NFP 81: Baukultur in the context of forced migration
The project contributes to a sustainable «Baukultur» and to overcoming the effects of temporariness and exclusion.
Factsheet
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Schools involved
School of Architecture, Wood and Civil Engineering
School of Social Work - Institute(s) Institute for Social and Cultural Diversity
- Funding organisation SNSF
- Duration (planned) 01.02.2025 - 31.01.2029
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Head of project
Prof. Dr. Eveline Ammann Dula
Dr. Carolin Fischer
Dr. Tobias Baitsch -
Project staff
Manuel Insberg
Dr. Clara Bombach
Prof. Daniel Baur - Keywords Baukultur, refugees, sustainability
Situation
The relationship between society and the built environment is a fundamental dimension of Baukultur as specified in the Davos Declaration. Depending on where it is located and how it is designed, 'the built environment contributes to the recognition or lack of recognition of various groups as equal in the society’ (Hauge et al., 2017). This study focuses on collective refugee accommodations in Switzerland. Due to the restricted availability of appropriate facilities, the general housing shortage, and contested planning procedures, persons who have claimed asylum in Switzerland are often placed in collective shelters, sometimes even in underground bunkers (Del Biaggo & Rey, 2017). While officially presented as temporary solutions, these facilities often accommodate their inhabitants for extended periods of time. Although a wealth of recommendations and standards for refugee accommodation is available (e.g., BMFSFJ & UNICEF, 2021; SFH 2021), they are rarely applied in practice. Conversely, the design and functioning of such facilities in conjunction with the fundamental uncertainty that their inhabitants face, promote conditions marked by precarity and exclusion (Kreichauf, 2018). Research has highlighted the negative effects on health and wellbeing of their inhabitants, neighbourhoods and on social cohesion. Overwhelmingly, the status quo of built infrastructure used for refugee accommodation stands in clear contrast to the goals of a sustainable high-quality Baukultur.
Course of action
This project aims to contribute to a socially, ecologically, and economically sustainable Baukultur of refugee accommodation that conforms to the ‘Davos Baukultur Quality System’. It explores the major challenges of current refugee accommodations in developing and testing economically, socially, and ecologically viable models that address prevailing shortcomings and foster inclusive livelihoods for refugees and local populations alike. Our focus is on collective refugee accommodation, which is provided and administered by cantons or municipalities. Inhabitants of these housing facilities have applied for asylum in Switzerland, spent an initial period in a Federal Asylum Centre, and have either received a protection status or are waiting for a decision on their case, all while being expected to integrate into local society. The project encompasses three interrelated parts that engage with the planning and construction of refugee accommodations in the past, the present, and the future. In collaboration with practice partners and relevant stakeholders, we will focus on different time scales. Applying complementary methods including historic analysis, expert interviews, focus groups, mappings, and living labs will allow us to derive crosscutting insights and create a basis for advancing a high-quality Baukultur for refugee accommodation in the future.
Result
Building inclusive cities and neighbourhoods is key, in light of expected migratory movements in the future and to the sustainable development of thriving societies more broadly (SDG 11). The anticipated findings and solutions from this project will be an important steppingstone, not only for improving the housing situation of refugees but also that of other marginalized groups. For this reason, our output will target the scientific community as well as practitioners, state, and local authorities.
