The community centre for Afghan refugees and people of Stroud

This project focuses on refugees from Afghanistan because 6 January 2022 was the day when Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) was officially opened. There is not a lot of information about this scheme yet, however, this design project aims to contribute to this major action by raising the awareness and resettling refugees in the activists’ town - Stroud.

In the modern world, human rights seem to be gaining more power, although it is evident that every day people ought to leave their homes because of the unbearable conditions to live in. Adapting to new surroundings can be as though as adapting to the poor conditions in the home country. Therefore, especially for architects, it is important to take action in helping refugees to find a new place to call home and find a golden thread in their complicated maze of experience.

The process was divided into several stages. At first, the analysis of the refugees' topic was carried out. This is when the strategy got clear: to give empty homes to refugees and build a community centre for everyone in the town. Later on, the key constraints were identified regarding the site. After that, the main strategies were confirmed - to have Maslow's hierarchy of needs as a base for the community centre, as refugees' human needs deserve to be met. As the inspiration for the design comes from Afghanistan, an analysis of the precedent was carried out which helped to set an aim - to make the architecture simple and easily understandable for foreigners. This was done by mixing the design style and materiality with local architecture.

All in all, the traumatizing events can negatively impact refugees’ wellbeing. Their journey might seem confusing and unclear, however the strategy to resettle refugees in Stroud, changes that. The project helps to find the golden thread by providing all of the necessary experiences, which make people’s lives fulfilled. Most importantly, refugees get a chance to experience that together with locals, who are willing to change the world and I believe, they will succeed.