ariana zilliacus
home not shelter / 2017
Migration is not a new phenomenon. However the way that Europe, in this case specifically Denmark, is dealing with waves of migration makes it an urgent topic to discuss.
Psychological research has recently begun to focus on post-migration stressers, such as social isolation, unemployment and poverty, that have unsurprisingly shown to have harmful psychological impacts, strengthening the case for effective integration on not just the grounds of humane treatment but also health.
These residences fill existing pockets between buildings around Copenhagen, ranging from 1.5-3m wide, trying to provoke the question: is social integration even possible without spatial integration?
In 2017, all 44 asylum centres in Denmark are located outside of a 10km radius from its 5 largest cities, yet their inhabitants are expected to learn the language, understand the culture and embody the values of Danish citizens.
Inspired by ongoing projects in Europe, such as ‘Home not shelter’, a cross-school initiative between TU Vienna, TU Munich and TU Berlin, and Startblock in Amsterdam West, this program proposes to bring young, single people living in Denmark, together with young single migrants, most pressingly refugees, to live in small self-supporting communities.
Update: a residental project with this same program was initiated in Copenhagen in 2019. Read more about it here.
advisors: Carolina Dayer, Peter Bullough, Robert Gassner