Archstorming has chosen the city Mosul in Iraq to place its new project in an attempt to propose solutions that mitigate and alleviate the suffering of its population. The city has been destroyed by Islamic extremists and greatly aggravated by the fighting that the Iraqi army has waged in recent months to wrest control of the city from ISIS. But, once the noise of bombings and explosions has ceased in Mosul, life is beginning to sprout again in its streets and neighborhoods with the return of thousands of former inhabitants who are becoming refugees in their own city. Archstorming is looking for proposals to create an infrastructure that provisionally shelters all the refugees who wish to return to Mosul while their homes are rebuilt and the city regains its living conditions. The infrastructure is considered as a temporary solution that seeks to receive refugees in a humanitarian emergency and return them as citizens integrated into society.
The condition of Mosul post war camp lies in the realm of temporariness and permanence. The idea of constant adaptation and change became the driver of of a design that is derived by informality with sets of rules. Refugees returning to their homes should be re-integrated into dignified space. This should not be a total 'emergency' like architecture. While it is definitely a temporary housing structure; it should also be an attempt at creating a dignified and beautiful housing structure that could potentially become permanent. This condition of temporary structures becoming permanent, I claim, is something that typically happens very often - especially in areas where resources are scarce. A first attempt should be made so the structure itself could be used for the future and as well as the 'city reintegration zone' itself . A courtyard is created along a series of existing streets.These ‘streets’ or routes redefine the exterior and interior edges of the building, which participates in some sort of re-integration of existing routes towards the old city.
Within these courtyards are a series of platforms made from bottles crates filled with sand on site.Columns are set into pre-drilled holes on MDF boards which creates a covered platform. Next, pre-made self-assembled sliding doors and roofs units are fitted freely into space along 3,5m grids. Traditional shaped vaulted roofs were used as a historical reference making the camp a more familiar environment. The roofs are designed much like ancient ventilation chimneys (malqaf's) with hot air circulating out through top rectangular shape chimney.
There are some general indicating guidelines in terms of the use under these roofs. But within this a great variety of spaces and sizes can be accommodated - this is achieved with the use of the sliding doors and roofs.. Mosul residents will now be able to adapt and change their space accordingly to fit their needs. Families ranging from two to six or even seven can be all accommodated. The courtyard designated spaces include eating rooms which circulate the interior courtyard.
