Thrive on Limbo

Abstract

Thrive on limbo is a place that allows coming asylum seekers to have a standard and fulfilling life during their limbo period (a period that they wait for their cases to be investigated). Here, they are provided with opportunities to learn a new language, a profession, or keep doing their previous career. Importantly, this project aims at giving refugees a sense of dignity rather than keeping them doomed and inactive in this period, a place where hope blossoms.

This project is in Athens, Greece, a country located at the front line of Europe that is the host of thousands of fugitives annually. Greece is considered one of the worst destinations for refugees and has the lowest living standards in camps, so it inspires the goal behind choosing this city as the site location.

Given the economic and social characteristics of the country, the project design is developed based on cost-effective and self-sustained methods in terms of the applied material, the format of the buildings, and offered facilities compatible with the local climate and natural environment. The most prominent features of the project are mud bricks as material that are made with an easy-construction method and a fluid blue and green infrastructure in the landscape of the project to enhance the quality of life. Thrive on limbo is a multi-functional project wherein buildings and landscapes complement each other for an environmentally sustainable and socially just place of living.