trendential : the factory

The research until now has highlighted the trend towards temporary informal migration and the potential of extraterritorial spaces. When we combine characteristics of these trends and potentials, several trendentials arise that may present a possible future for the refugees living between the Thai and Burmese border.

floating factory

There is an increase in floating populations of migrant workers (age 20-30) that are willing to move to places of economic opportunity. Globally the country with the largest floating population is Thailand (an estimated 4 million migrant workers, mostly Burmese, are active on the job market.)

There has been an increase in free trade zones (export processing zones with limited tax to attract foreign investment), doubling in five years from 25 million people (1998) to 50 million people (2003) employed. 

portable squatting

There is a global rise in informal settlements. With more than half the world population living in cities, one billion people worldwide live in slums and this number is likely to increase to two billion by 2030.

There is a lot of current research being done into flexible architecture exploring movable or adaptive architecture.

humanitarian detention

The current Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) dilemma concerns the fact that international humanitarian organisations often have to deal with local legislations and governments. There is also a gap in the transition between short term humanitarian aid and long term development aid.

There is an increase in border fortification between More Economically Developed Countries (MEDCs) and Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs) to stop the uncontrollable influx of migrants trying to improve their personal situation. This has materialized in huge constructions of border walls and detention centers to keep people out of one country or keep them trapped inside borders between two.

refugee raft

There is an increase in refugee camps, temporary places hosting hundreds to millions of refugees and usually run by NGOs. There are around 12 million persons living in such camps in foreign countries.

Due to an increasing number of current crises (economic and food), land disputes are becoming more common and there is an increase in wars being fought over land, as well as a trend in governmental land grabbing, compromising the needs of local communities. The only surfaces left on the planet where there are restrictions on national jurisdiction is on water.

site specific

The border region in its current state looks like it will be developed as a free trade zone. However, with factories on Thai soil, the Burmese workers will still be illegal and exploited. A floating factory on the extraterritorial river that separates the two countries will offer an opportunity for investors (cheap labor and no national legislation). The factory will offer the refugees a place to earn a livelihood and to live without risk of deportation from Thailand and some security against Burma. They can to move to the river where the work is and squat an extraterritorial space in a form of mobile floating architectural rafts. Non Governmental Organizations will finally be able to cut loose from compromises with governments. Their issue of temporary humanitarian mandates is resolved as improving the situation of an informal settlement and promoting workers' rights can be considered development aid. The NGOs will offer a soft side to this floating place of waiting and detention. The floating factory could stimulate such a development. Currently there are around 500 garment factories in the border area where the case study was conducted (Mae Sot). There are over 100,000 Burmese migrant workers (mostly women) employed here illegally working in substandard conditions.

"... my concern is not that there are too many sweatshops, but that there are too few ..." (- economist Jeffrey Sachs)

the model

The garment factory industry is driven by a demand for fast and flexible delivery and a constant shifting in production location, searching for cheaper and more productive labor. Due to the price wars in  consumer driven industry, the corporations prefer to situate factories in export processing zones where normal trade barriers (such as tariff and quota) are eliminated. This means that the products are imported as duty free raw material and exported as assemble products.

the program

The garment factory needs to be well connected to an infrastructure for the import and export of the goods. There are several processes that the raw materials go through to become the assembled products. In the case of the garment factory this is storage (the materials are sorted), preparation (where the fabrics are cut), sewing (the assembling), ironing (presentation of product), quality check (when faulty the process is repeated), packaging (the products are sorted). The garment factory building must have an maximum footprint to floor-space ratio in order for construction to be cost efficient. Ventilation and daylight must be adequate for a healthy and productive work environment. There is a limited height depending on the optimization of the building material (usually concrete). The factory must have some resilience to disasters such as flood or fire. This means that the most vulnerable processes will take place on the top floors (the storage) and that an adequate fire escape route is integrated in the design. Other possible functions the building may need are administration space, a daycare (as the majority of employees are women), a cafeteria and a medical room.