Thesis Design | Volume II
Senior Year 2023
Refugee Resettlement
Amy L Lowen
To create a mixed use temporary housing and service oriented complex to aid in a safe, resettlement process that promotes the mental, emotional and physical wellbeing of refugee families and individuals arriving in the United States.
Mission Statement
Out of the 103 Million forcibly displaced people worldwide, Over 32 million are considered refugees as of mid 2022.
Refugees: people who have fled war, violence, conflict or persecution and have crossed an international border to find safety in another country”
- UNHCR
The following program proposal focuses on refugees in the transition phase when they reach their new host country. With the rising number of refugees globally the humanitarian crisis is enormous. The need for services and dignified, healing transitional housing exists in every refugee host country. Honing in on the process in the United States, the refugee family or individual must go through an arduous process of vetting before even entering the U.S. The proposed design focuses on the needs of these refugees as they attempt to acclimate, grow and flourish in their new environment. By providing necessary services and temporary housing within the same building, the transition process is eased for an individual with little to no knowledge of their host country’s language and culture. Providing a safe place to heal and build community lies at the heart of the design contained in this program.
California has been a champion among the states in accepting refugees. The state accepted the highest number between 2002-2019. In that seventeen year period California accepted approximately 108,000 refugees. Because of the conflicts in both Afghanistan and Ukraine, in the past year, California has been overwhelmed with the surge of refugees. There is a lack of service staff to help with the process of refugee resettlement and a need for funds to help these families and individuals flourish in their new environment.
To extract the physical conditions of a park that make it a place of rest and use those sensory conditions within the interior environment to create space that promotes healing, growth and connection.
Connection to biophilic design has a psychological impact on people increasing their calm, reducing stress and mental health concerns. Natural daylight and views promotes wellbeing and healing. This has been scientifically studied over the years through experiments conducted with patients recovering from physical and mental illness and trauma. Nature based therapy is an established method of promoting healing in patients. It increases calm and relaxation. The United states CDC conducted research and found that “residents in urban areas were seventeen per cent more likely to suffer from psychological disturbance than their counterparts living in rural areas.”
To create a mixed use temporary housing and service oriented complex to aid in a safe, resettlement process that promotes the mental, emotional and physical wellbeing of refugee families and individuals arriving in the United States.
Provide easy access to services required and temporary housing units for refugees when they first settle in the US
Access to quality and affordable design in both service centered and residential spaces.
Create spaces of multi-sensory rest, including light, materiality, sound and sight that promotes the mental and emotional healing of the client.
Service Spaces
Highlight the periphery of the interior and wallwashing the interior walls to highlight the limewashed texture.
•Wide paths of travel within all service spaces on the 1st floor to accommodate any user type. And provide max space for wheelchair or walker accessibility
•Lighting and signage to promote understanding and clear visual clues to guide the user through the space.
•Interior FFE within much of the space are flexible to be moved and rearranged to meet the needs of the users. Particularly in the enclosed spaces such as the offices, tutoring and training areas and health service environments.
Night Time Entrance Perspective
Creating a therapeutic space to allow healing from past trauma is a key element in this design. The interior promotes this through a design, which highlights consistency, predictability and personal control for the user. Other design considerations include: reducing noise, odors, excess stimulation, overcrowded layouts and clutter. On the other side, promote: gardens, nature, calm cool colors and a balance of social and private space.
Safety
This design highlights the safety of the environment. The main entry includes a monitored reception, appropriate night time lights and controlled access to the building.
A diverse range of people groups will be using the space. The design considers physical diversity, as well as social and religious diversity. Interior spaces cater to different body types and age groups. Additionally, clear way finding is prominent throughout.
Children often outnumber adults in refuge and resettlement settings. Design considering their needs as well as the needs of the adults. This can be accomplished through creating spaces geared for students that promote independence and play while maintaining safety. Set aside space for older children to do homework and for younger children to play while supervised by parents or adults.
The colors and materials tend toward light, neutral, and soft materials reflective of the colors and textures found in nature. Hard, harsh materials and colors are avoided to reduce any anxiety, mental fatigue or darkness in the space. White, grey, green, light pink with a mix of wood tones and upholstery textures create a space that promotes relaxation.Overall, the space echoes a gardens design with natural geometries, ample natural and artificial lighting and soft colors.
Mind: This program emphasizes Wellness in regards to the mind. From the outset of the design, mental wellness took the forefront of design through a strategy that looks at multi sensory rest which promotes mental and emotional healing. The program incorporates
•Mental Health Promotion: pre- set counseling and wellness/meditation/prayer rooms.
•Nature and place: incorporating biophilic design though materials, colors, and volumes within the interior.
•Restorative opportunities: creating spaces throughout the service center that promote community engagement as well as individual rest with both large public space and smaller individual seating both inside and outside the building.
•Enhanced access to nature: all community areas both in the service space and residential spaces maximize access to daylight and views. This encourages people to spend time in community and allows them to experience daylighting through the greater part of their time inside. Also cultivated design experiences outside on level one and two.
Unit Entrance Elevation
White Oak | Engineered Hardwood- Bellawood
Artisan
Terrazzo Hex | Blue- TileBar Hexagon Matte Porcelain Tile | Umi Terracotta - Bedrosians Tile & Stone
Mesa Bella | RosadaMasland
Vintage Linen Manorca
Ceramic Terracotta TileCountry Floors
Textuality | White - Bedrosians Tile and Stone
These families come from different backgrounds and have unique experiences but one thing in common, that they all have experienced, is the loss of their home and their country. For this design it is imperative to reinvent the sense of home for these people who have lost theirs. Home is a place of attachment and emotional connection. Focus on a welcoming and warm environment. Allow adaptability and personalization within the residential units. Overall focus on creating a stable, safe environments. The space cannot replace home but it can mimic the safety of home and allow the development of a new sense of home.
Connection to biophilic design has a psychological impact on people increasing their calm, reducing stress and mental health concerns.
“Green spaces, such as community gardens or even the shade of a large tree, encourage social contact by serving as informal meeting places and sites for group and shared activities. Green spaces can serve as a sort of ecotherapy, as marginalized people can find empowerment, respite from stresses, and personal involvement in environmental stewardship.”
“Planters, gardens, green roofs, and other features can be incorporated into building design to address mental health and cognitive function.20 For example, the soft rhythmic movements of a trees or grass in a light breeze or the light and shade created by cumulus clouds, called Heraclitean motion, are movement patterns that are associated with safety and tranquility, aiding the development of a calm, stable mental state; lighting or space design that mimics Heraclitean motion could be incorporated into building design to create calm, peaceful areas that aid patients’ recovery or improve workers’ or students’ productivity. Bright daylight supports circadian rhythms, enhances mood, promotes neurological health, and affects alertness; increasing the use of natural light and reducing dependence on electric lighting can also significantly improve mental health and function.” - excerpt from Washington university mental health and green cities
