Social settlement for homeless people in Novorossiysk

Temporary house can be new chapter in live. The village near Novorossiysk is a social project for vulnerable groups who lost their houses. Its vision is to create an environment in which people and families who, for one reason or another, find themselves homeless can go to rehabilitation, work and recover from their social situation.

In modern society, events often occur that deprive a person or family of housing without the possibility of moving to another place, thereby forcing a new start in life. The task for me as an architect, was to organize an environment that allows a person to undergo social rehabilitation in a painless and comfortable way, to get qualified help, to master new specialties and, as a result, to gain confidence in their ability to leave the village solving their main fears and problems. However, in addition to a comfortable environment made in connection with nature, the environment in community should motivate a person to normalize their life and leave it, so apartment spaces have common kitchens, individual houses of extremely modest size with only a zonal division into blocks of bedrooms. In this way, easy domestic discomfort acts as a motivation to help a person get on his feet and take responsibility for his life again.

Novorossiysk is located in the south of Russia and these conditions helped to form the concept of modular houses made of wood, not needing finishing. Thus, a minimum living space was calculated, which helped to calculate the number of people able to live simultaneously in the village.

Center general house

In creating the concept of the whole village, it was important to create a semi-enclosed settlement that could operate autonomously without communications with the city, but at the same time contributing to the development of the inhabitants and reviving the desire to renormalize life outside the village.

Thus, the concept of one ring road, which serves as a guide to the main house of this mini-city, was developed. The main house is filled with 5 main functions: a welcome area where upon arrival people can get the keys to their new home, a recreation area inside the building with the gathering of all residents on the steps in the open air, as well as a work area and utility area, and residential apartments. It is important to note that to socialize and normalize life with the nearby city, three types of work were created: handicraft, carpentry and gardening. The rooms for crafts and carpentry are located in the main building, with locker rooms. And each individual house has a place for gardening. The settlement’s policy is to encourage sales of products in the city, where 70% will be given to the creator, and the other part in the form of 30% will work as a rent for their housing. In the main house there are 4 apartments of common residence such as colising. The apartments have a common area with kitchen-dining room with 3 to 4 rooms with double and single beds. All apartments were created with minimal living space to encourage moving into a separate house, and then completely leave the village.

Three types of houses A house

Family with 2-3 children

B house

with 1-2 children

When the first stage of living in an apartment is over, people can move into their own home. A total of 3 types of individual houses have been created depending on the number of people in the family or the absence of a family.

Type A houses are located in the area of the park and children’s playground. Because this type of house can be used for the family with the largest number of children.

Type B houses are located in the central zone of the entire village and have an important feature - a common alley with common gardens, which can facilitate communication between people. Therefore, this type of house can live as two couples and a family with adult children. It is possible because of the attic half-floor.

C house

Type C houses are a remote area and specializes in cozy living and work in the most important house. It can be a couple with a child or several people without a family. This type of house has the largest area because of the possibility to convert the house into a comfortable residence for very large and different families, not needing full socialization, but wishing to normalize their lives.

Temporary house can be new chapter in live.

In addition to comfortable living such as houses and main building some places have been created in the village, such as an entrance stand for acquaintance with the history of the village and important information, a place for yoga and meditation near the main building, a playground, a sports complex with the latest equipment, the main alley, steam paths and a place of solitude in the landscaped. These places can become places of new friends and new memories.

No one is immune to terrible situations, but it is in our hands to help each other overcome them. The village near Novorossiysk is not just a project, but a concept of life.