Sewing the border
Sewing the Border : a temporary informal place for migrants in extraterritorial space
The initial aim of the project was to research potentialities in architectural upgrading of areas of the poorest living conditions: refugee camps. The challenge in the design of refugee camps lies in their political background. They are urban settlements of high density meant for temporary use. In this typology there are comparative case studies, such as military camps or leisure camps, in which primitive conditions prevail out of necessity or wish. However, when these temporary places end up being home to refugees year after year, the permanent state of transition conflicts with any potential for continuity. Of course international and local NGOs have worked on camp issues for years. The main sustainability goals of the UN Refugee Agency are voluntary repatriation, local integration or third-country resettlement. The first option is usually unlikely when refugees are fleeing from political or economical disaster, the second is usually politically impossible for the host country, and the third option puts the refugee in completely alien surroundings. The inability to implement any these goals has resulted in a static situation. The refugee stays in the host country without the possibility to form roots to his new surroundings due to these political bottlenecks.The solution of the refugee camp is a highly politicized space that tries as hard to keep people out as to keep people in. Many refugees escape these detention spaces and try their luck at a normal life in urban or industrial areas, where they can disappear into the anonymity of the primary sectors of the local economies. Migrant workers are known for their cheap labor since they are always the most desperate to work. They have no way of registering with the host government and are therefore not entitled to any of the rights that citizens have. Since there is no way to improve the camps and no way to stop the exploitation of migrant workers, the design process was redirected to create conditions for an architectural typology in which living conditions of the refugees can actually be improved. A case study was done on the border between Burma and Thailand where refugees have been paddling across for 25 years. The actual infrastructures between the two countries are mostly informal where besides the human migration, many goods are smuggled across daily under the watchful eye of local authorities. The focus of the architectural projection is to design a catalyst which can create new parameters where the potentials of the migration flow are positively facilitated.The huge economic potential of the 'floating' population of migrant workers combined with the infrastructural node on the border of Burma and Thailand (the friendship bridge where water and road cross) can provide a catalyst for urban development. The illegal Burmese refugees residing in the camps and border cities of Thailand have nomadic backgrounds and have very flexible attitudes towards permanent settlements; they are used to moving for their livelihood. The plethora of humanitarian organizations operating in aid of the refugees are not bound to act as detention centers if they would be able to operate non-governmentally. The bright future scenario has been sought in the extraterritorial space on the river that divides the two countries, where factories can work tax free, a huge population is willing to work and move in exchange for livelihood and freedom of mobility. The architectural design is therefore based on the typology that is a result of this extrapolation of living between borders. The design grows out of an awareness of the situation and its potentials as well as the affect of current and future trends on the spatial dynamics. Architecture is a discipline in which all actors in space and time on macro and micro scales must be integrated in research and design.The design has been directed at a cross-border factory where the nomads may settle in the no-man's land between Thailand and Burma and NGOs can operate freely. The design of the economic attractor, in this case a local garment factory (there are 300 operating in the border area) must be done in the most profitable way for the client. The building must be as cheap as possible, and use existing architectures in a parasitic way. In order to compete with other factories it must offer a healthy work place, be situated in an economically lucrative location (good infrastructure and plenty of labor force) as well as use the cheapest building methods. In order not to arouse the suspicions of both neighboring governments, the character of the building must be temporary. The factory is the architectural construction that must make an extraterritorial dream possible. The urban infill of such a space can also be designed with the knowledge of threats and potentials of the self settlements of the refugees. Such reactionary urban design can be seen as a mannerist approach to design; an architecture imitating architecture. The most important element of design in an urban plan for a purposely informal settlement must be the grid network that allows a flexibility of attaching and detaching houses.Communal aspects of the extraterritorial settlement would be steered by community based organizations and funded by humanitarians. The architectural design process is strongly rooted in research and extrapolation. However, there is also a definitive separation between the research and the design. The extrapolation has led to a typology. The design may improve and innovate in this typology. Besides designing a cheap and parasitic factory, it must also be made of materials and energy supplies from sustainable resources; either renewable or recycled. The urban aspects of the design of the grid for the settlement is based on field research in the camps as well as a more cultural research on traditional ways of dwelling. As the camps recreate the village atmosphere, it appears that settlements until 600 inhabitants can function very successfully socially. The rapid densification that occurred in the larger camps, however, has not been as successful. The design for public facilities such as clinics and schools and services such as water and sanitation (which can be implemented by the NGOs) must consider these aspects. The public and private spheres observed through interview will also play a role in the size of scales from cell to city. In the design autarky of energy, agriculture and water is important."Here is the summarized program of the establishment of a city where one realizes that work is the human law and that there is enough of the ideal in the cult of beauty to render life splendid."- Tony Garnier, Une Cité Industrielle
Sewing the Border : a temporary informal place for migrants in extraterritorial space
The initial aim of the project was to research potentialities in architectural upgrading of areas of the poorest living conditions: refugee camps. The challenge in the design of refugee camps lies in their political background. They are urban settlements of high density meant for temporary use. In this typology there are comparative case studies, such as military camps or leisure camps, in which primitive conditions prevail out of necessity or wish. However, when these temporary places end up being home to refugees year after year, the permanent state of transition conflicts with any potential for continuity. Of course international and local NGOs have worked on camp issues for years. The main sustainability goals of the UN Refugee Agency are voluntary repatriation, local integration or third-country resettlement. The first option is usually unlikely when refugees are fleeing from political or economical disaster, the second is usually politically impossible for the host country, and the third option puts the refugee in completely alien surroundings. The inability to implement any these goals has resulted in a static situation. The refugee stays in the host country without the possibility to form roots to his new surroundings due to these political bottlenecks.The solution of the refugee camp is a highly politicized space that tries as hard to keep people out as to keep people in. Many refugees escape these detention spaces and try their luck at a normal life in urban or industrial areas, where they can disappear into the anonymity of the primary sectors of the local economies. Migrant workers are known for their cheap labor since they are always the most desperate to work. They have no way of registering with the host government and are therefore not entitled to any of the rights that citizens have. Since there is no way to improve the camps and no way to stop the exploitation of migrant workers, the design process was redirected to create conditions for an architectural typology in which living conditions of the refugees can actually be improved. A case study was done on the border between Burma and Thailand where refugees have been paddling across for 25 years. The actual infrastructures between the two countries are mostly informal where besides the human migration, many goods are smuggled across daily under the watchful eye of local authorities. The focus of the architectural projection is to design a catalyst which can create new parameters where the potentials of the migration flow are positively facilitated.The huge economic potential of the 'floating' population of migrant workers combined with the infrastructural node on the border of Burma and Thailand (the friendship bridge where water and road cross) can provide a catalyst for urban development. The illegal Burmese refugees residing in the camps and border cities of Thailand have nomadic backgrounds and have very flexible attitudes towards permanent settlements; they are used to moving for their livelihood. The plethora of humanitarian organizations operating in aid of the refugees are not bound to act as detention centers if they would be able to operate non-governmentally. The bright future scenario has been sought in the extraterritorial space on the river that divides the two countries, where factories can work tax free, a huge population is willing to work and move in exchange for livelihood and freedom of mobility. The architectural design is therefore based on the typology that is a result of this extrapolation of living between borders. The design grows out of an awareness of the situation and its potentials as well as the affect of current and future trends on the spatial dynamics. Architecture is a discipline in which all actors in space and time on macro and micro scales must be integrated in research and design.The design has been directed at a cross-border factory where the nomads may settle in the no-man's land between Thailand and Burma and NGOs can operate freely. The design of the economic attractor, in this case a local garment factory (there are 300 operating in the border area) must be done in the most profitable way for the client. The building must be as cheap as possible, and use existing architectures in a parasitic way. In order to compete with other factories it must offer a healthy work place, be situated in an economically lucrative location (good infrastructure and plenty of labor force) as well as use the cheapest building methods. In order not to arouse the suspicions of both neighboring governments, the character of the building must be temporary. The factory is the architectural construction that must make an extraterritorial dream possible. The urban infill of such a space can also be designed with the knowledge of threats and potentials of the self settlements of the refugees. Such reactionary urban design can be seen as a mannerist approach to design; an architecture imitating architecture. The most important element of design in an urban plan for a purposely informal settlement must be the grid network that allows a flexibility of attaching and detaching houses.Communal aspects of the extraterritorial settlement would be steered by community based organizations and funded by humanitarians. The architectural design process is strongly rooted in research and extrapolation. However, there is also a definitive separation between the research and the design. The extrapolation has led to a typology. The design may improve and innovate in this typology. Besides designing a cheap and parasitic factory, it must also be made of materials and energy supplies from sustainable resources; either renewable or recycled. The urban aspects of the design of the grid for the settlement is based on field research in the camps as well as a more cultural research on traditional ways of dwelling. As the camps recreate the village atmosphere, it appears that settlements until 600 inhabitants can function very successfully socially. The rapid densification that occurred in the larger camps, however, has not been as successful. The design for public facilities such as clinics and schools and services such as water and sanitation (which can be implemented by the NGOs) must consider these aspects. The public and private spheres observed through interview will also play a role in the size of scales from cell to city. In the design autarky of energy, agriculture and water is important."Here is the summarized program of the establishment of a city where one realizes that work is the human law and that there is enough of the ideal in the cult of beauty to render life splendid."- Tony Garnier, Une Cité Industrielle
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