aylan fields | of utopian refugees
University Of Michigan
Thesis Studio, Winter 2016
instructor: Andrew Moddrell
McLain Clutter
On September 3, 2015, a photograph of a three-year-old boy’s lifeless body lying face down off the coast of Bodrium, Trukey became a crying symbol of the Refugee crisis that has plagued the globe. The cause is the over-capacity, capsized boat coupled with dangerous weather conditions but the root is the conflict between the Syrian government and its rebel forces. This fight known as the Syrian Civil War is an ongoing internal conflict with international interventions that began in the spring of 2011. As a result, an estimated 10 million Syrians have been displaced from their homes. Of those, 3.8 million have been made refugees and are seeking asylum in other countries. Oftentimes these refugees are turned away by neighboring countries, prompting them to put their lives in the hands of dangerous human smugglers. These conditions are unacceptable and should never be tolerated. Something must be done.
With increased tension and animosity from European Countries to housed these displaced refugees, Egyptian billionaire, Naguib Sawiris proposed a radical solution in trying to assuage the situation. The proposal calls for a purchase of multiple Greek islands to house many of the distressed refugees. This thesis takes on Mr. Sawiris’ proposal and confronts stigmas associated with society’s perception of “Refugee Camps”. By analyzing past utopian projects plus contemporary conditions of refugee camps, the proposed island will create new forms of architecture that address human displacement. The thesis hypothesizes a utopian model of self-sufficiency and permanency as an alternative structure to standard design of refugee camps.