What are the spatial and social structures of human displacement? Which particular composition of elements sets the ground for its intrinsically emergent properties? In 2016, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) invited [Applied] Foreign Affairs to collaborate on a project that addresses internal human displacement in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. This was a thought-provoking invitation. Structures of Displacement reflects upon this collaboration, which has resulted in the conception and design of a communal facility that has been implemented next to Erbil’s Harsham Camp. Zooming out from this project to a global discourse, Structures of Displacement questions the roles of mapping, planning, architecture, and spatial manifestations within such contexts. Being conscious of the fact that designing solutions could further the problematics, we want to reflect on, share, and discuss the potentials and limits of such challenges.
The collaborative project between [applied] Foreign Affairs and UNIDO started with a research phase focusing on spatial, infrastructural, programmatic, sociocultural and gender‐based factors regarding displacement in northern Iraq. The outcome was structured into four categories: the Urban Dimension of Erbil & Camps, the Cultural Dimension, the Programmatic Dimension, and the Architectural & Climatic Dimension. Over the course of an initial field research trip in June 2016, Erbil and its camps were investigated to identify a site, and to define a programmatic and typological brief for an architectural infrastructure that would respond to both local demands and UNIDO’s agenda. Meetings with local authorities, camp managers, camp inhabitants, IOM and other UN organizations served to establish a better understanding of the situation at hand. Camps were visited respectively, with a focus on communal facilities and conversations about livelihood perspectives that took place during these visits. Data research on factual aspects of displacement within Kurdish Iraq, and on a global scale, was conducted to create a framework for the project. A chronology of recent conflicts in Iraq was traced back in time to historically situate the problems that the project would be confronted with. Furthermore, research into the discourse on displacement from different disciplinary perspectives was condensed in the form of quotes.
Structures of Displacement was developed into a publication, symposium, and exhibition in 2019.
What are the spatial and social structures of human displacement? Which particular composition of elements sets the ground for its intrinsically emergent properties? In 2016, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) invited [Applied] Foreign Affairs to collaborate on a project that addresses internal human displacement in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. This was a thought-provoking invitation. Structures of Displacement reflects upon this collaboration, which has resulted in the conception and design of a communal facility that has been implemented next to Erbil’s Harsham Camp. Zooming out from this project to a global discourse, Structures of Displacement questions the roles of mapping, planning, architecture, and spatial manifestations within such contexts. Being conscious of the fact that designing solutions could further the problematics, we want to reflect on, share, and discuss the potentials and limits of such challenges.
The collaborative project between [applied] Foreign Affairs and UNIDO started with a research phase focusing on spatial, infrastructural, programmatic, sociocultural and gender‐based factors regarding displacement in northern Iraq. The outcome was structured into four categories: the Urban Dimension of Erbil & Camps, the Cultural Dimension, the Programmatic Dimension, and the Architectural & Climatic Dimension. Over the course of an initial field research trip in June 2016, Erbil and its camps were investigated to identify a site, and to define a programmatic and typological brief for an architectural infrastructure that would respond to both local demands and UNIDO’s agenda. Meetings with local authorities, camp managers, camp inhabitants, IOM and other UN organizations served to establish a better understanding of the situation at hand. Camps were visited respectively, with a focus on communal facilities and conversations about livelihood perspectives that took place during these visits. Data research on factual aspects of displacement within Kurdish Iraq, and on a global scale, was conducted to create a framework for the project. A chronology of recent conflicts in Iraq was traced back in time to historically situate the problems that the project would be confronted with. Furthermore, research into the discourse on displacement from different disciplinary perspectives was condensed in the form of quotes.
Structures of Displacement was developed into a publication, symposium, and exhibition in 2019.