Refugee Home in Ljubljana: Ideal proposal for asylum seekers housing

University of Ljubljana, Faculty of architecture, Ljubljana

Project idea

The thesis discusses forced involuntary migration and attempts to answer the two questions, posed in the introduction. I will be interested in what forms of architectural solutions are best suited for the immediate temporary stay of the refugees, and at the same time I will explore the refugee home as a meeting point for new interactions in society.
First, I will analyse the theoretical basis of refugee integration in the new country and the question of temporary residence of the refugees after their arrival in the new environment. Next, I will look at various models of accommodation in some settings within and outside the European Union. I will analyse the accommodation of the refugees in Slovenia and briefly explain the legislation and the procedure for obtaining international protection. This will be followed by the description of the life of the refugees in Ljubljana, analyses, references and then the project part of the assignment.
The project will try to provide migrants with the conditions to integrate quickly and easily in all areas (employment, education, language, society, etc.)

Project description

After social research and analysis of cases and references in Slovenia and abroad, I started designing a refugee home.
By choosing a location closer to the city center, we give refugee home users faster access to various institutions (educational, religious, cultural and other) and that give them greater indenpendence. The location of the refugee home is in the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana in the region Poljane.

Urbanism follows the geometry of buildings in the area. In the central part of the neighborhood there are various outdoor public spaces such as small squares and playgrounds as well as gardens and orchard. The square is the main entry point into the neighborhood, at the intersection of Glonarjeva and Povšetova streets. It opens towards the road, as it is aimed for everyone, residents of the Poljane and refugees. To make the space larger, the reception building is also moved south.
As access to the site is from the north and east, there is a program in the northern part of the neighborhood aimed at receiving and integrating refugees. The community center is on the side of the road.
The men’s department is slightly offset inside the area. This creates a larger space on the east side, where the bus station and entrance to the infirmary are in the reception area. The juvenile department is also shifted west to create a larger and more dynamic central space. On the south side, public space is away from the roads. It is limited by the raised terrain and the Family Section building. There are sports and children’s playgrounds. It is intended for refugees, but is also accessible to outside visitors. The family department building is larger because of the expected number of people accommodated and the larger central space where the children’s playground is located.

The buildings are clearly programmatically separated by departments.
All refugees found themselves in a similar life situation:
- everyone is lonely, looking for company;
- no one finds themselves in their new surroundings.
It helps everyone to get along well with other refugees, as they are better understood by the refugees than the locals.
Living in the community is most important for single refugees as they share accommodation units with at least three other roommates. As soon as they step outside, they are on shared terraces that they share with all the neighbors of the floor. I created different meeting spaces: terraces, open corridors and atriums.
Neighboring families are also very close to each other, with shared outdoor spaces in front of the living units, making it almost impossible to avoid living in the community.

RECEPTION BUILDING
The reception is the first building where refugees must arrive immediately after arriving in Slovenia. It is designed with an atrium around which a glazed hallway runs, connecting three different programs on the ground floor and simultaneously the entire building with the exterior.
Before they can move into a new home, refugees must past the safety and health control. As this may take some time, there are waiting rooms on the ground floor with showers and toilets separated by sections for women, men and families.
After inspection, they are first housed above in a closed ward. They are supposed to be there two to three days for the staff to arrange a new home for them and to make sure of the safety and health of the refugees. There is nothing left to wait in the closed ward. They can stay in the atrium, in the shared living room on the floor or in the rooms.

CONCEPT OF RESIDENTIAL DEPARTMENTS
Refugees are categorized into four living quarters:
- family department - 66 persons;
- department for young (over 15 years) - 36 persons;
- department for single women - 32 persons;
- department for single men - 32 persons.

The interiors and exteriors of each building are gradually moving from more private to more public, which is why living quarters are designed atrium to offer:
  - fully enclosed private accommodation units;
  - private outdoor terraces in the common outdoor courtyard for refugees of individual wards, which open outwards to the main public space of the entire neighborhood.
The design of private and public spaces is also important for refugees for cultural and religious reasons. In the Muslim environment, the separation between the feminine and masculine spaces is extremely important.

COMMUNITY CENTER
The concept of a community center is exactly the opposite of that of a residential ward and reception building. Because of the program, it opens outward to the surroundings rather than the inner atrium like other objects.
There are various workshops along the main road on the north where refugees can be employed. On the east side is a cafe open to the main square of the neighborhood. To the south, a restaurant with a distribution kitchen opens for both refugees and random visitors.
The first floor has sports facilities. The larger hall is two stories high. Above the warehouses and dressing rooms is a fitness room that opens onto a large hall. Sports facilities are intended for refugees and other visitors. Halls for various purposes could be rented. On the east side there is a coworking space connected to the café and on the south side is the upper floor of the restaurant.
Much of the 2nd floor is occupied by sports facilities. On the south side is the administrative part and classrooms for education.

The main purpose of integration is mutual adjustment between refugees and the receiving society. Refugees should therefore accept our culture and contribute to it. Employment is one of the key areas of integration, and finding refugee employment is one of the most difficult. The neighborhood's outdoor common areas and community center offer many jobs and job opportunities for refugees.
The programs are selected to help refugees connect with their surroundings as much as possible. They can sell their products at the marketplace, thus fostering cultural exchange in the new society. The public program encourages refugees to activate themselves.

STRUCTURE
The entire neighborhood is built in a combination of classic wooden skeletal construction and frame skeletal construction. The main supporting elements are columns and beams that are repeated on a 3 m grid. The walls do not take on the load-bearing function, but they provide greater strength in the horizontal direction, mainly due to weathering and earthquake loading. The construction is modular, the grid is the same in all buildings and is 3 m. The walls are easily removable. The construction makes it possible to change and create different spaces, but some walls must remain in each case.

Technical information

Plan of area scale 1:100 and 1:500.
Plans of all buildings in refugees home.
Facades and sections of the all area.
Drawings and renders.