Ascending Integration Centre
N. van Dorp (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
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Abstract
The concept is to design a living environment, a habitat, for immigrants, Ex-pats and refugees, who are granted asylum. This habitat is meant to be a stepping stone in their integration process, in which they learn about Dutch culture, language and prepare to be fully adopted in Dutch society.
The location of this centre is in the Europoint-towers in Rotterdam. The open floor plan and good connectivity make it a great location. The towers, which are now partially occupied to house offices, also have a growing amount of vacant space. This vacant space is believed to increase significantly in the near future, possibly resulting in the towers to be completely unused. The goal is to give a new purpose to these towers. The main purpose of the habitat is to help immigrants integrate into Dutch society. The programme will therefore include, study/meeting spaces, lecture halls and an information centre. To bring the immigrants in contact with Dutch citizens, the building is designed to stimulate and make possible interaction between them.
Because the refugees only live in the habitat for a short time (up to a year), the amounts of people living in it will constantly change. Combined with the many compositions of families, like single people or families with kids, these factors will ask for an environment that is able to adapt to the changes. Dwellings should be custom configurated to fit the spatial and functional needs of each family, while providing the right amount of privacy.