Christie Rowan-Smith

Northumbria

Design Research for the project: Relocating Displacement

This work demonstrates richness in the design research – exploring the needs of refugees and the provision of places that enhance their lives.  The investigation brought together an impressive range of topics, including specific places; the human cost of war-torn areas; economics; refugee skills; the culture of heritage, handcraft, story-telling, Islam, and women’s rights; and other issues viewed in terms of integration into the host community.  The depth of research is evident in the design proposal, which provides light and airy spaces, three-dimensional interest, natural materials, courtyards and towers that synthesise eastern experiences and western context.