by far-right nationalist parties. Socially, the influx of asylum seekers has triggered a rise in xenophobic discourse as native populations and migrants struggled to integrate. Politically, this lack of integration manifested itself within support for nationalist party policies which use refugees as scapegoats for domestic issues. This combination of social and political change has led to the maltreatment of asylum seekers who, after fleeing conflict, find themselves living in poor, cramped conditions in refugee centres isolated from local communities. Denmark has experienced this surge of social xenophobia and political Nationalism in recent years. My architectural intervention in Copenhagen evolved from a futuristic dystopian narrative, created to highlight and dramatize this modern isolationist zeitgeist of Denmark. The narrative explores the possibility of a geopolitical war in Ukraine increasing the number of refugees seeking asylum in Denmark, and thus demand for asylum seeker housing centres. My masterplan, based in the suburb of Valby in Copenhagen, houses refugees who are awaiting approval on their asylum application. The theme for the brief of the building was to investigate the relationship between music and architecture. My architectural intervention functions as a controlled threshold into the refugee housing master plan and as a music therapy centre to rehabilitate refugees. Marsh (2016) provides evidence that music and musical play in community facilities can enhance the language development and social integration of refugees. Such music therapy can occur in workshops located on the upper floors of my building. A lecture space is provided to present research relating to music therapy. A central space facilitates music performances at night, when light can be controlled, whilst during the day the space can be used for recreational sport. Asylum seekers can partake in small group music therapy workshops, listen to performances or play sport to form new bonds within a cohesive society. My primary design concept is to take refugees on a journey from imposing, functional spaces to spaces that encourage interaction and cohesion. The progressively changing feel of the building represents refugees’ journey from the hostility of conflict zones to the safety of the masterplan. In addition to the linear change in the feel of spaces, from hostile to safe, the architecture is also divided between public and private. The public space is used by refugees and staff, while the private space permits staff only. This division is physically achieved via a concrete services core which represents the wall of the masterplan. The wall around the masterplan abides by current Danish immigration policy (Hofverberg, 2017) which allows for freedom of movement of refugees. However, in most refugee centres, such as Centre Sandholm near Copenhagen, refugee movement is monitored via gated entrance to the site. The wall provides, for the vulnerable refugees, protection from the introduction of drugs and prostitution to the community. Overall, the refugee music therapy centre achieves interventionist aims, seeking to improve the lives of asylum seekers whilst integrating them into a cohesive society of different cultures within the masterplan. The form and function of my architecture aims to represent this changing of refugees lives from dark to light, hostile to safe and I aim to achieve these tectonic principles within my architecture.
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