REFUGEE CAMPS ON THE EDGE OF PERMANENCE A multidimensional model of urban interventions to turn refugee camps into sustainable cities. aster’s thesis project M National Technical University of Athens Keywords: refugee camps, urban planning & design, mobility networks, infrastructure, construction, shelter, regeneration Project location: Domiz, Iraqi Kurdistan
Trapped on the edge of permanence, refugees live between broken pasts and uncertain futures, without knowing when and if this temporary life will end. Seen as a burden by the governments, refugee camps should be treated as what they are in practice: cities. Domiz Refugee Camp was set in April 2012 in Iraqi Kurdistan and hosts over 60.000 refugees from the Syrian war. This camp was chosen as a real-case pilot setting to propose a model to turn refugee camps into sustainable cities. This proposal took into account real needs of inhabitants, environment and building limitations. A comprehensive approach proposed alternatives for income generation, urban mobility, community engagement, environmental sustainability, resilient infrastructure, renewable energy generation, and safeguard of cultural and social practices. Interventions included vanguardist approaches such as innovative building techniques, mobility networks, and user-centred design to turn the camps into sustainable, flexible, and expandable cities.
DOMIZ REFUGEE CAMP Main streets & Public buildings sEstablished in April 2012 s60.000 people (16.700 families) sEx-military base s1.142.500 m2 s12 sectors s99 streets
SHELTER CONSTRUCTION
INCOME/ HOUSEHOLD
CAMP DEVELOPMENT
dirt path mound
Barzaan street The camp’s main street leads to the city of Duhok but also separates refugee tents and organizations’ buildings, creating different levels of height on each
DENSITY
Barzaan street
MOBILITY NETWORK
By walking, the user has initiative in moving and a direct relation with public space. No monetary exchange is involved, unlike with other means of transportation. With the only free space in the camp being the wide numerous streets, it is proposed to create super-blocks of 2 former blocks. In this way, vital space is offered to the residents and green space is created for the first time in a camp.
Bike is a cheap and flexible mean of transportation. The only necessary infrastructure to support it is a thin line on the edge of the road. The cycling network initially connects the landmarks and centres of interest to then expand to the whole camp.
before
before
Modern systems of public transportation are implemented: small vehicles, flexible schedule which corresponds to the demand, and smartphone apps to link passengers with drivers. Bus stations can be established in landmarks of the camp, in a way that allows all residents of it to access a station within 5 minutes of walking.
INTERVENTION MAPS MOBILITY INTERVENTIONS IN THE CAMP
Cultivations & small animals
Ground games & resting spaces
Open air marker
Valuable green areas are created through unifying blocks by pedestrianizing the roads in-between. In this example, 2250m2 of public space is created for pedestrians, corresponding directly to the 96 families that live on these blocks, adding 23.5 m2 per family.
PROPOSAL FOR NEW USES
EXPANDABLE HOUSES
Common architecture in the camp results into badly ventilated houses with few natural light, aiming to preserve private life. To solve this issue, an expandable atrium typology is proposed to satisfy cultural needs without compromising ventilantion neither lighting.
PHASE 1: 2 room houses
PHASE 2: 3 room houses
PHASE 3: development of a second floor
COMPRESSED EARTH BLOCKS mong different contemporary building techniques, comA pressed Earth Blocks are proposed as the optimal choice. The building process involves the refugees through basic training, creating jobs and empowering women. As Wagne Nelson said: ‘’uniform building elements lead to less waste of material, faster construction and give the opportunity to use pre-constructed elements. The uniformity of CEB, in contrast with other methods of earth construction can affect local communities not only as a building method but also as a way to make the economy move’’. Made in a mold and compressed by a press, CEB can be created in a variety of brick types, with positive and negative side, easily assembled as a Lego.
CEB CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS In addition to being an easy building method, CEB offers flexibility depending on the residents’ skills, budget and preferences. The roof can be made of tin of slope, while the construction allows expansion in a second floor.
THE LAB CLUSTER
A series of laboratories are proposed as centers of training for refugees in construction techniques. It aims to generate jobs, income and empowerment.
Labs
Market
Auditorium
A DYNAMIC MASTERPLAN
The image of the camp after the interventions will be the image that its own residents will craft. This proposal enables a dynamic and collective establishment of the camp considering the refugees’ ideas and plans. Thanks to its flexibility, the users themselves will decide how to shape, improve and adapt their living space. This model of intervention is adaptable to other refugee camps besides Domiz. Camps becoming cities, with its own economic activities and cultural practices. This model, which turns camps into cities by the action of its inhabitants can transform refugees into trainers of trainers, sharing their expertise in other camps. It is part of an effort to make refugees realize they have the power to create value and lead transformation. Build their own houses, start new businesses and grow their own food to show everyday life can be again as they want it to be. In a sustainable way, they will be empowered to take the lead of their lives again.
Descending from the auditorium
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