thesis 2013

1 How to House Migrants on European fringes: A case study for Sicily

HOW TO HOUSE MIGRANTS ON EUROPEAN FRINGES:

A Case Study for Sicily

Clarissa Yee

How to House Migrants on European fringes: A case study for Sicily

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Dissertation Tutor: Bill HodgsonDesign Tutors: Izaskun Chinchilla and Carlos JiminezUnit 22

Cover Image: Author’s own.

The Bartlett School of Architecture 2012-2013


How to House Migrants on European Fringes: A Case Study for Sicily

ABSTRACT: Migrants on European Fringes often travel for varying amounts of time from one location to another. Sicily in particular has a large population of Tunisian men who work for short periods of time, normally under six months. They encounter dangerous and unknown journeys, yet have a strong network of ‘kin friends’ to help them get work, housing, or medical care. Their labour is essential to Sicily, yet their needs are unmet and their housing is poor potentially due to their temporality and their lack of governmental support. The dissertation evaluates five case studies which also deal with temporary people or people in transit. The evaluation of these case studies brings about questions on minimum requirements needed for migrants living and working in Sicily. It argues that there is a need for empowerment and feelings of belonging for migrants living in the host country. A manifesto is then formed to create a guideline as to how the built environment could deal with migrant living situations with the intention of creating a set of universal factors. The concepts of integration, self- reliance, belonging and new family values are discussed as solutions to the current problems of balancing cultural maintenance and assimilation.Keywords: Migration, housing, Sicily, cultural assimilation


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ConTEnTS

Introduction 6

Case Studies for Tempory and Migrant Living 13

DESIgn gUIDE MAnIFESTo 43

STAgE 1 Approach and Acculturation 451.1 Invitation 471.2 Entrance and approach 471.3 navigation 491.4 Assessment and value 511.5 Comforts 53STAnDARDS 54

STAgE 2 Urban Dwelling Space 572.1 Core house 592.2 House Types 612.3 Personal Space: Bedroom, Living and Bathroom standards 652.4 Communal spaces 672.5 Public outdoor Spaces 71STAnDARDS 74

STAgE 3 Agricultural Dwelling Space 773.1 Core house travelling requirements 793.2 Set up of houses 813.3 Families and layout 87STAnDARDS 90

STAgE 4 Shaping Integrated Places and Social Change 934.1 Valuable Programs 954.2 Appearance and Character 954.3 Cultural exchange and acceptance 97STAnDARDS 101


ConTEnTS

Conclusion 103

Appendix 105

5.0 Site Plan 1:1000 1065.1 Study of Entrances in Palermo’s Public Buildings 1085.2 Demographic Study 1105.3 Typical Furniture Schedule 1115.4 Temporary Furniture Schedule Comparing Case Studies 1125.5 Proposed Furniture Schedule 115

Bibliography 116


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Introduction

To live between two or more places provides a challenge in cost and comfort and social cohesion with others. This is becoming a more popular and necessary way of living. The number of international migrants was estimated at 214 million in 2010. If this number continues to grow at the same pace as during the last 20 years, it could reach 405 million by 2050. I am proposing a manifesto which will act as a framework for ethically housing migrants on European fringes, with Sicily as my example. This manifesto, generated from case studies, will cover how migrants should be welcomed, introduced to Sicilian society and integrated using solutions coming from the built environment. There is an argument for a need of a support network which helps the migrant adapt to structures and conditions in the host country. I will consider their needs and problems that they face and aim to propose a way of empowering and improving their situation.


Present Day Transit Living, Sicily

Despite high unemployment, in 2009Sicily had the second largest number of migrants in any region south of Rome. The majority of migrants in Sicily work in agriculture. In Trapani province farmers depended on Tunisian men after the 1968 earthquake in the Belice valley reduced the number of local field workers. Due to the seasonal nature of the field work, the Tunisian presence in Sicily was temporary. The numbers of Tunisians migrating to Sicily steadily grew through the 1980s and to other parts of the country particularly the south east coast where other agricultural jobs are prevalent. There were 10,949 registered foreigners in 1998, and 16,593 unregistered foreigners in 2000. The majority of whom are Tunisians. Many Tunisians see Sicily’s seasonal work as the way to quickly make sizeable amounts of money and would prefer to leave family at home.

Existing Built Environment and networks for Migrants in Sicily

Figure 1 shows a sequence of how a typical migrant from Tunisia gets work in the time he spends in Sicily. The circle on the top of the diagram represents Tunisian activities and the circle below presents activities in Palermo. The flow chart goes from top to bottom from Tunis to Palermo describing the events that take place in order to live and work in Sicily.

A migrant will only travel from Tunisia if he has a connection with people in Palermo. These contacts are often made prior to the journey through friends. These connections guarantee work and housing by providing contacts, finance and emotional support. once in Palermo, the sequence of events becomes less predictable yet connections made with kin friends are still vital. Agricultural work can force the migrant around the country alone and the reliance of personal connections means that illegal work is easier to obtain, but also living in undignified and substandard housing and having ill-health is also common. Another problem that many Tunisians face is that even in the event that there is no available work, many will refuse to go home, because of the embarrassment of returning to family and friends without having made enough money.

one can see that the reliance of the kin friends network is both an advantage and disadvantage. In terms, of housing and work, the kin friends provide the hospitality, and emotional and financial support, yet it is these same ties which provide deprived living conditions and being taken advantage of. Being only affiliated with kin friends means that migrants are not receiving medical health, rights to adequate standards for working and living, pay and education and even citizenship

for their children who are born in Sicily.1

There is an argument that the integration of migrants socially and politically is required for ethical, economic and social reasons and that the integration needs to happen in the shape of the built environment. Housing is an important structure 1 Although recently, laws are changing for the better in regards to immigrant’s childrens’ rights to citizenship.


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for integration in the receiving society along with housing policies to shape future processes of integration.2 The official Journal of the European Union states that ‘local, regional and national authorities play an essential role [in integration] whereas their responsibilities in areas such as town planning, housing, education have a direct impact on the integration process.’3

The “Socio-cultural Design guide”This thesis tries to bridge the gap between housing design guides, which explain material requirements and social guidelines about housing and integration needs by addressing the problem in a socio-cultural response to the specificity of the needs of the migrant population in Sicily. The material needs and their social and cultural repercussions of these findings will provide vital information on the migrant population and also aim to encourage their voice to be found.

2 CLIP network, European Foundation for the improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Housing and integration of migrants in Europe: good practice guide, http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/2008/18/en/1/ef0818en.pdf3 European Parliament resolution of 6 July 2006 on strategies and means for the integration of immigrants in the European Union, The official Journal of the European Union, C 303 E/845 of 13.12.2006.

9 How to House Migrants on European fringes: A case study for SicilyFigure 1

[Academic use only]

Image by author


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Ragusa Agrigento

Sirucusa Caltanisetta

Enna

Locations of Migrants Around Sicily

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SITE

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Palermo Ferry Port

3428

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Trapani Ferry Port

2601

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26055844 A

2467 C 1182

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number of migrants

Sites

Cities of Arival by Ferry

grape Agriculture housing

Almond Agriculture housing

Lemon Agriculture housing

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Locations of Migrants Around Sicily


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CASE STUDIES FoR TEMPoRY AnD MIgRAnT LIVIng

The built environment could play a role where empowerment, integration, dignity and safety are improved for the housing of migrants. There is a proven connection between the quality of the housing and the health of these migrants which then has a knock on affect to how they behave and then how locals understand them. To understand how the built environment could play an empowering role in the migrants’ lives a range of worldwide case studies of different interventions for temporary people current and historic, large and small were selected with the aim to analyse what are the essential components for designing housing for migrants, and more importantly what can be done to improve and empower their situation taking social factors into account. The case studies chosen are:

Migrants at Ellis Island, new York, USA, 1892- 1924Hostel Dwellers in Hostels, Cape Town, South Africa, 1970-presentRefugees at Camps, (various locations), 2013Hop Pickers at Pickers Huts, Kent, UK, 1920- 1930Displaced People in Shelter Boxes, (various locations), 2013

These interventions use a wide range of techniques to adapt how people live and behave. They have been assessed in the following categories:

• What is given on arrival?• What are the living conditions?• How does this affect their relationships with locals?

This analysis will further a knowledge about migrant housing and temporary housing at large, which will brings up issues about social cohesion and personal empowerment which is needed to be considered in design. These case studies looks at the temporary living from an international and neighbourhood level and also focuses on the individual home.The final part of the essay goes further to analyse sequence of spaces required for the housing of migrants, which will then be discussed in the Design guide Manifesto.

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Ellis Island, new York, USA, 1892- 1924

This case study shows how the built environment has dealt with a large number of migrants entering a country and the procedures that were used to regulate, assess and assimilate these people.

By looking at the migrant journey one can see that the procedures brought about apprehension among migrants and often violation of privacy and human dignity.

The migrants arrived by boat to the island and had to struggle with their luggage which was often large trunks of belongings. Many were nervous about the inspections and medical exams and there were many who feared the rumours about officials using a buttonhook to pull the eyelids of the migrants during the medical exam.1 other anxieties came from the possibility of being refused entry and being unaware which procedure was coming next and how long it would last. Some parts of the architecture of the building gained names that reflected its purpose. The “stairs of separation” were the set of stairs that divided people who were declined entry from those who were accepted. The ‘kissing post’ was at the end of the journey where migrants were reunited with their family. This shows how the architecture along with the procedures had an impact on the experience of the migrant.

1 This was to check for trachoma by looking for inflammations of the inner eyelid.

The Migrant Journey

1. Arrival2. Luggage Room3. Stairs4. Registry Room5. Medical Exam6. Legal Inspection7. Detainees8. Stairs of Separation9. Kissing Post

Images from http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/tour/,(accessed 20 March 2013).

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Fig 1. Plan of Ellis Island,

adapted from http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/tour/,(accessed 20 March 2013).

Fig 1.


Fig 2. Medical Inspection getting out of control,

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/tour, (accessed 15 March, 2013).

Fig. 3 Mental Test Procedures.

Photo courtesy of the national Park Service, Statue of Liberty national Monument, http://www.ellisisland.org/photoalbums/ellis_island_album114.asp, (accessed 15 March, 2013).

Fig 4. Lables drawn with chalk directly onto immigrants’ clothes to mark their health status,

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/tour, (accessed 15 March, 2013).

At Ellis Island, the immigration process devalued people and was intentionally designed to disrespect immigrants in order to find cheap and lasting labour. They used chalk to mark the immigrants clothes during the medical inspection indicating their illness which is more akin to the treatment of animals than of humans.

From this one can see that migrants should be treated fairly and with respect. They are valuable and should be seen that way by others and between themselves.

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Fig 2.

Fig 3.

Fig 4.



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Fig 5. Ellis Island, The great Hall between 1907-1912.

Image from national Park Service, http://www.ellisisland.org/photoalbums/ellis_island_album105.asp, (accessed 15 March, 2013).

Fig 6. grand Central Station, new York, 2007,

http://www.dailyspeculations.com/wordpress/?p=1781, (accessed 15 March)

Fig 5.

Fig 6.

Ellis island was successful in culturally assimilating migrants to American environments through its architecture. The two photographs above show the similiarity of atmosphere and form of The great Hall at Ellis Island and grand Central Station. There is also use of flags in both cases.


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Fig 9.

Fig 11.

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Fig 7. Ceiling at Ellis Island,

http://www.ellisisland.org/photoalbums/ellis_island_album203.asp, (accessed 15 March, 2013).

Fig 8. Ceiling of the South Arcade of the Manhattan Municipal Building,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brettrutherford/3034848677/, (accessed 15 March, 2013).

Fig 9. City Hall Subway Station, new York, 1904

Courtesy nYC Municipal Archives)” http://stefankaz.tumblr.com/post/22132729310/original-city-hall-subway-station-irt-lexington, (accessed 15 March, 2013).

Fig 10. Statue of Liberty seen when approaching Ellis Island,

http://statues.mlblogs.com/, (accessed 15 March, 2013).

Fig 11. Exterior view of Ellis Island,

http://tagtchr.com/images/Ellis%20Island2.JPg, (accessed 15 March, 2013).

Even the colours used on the exterior of the building are red, white and blue matching the American Flag. The blue is also the same as the Statue of liberty unifiying the sense of freedom and arrival on approach to Ellis Island.

The gustavino tile was used at Ellis Island as well as many beaux-arts landmarks and many municiple buildings in new York. The technique was patented in the US in 1885. It can be argued that it was used to celebrate American patented techniques and also for the cultural assimlation of migrants. By using architectural techniques seen in the city, Ellis Island also has a new York feel.


Ellis island has shown that the sequence in which migrants access the building should welcome them in terms of their value and their culture. To some extent the acculturisation of migrants is required to familiarise themselves to their surroundings and to there needs to be an encouragement to learn the host country’s culture. However, there needs to be improvements on the sequence in terms of dignity and value in the assessment of migrants creating a less stressful environment. See stage 1- Approach and Acculturation for more details.


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Hostel Dwellers in Hostels, Cape Town, South Africa, 2013

No mattress

Paint required

concrete bed

No ceiling

This case study has been chosen on the basis understanding how people evaluate their personal space in terms of their comfort and belonging. This example shows an extreme case where migrant labourers living in labour hostels are surviving difficult cramped conditions using a bed or ‘bedhold’ as the site for eating, sleeping and living often sharing with their families and creating their own rules to provide the necessities of living that they do not have, such as privacy. Violence between hostel dwellers and township residents are common as some have chosen physical violence to draw attention their difficult living conditions.

Fig 12.


Fig 12, Interior of Bed Hold,Mamphela Ramphele, A Bed Called Home, (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press,1993).

The image opposite shows the lack of space and items provided at the hostels. The lack of mattresses and ceilings has meant the dweller has to provide the decoration and necessities themselves.Bedholds define these people and has a large implication for both individuals and for society. “They have to ‘shrink’ to fit this space or expand the space to accommodate their needs.”1

Customisation of the space using mats, rugs, posters and curtains are essential to provide personal space and individuality in crowded conditions. They provide some comfort in controlling their own space for example curtains were often used as doors for controlling privacy.

1 Mamphela Ramphele, A Bed Called Home, (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press,1993), p.22


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Types of Bedhold for Cape Town Hostel Dwellers


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The bedholds do not change depending on the make-up of the families. Each type possesses the same amount and type of space and is inflexible to changing situations.

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Fig 16.

Fig17.

Fig 16. Types of Bedhold

Fig 17. Example of the relation of people living in a complicated bedhold

Images by author


[Academic use only]

Fig 18. Plan adapted from Mamphela Ramphele, A Bed Called Home, (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press,1993, p23

How Hostel Dwellers cope with conditions


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Fig 18.

The lack of space in the “door” has meant that people have assumed traditional male and female roles when it comes to priority for washing, cooking and child rearing. There is a lack of freedom from traditional duties for women that would not be expected in other living situations. However, in all male hostels, many men have had to learn how to cook which they have not had to do before. one man even goes to say that he is proud that he can now cook better than his wife. Here we can see tradition is used as an excuse for dealing with these living situations but that they can also change with the situation itself.


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Fig 19. Complex family shared bedhold.

Fig 20. Patronage bedhold with curtains and bedspread added for privacy, comfort and customisation

Images from Mamphela Ramphele, A Bed Called Home, (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press,1993).

Photo: Mamphela Ramphele, A Bed Called Home, (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press,1993, p1 and 54

Hostel Dwellers show how important it is for the home to be suitable for the number of people living here and their family type. When providing the minimum for living, flexibility for the number of people visiting should be considered.

It also shows the importance of customisation of space to provide privacy, and belonging as these small actions can provide comfort. These aspects are covered in Stage 2- Urban Dwelling Space and Stage 3 - Agricultural Dwelling Space.

Fig 19.

Fig 20.



Refugees at Camps (Various Locations), 2013

global needs assessment in eight countries- Cameroon, Ecuador, georgia, Rwanda, Thailand, United Republic of Tanzania, Yemen and Zambia was used to assess current conditions, needs and experiences of refugee camps along with the SPCP publication “Protection gaps: Framework for Assessing gaps in Protection Capactiy

Fig 21. Tent 1- Provided by the UnHCR

Fig 22. A lightweight emergency tentTent 2- Provided by the UnHCR canvas tent, lasting longer than tent 1

Images from http://www.unhcr.org, (accessed 15 January 2013).

They receive:Plastic sheeting and mattingFood RationsFire woodWaterSelf help schemes

They have a lack of:Access to hospitalsRefugee lawDocumentationAccess to educationChild protectionSelf-relianceSupport due to remote locations

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Fig 21.

Fig 22.

This case study was chosen to understand the importance of reliance and dependence for people when given their temporary home and how it affects their relationship with local people.In this case study, people are in an extreme situation of desperation fleeing from war or oppression and what is given to them to survive temporarily can be understood as key elements needed to house temporary people at large. Also there is an importance to understand what success that these items have when it comes to dependence and capacity to do more.


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? There is a lack of basic needs on many camps that push people to swap food rations for fuel for fire which then can become a health problem. Violence and safety are also major problems at camps

There is also restrictions of whether refugees can work and mix with local people due to conficts within the country or due to a lack of access to markets. It prevents the refugees from being self reliant and to increase their capacity, but their entire dependence on the camps can restrict them and their wellbeing if the camp conditions are poor.

Dirken and Lausten writers of the book ‘The Culture of Exception’ states that ‘The camp is a machine for ordering’1 emphasising the idea that the camp does not allow the freedom of self empowerment, self-reliance and independence but people are kept with utter control.

1 Bulent Dirken and Carsten Bagge Lausten, The Culture of Exception, Routeledge, oxon, 2005, p.18

Fig 23.

Fig 24.

Fig 23. Typical Camp Fig 24. Men and children queueing for food in a camp

Images from http://www.unhcr.org, (accessed 15 January 2013).



Humanitarian Reliance

PoliticalReliance

assistance integration with locals

geopraphicalReliance

food

work

markets

encampment policy

repatriation

resettlement

access to education

access to education

access to health

access to health

safety

integration

Reliance at the Camps

Providing the most basic equipment for food, sleeping, fuel are essential but they alone will not provide everything for a comfortable life in temporary environment. In such environments it is crucial that self reliance and independence is addressed. Another aspect of the camps is that it does not address access to work, integration or resettlement. Sometimes this is due to political and geographical problems, but for the future housing of temporary people where possible the location of the setttlement is important for the integration and independence of people. These aspects are covered in Manifesto Stage 4- Shaping Integrated Places and Social Change.

Independence is lacking due to camp policy with integrating with locals and work only being capable within the camp. This could also be due to the location of the camp often being separated from locals. Here self-reliance is difficult to achieve.


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Hop Pickers at Pickers Huts, Kent, UK, 1920- 1930

number of people travelling from August to September

250,000

Hop pickers have been chosen as a good example of how temporary living and working can be enjoyable. A quarter of a million London families travelled to Kent during the summer for “The Londoners’ Holiday” where they picked Hops on farms for extra family income. They often lived in cramped conditions and suffererred from cold nights without heating. Hop picking itself was not an easy task. However it was a popular and enjoyable activity to do with the whole family. Mostly mothers and children attended and husbands often joined them at the weekends.

This case study shows that being a welcomed and valued part of a system, along with the ability to customise living spaces provided the power to turn a job into a holiday.

Fig 25.

Fig 26.

Fig 25. Hops picked to make beer,

http://raisethebeerbar.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/hop-frenzy.html, (accessed 2 March 2013).

Fig 26. Map showing East London (pink)in relation to Hop cultivation areas in Kent (green), 1850, http://www.hoppingdowninkent.org.uk/maps.php, (accessed 2 March 2013).



Invitation to work cards (above) were sent out to all Londoners prior to their journey. It demonstrates how the hop pickers were valued and taken care of. Their transport by train was discounted for hop pickers making it easier for families to join. They had a designated date of arrival for which the farmers ‘would be ready for them’ and provide them a place to stay in a barn or hut (below). They were also advised to bring their own belongings.This invitation along with national Insurance card guarantees the hop picker family the job. There is no stress related to being turned away at arrival as the card implies the opposite, that they were expecting them and valued their presence.

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Fig 27.

Fig 28.

Fig 27. Hop pickers Invitation Card,

http://www.hoppingdowninkent.org.uk/gallery,php?collection=4&image=7, (accessed 4 March 2013).

Fig 28. Hop Picker’s Hut,

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3249/2413968613_69fe1be6ca.jpg, (accessed 4 March 2013).


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1. Food2. Bedding3. Cooking equipment4. Wallpaper5. Clothes6. games7. Books8. Posters

9. Lamps10. Curtains 11. Soap12. Mats13. Radio14. Photographs15. Postcards16. Coffee jugW

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Items brought to Kent

The pickers brought goods to provide a home away from home feel in a humble hut which was only 2.74 by 2.74 meters or 2.4m by 3.05m made of brick or corrugated iron. These belongings enabled the Hop pickers all the daily activities they would have at home such as cooking, drinking coffee and listening to the radio. However items such as wallpaper, curtains and posters go beyond what is essential for living and provided a luxury.


Fig 29.

Fig 29. Interior of Hop Picker’s Hut.http://www.bbc.co.uk/southerncounties/(accessed 17 January 2013).


Hop pickers were discouraged from lighting fires inside their rooms to prevent fire hazards as many did not have chimneys. However, having cooking fires outside their rooms often made cooking a communal activity for all families. Some provided a cooking hut for this purpose.

Water was provided by a standpipie 140m away from the site, and there was a toilet block with a composting toilet and facilies for washing. Although the conditions were not always perfect, there was a consideration for pickers with allocated areas for all their needs.

The hop pickers show that a holiday feel can be obtained in dwellings even when the conditions are not perfect by providing home comforts and being considered and valued can change the position and experience of the worker. This can be seen in the manifesto Stage 3- Agricultural Dwelling Space.


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Fig 30.

Fig 31.

Fig 30. Hop pickers having lunch.

Fig 31. Hop Picker Families outside their huts.

http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk, (accessed on 22 February 2013).


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Displaced People in ShelterBoxes, (various locations), 2013

Fig 32. Contents of a shelter box, http//www.shelterbox.org, (accessed 19 December 2013)

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Custom designed family tent

Waterproof ground mats

Thermal fleece blanketsMosquito nets

Children’s activity pack

Stove

Cooking equipment

Tool kitWater containers & purification

Warm hats and gloves

Plastic box

Inside a ShelterBox

ShelterBox have been chosen as a good example of how essential items that are carefully selected can provide not just a temporary home, but the strength to start repairing existing homes or improving their immediate situation physically and emotionally.ShelterBox provide 50,000 families who lose everything in disasters every year by deploying boxes containing essential items needed to live with ‘dignity’.

This case study shows that physical items required for survival respond not just to the physical environment but also social and emotional needs as an essential requirement.

Fig 32.


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The method of deploying ShelterBoxes is different depending on the circumstance. They have been transported by donkey, plane, helicopter, boat and carried on human backs. The specificity of the disaster also changes what may be put into the box, for example, mosquito nets for hot countries and extra fleeces in cold ones.

It provides “Self-sufficiency” by providing tools. These set of tools which inculde a hammer, rope, saw and pliers provides the means for families to improve their immediate environment and to begin repairing and rebuilding their homes.It physically enables the displaced people to get their lives back on track.

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Fig 33.

Fig 34.

Fig 35. Fig 36.

Fig 33. Donkeys transporting Shelter Boxes.http://www. blog.buildllc.com, (accessed 15 December 2013).

Fig 34. Tools included in a Shelter Box,http://www.shelterbox.org, (accessed 19 December 2013).

Fig 35. Tent errected, http:// www.concordrotary.com.au, (accessed 11 April 2013).

Fig 36. Family inside shelter, http://www.flikr.com, (accessed 11 April 2013).


Fig 37. Portable Cooker

Fig 38. Children’s toysimages fromhttp://www.shelterbox.org, (accessed 19 December 2013).

other items in the box provide more than just the physical empowerment of displaced people.

Shelterbox define giving pots and pans and a cooker provides an essential part of the ShelterBox to transform shelters into homes by giving the chance for ‘families to eat and drink together with dignity.’

This idea that these items can bring about an emotional experience as well as a functional one.

Another example, is the colouring books and pencils provided for children who may have lost all their possessions. ShelterBox state that these treasured gifts try to ‘normalise’ the situation.

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The ShelterBox case study shows that even the most basic items for living can provide comfort, dignity and hope. It also provides insight on how for different situations diffterent items may be needed to suit that climate or group of people. one can see that to house a transient migrant population there is an importance in the role of the items and facilities provided to create a “sense of home”. This can be seen in manifesto Stage 2- Urban Dwelling Space and Stage 3- Agricultural Dwelling Space.


Fig 37.

Fig 38.


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Welcome Centre Proposed Sequence

Ellis island has shown that the sequence in which migrants access the building should welcome them in terms of their value and their culture.

This proposed sequence shows how dignity and value in the assessment of migrants can be less stressful and a chance to introduce the culture of Sicily. See stage 1- Approach and Acculturation for more details

[Academic use only]


[Academic use only]

Image by author


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Proposed mobile unit for migrant agricultural living

From the case study Hop Pickers at Pickers Huts (Kent) have shown how important it is to customise and bring home comforts for successful temporary living. For migrants in Sicily, this is a proposal for a mobile unit which contains luggage and these customisable rooms needed for living.

[Academic use only]


[Academic use only]

Image by author


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Proposed Integration and Community Spaces

The case studies Hostel Dwellers at Hostels (Cape Town) and Refugees at Camps (Various locations) have shown problems in integrating with the local community which can lead to hostililty and violence. Violence becomes a problem when integration is not met. Therefore for the housing of migrants in Sicily, proposals include community spaces that benefit both migrants and locals in their program, their character and experience in effort to help to integrate these two groups. These spaces are discussed in Stage 4- Integrated Places and Social Change.

[Academic use only]


[Academic use only]

Image by author


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All urban design examples (Stages 1,2 and 4) in the design guide manifesto are based on a design for Palermo (top image). The 2,500m2 site is adjacent to the ferry port where the migrants arrive to Sicily from Tunis. It is used to show how the design guide manifesto can be used to house migrants through welcoming, dwelling and integrating designs. All agriultural design examples (Stage 3- Agricultural Dwelling Space) of the manifesto will be sited in the Province of Caltanissetta (bottom image) where almond harvesting takes place in from August to September.

ExAM

PLEBottom circle:

Agricultural Site,image taken from http://www.sicilia.cosavedere.net

See Appendix 5.0 for site plans

Top circle:Palermo Site, image taken from google Earth

Design guide ManifestoExamples

green drawingsby author


DESIgn gUIDE MAnIFESTo

The Design guide Manifesto explains what needs to be done in each stage of the migrant journey following the character Mr Maija from arrival to welcome centre, dwelling spaces and public spaces, stating the minimum standards and considerations for these built solutions to be successful physically and socially. Throughout the Design guide Manifesto examples will be used to demonstrate how the manifesto could be implemented through design. The urban design will be sited at Palermo, on the East coast where migrants disembark, marking the start of their stay in Sicily. The agricultural designs will be sited in farmland in the Province of Caltanissetta, a popular destination for seasonal agricultural workers.

[Academic use only]


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Family minus one person

Mr Maija travels to Sicily leaving his family in Tunisia


STAgE 1 Approach and Acculturation

Each year, the Tunisian migrants are invited to Sicily for temporary work and papers are sent by post for the migrants to send back requesting how many people from their family will be participating. The Migrant Workers Association will then arrange ferry transport and set up the paperwork, their housing and job applications required for the migrants for when they arrive. They are also so kind as to send out literature to explain what to expect in Sicily and what they need to bring with them.1

The ferry journey is on average 10 hours and the journey is filled with excitement and apprehension. There are mostly single males on board, but also about a third of families. The ferry runs twice a day and each contains 500-600 migrants. Let us follow one of the migrants, Sahbi Maija. He has come to Sicily to earn money for his wife Samia, and their two children.

Mr Maija is carrying 2 trunks of his belongings when he arrives at Palermo ferry port and is greeted by a co-national who works for the Migrant Workers Association. His passport and invitation form is checked and with everything in order, Mr Maija and his precious belongings are transported by cable car2 which enables him to see the beautiful views out to the mountains to the north along with the dense cityscape to the west. As the journey is slow and open to the air, he gets a sense of the Sicilian climate not too disimilar from his home, Tunis. The breeze is refreshing after having been travelling for so long.

He arrives at the side of the welcome centre piazza and his entry into the piazza area becomes a ceremony3 of stepping on EU soil for the first time. Meanwhile his luggage is removed with the help of kind staff. They lock his luggage to the overhead cable system which takes his luggage to storage and give him a set of keys for him to pick up later. His invitation states that he needs to go to the home centre and the agricultural centre to arrange his housing, work and study placements. All these places are on the piazza and Mr Maija can immediately tell where to go for which. The home centre is looks like someone’s home and the agricultural centre occupies a courtyard space with trees4. They give him a taste of what life will be like here.

In the piazza, there are elements of familiarity that Mr Maija is used to which makes his stay in the centre more relaxing. Within this Sicilian environment there are considerations for his comforts5 in shade, privacy and security. The piazza can be used to relax, have a drink, or something to eat before sorting out house and work arrangements. There is a variety of places to eat including food from home and food from Sicily. Mr Maija decides while he is in Sicily to try some of the local food. Local people are here too, enjoying the sunshine and the surroundings.

once he has eaten and used the bathroom6, Mr Maija takes his time to visit the the home centre, and the agricultural centre7. While he waits he can experience Sicilian life while being in the piazza. Although uncertain of exactly what will happen on his travels, he feels excited about the prospect of experiencing something new knowing comforts of his homelife are not too far away.

4 See 1.4 Assessment

3 See 1.2 Ceremony

6 See 1.5 Bathrooms

7 See 1.4 Assessment

2 See 1.2 Access

5 See 1.5 Shade

1 See 1.1 Invitation


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For Palermo, the distance between the ferry terminal and the building is 300m. A cable car system can easily transport passengers and their luggage.

FERRY

The cable car allows easy access to the building with luggage and allows passengers to view their surroundings to get their bearings and also as a visual introduction to Sicily.

Arrival at the Welcome Centre at a piazza introduces a Sicilian environment. The ground is bare to heighten the experience of arrival. For many migrants, it is a long lived dream to be on EU soil.

Images by author

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Ceremony


AIMSThis section of the manifesto aims to give guidance on the design of the welcome centre. This is a built intervention that hosts migrants coming from other countries and enrols them in official housing, education and work placements. It aims to clarify the realities of the migrant workers’ importance in the Sicilian economy and how this process can be one of enjoyment and cultural adjustment. It aims to demystify the current view that immigration is uncontrollable and out of hand and encourages the importance of the migrant worker.

1.1 Invitation

All migrants must be invited to work in Sicily officially and prior to travel, have arranged dates to stay, number joining per family, transport times and arrival times. This prepares both the migrants and Sicilians for their stay and ensures that they are felt valued and considered. Brochures are a good way to inform migrants visiting for the first time what they might expect and explanation of their housing and work arrangements.6

1.2 Entrance and approach

AccessFor ease of access and movement for the approach of the building, ramps and smooth surfaces should be in place suitable for large amounts of luggage. A cable car system should be considered to transport people and their luggage over long distances. It is best to provide luggage storage as one of the first steps of the entry procedures to eliminate migrants having to struggle carrying luggage around the building. Luggage must be able to be seen by migrants when stored to ease tensions. Alternatively, migrants could be given a key for their own luggage storage.

CeremonyThe spaces provided for approach and entry should take into consideration the ceremony that takes place when the foreigner takes their first steps onto European land. For many migrants, it is a long lived dream to be on EU soil. The local environment should be integrated into this entrance and approach in the form of having real soil to walk on, the sun to see, the sky and the vegetation as a way to introduce visually the country in which they will be hosted. If possible the environment that surrounds the building, whether that is vegetation or other buildings, should be not blocked from view so that the migrant begins to get a sense of his/her bearings. In effect, the entrance should act as the ‘Welcoming Face of Sicily.’7 This journey 6 Although this is not strictly a built intervention, invitation is a crucial part of the proposal that encourages migrant presence to be welcomes. This can be similar to the invitation that Hop pickers received could be used for migrants to be invited for working in Sicily arranging their Ferry transport and dates for stay. See page 29.7 Similar to Ellis Island, the architecture of the welcoming centre should act as a form of Sicilian

WELCoME CEnTRE


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An important factor of migrant entry is intercultural adjustment. This was defined by Black (1988) as “the degree of an individual’s psychological comfort with various aspects of a host country”1 In this way this section aims to approach entry to the country with as much comfort in various aspects of Sicilian life. This is not to assimi-late as the case study Ellis Island does, but to make aware of the host country’s cul-ture in order to create a level of comfort for the future journey rather than increase cultural novelty.2

Adjustability to a new culture has been researched based on the works of Mendenhall and oddo (1985)3 and Black (1990)4, recent studies of expatriate’s adjustability by Waxin, 2000, Cerdin, Chandon & Waxin, (1999) has shown that there are six dimensions of adjustability. They are: confidence in their own technical competencies, social orientation, willingness to communicate, substitution capacity, cultural openness and stress resistance.5 Although adjustment is personal and psychological and dependent on personality and previous experiences, the procedure can be helped by the environment.

1 J.S. Black, Work-role transition A study of American expatriate managers in Japan, Journal of International Business Studies, 19 (1988), pp. 274–2912 Also known as “cultural distance” (Church, 1982) or “culture tough-ness” (Mendenhall & oddou, 1985) where the more different the host country is from the origin country the more difficult the adjustment process is.3 M. Mendenhall, g. oddou, The dimensions of expatriate acculturation Academy of Management Review, 10 (3) (1985), pp. 39–474 J.S. Black, The relationship of personal characteristics with the adjustment of Japanese expatriate managers, Management International Review, 30 (1990), pp. 119–1345 Cerdin, J.L., Chandon, J.L., & Waxin, M, The adaptability of French expatriates: A confirmatory analysis. Paper presented at Workshop on expatriation, Madrid, Spain, (1999).

notes on Cultural Adjustment

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and entrance should act as a form of cultural adjustment. The key is to provide Sicilian environment but introduce home comforts easing them into the new environment, such as access to arabic books, food, news, contact with friends and family, traditions and festivals.8

1.3 navigation

Communication and visibilitynavigation through the welcome building requires a graphic which people from all backgrounds and people with different languages would understand. The centres for work, housing and education should be self explanatory through their design, their views and storage of goods. In this way, the communication and navigation of the building does not require signs and symbols one would find at an airport, but rather a more relaxed and carefree procedure. The migrants can choose which area they want to explore first, based on their preference. It also allows the migrant to become accustomed to these environments and therefore is a type of environmental adjustment as well as a cultural one.

UseMigrants from the ferry only arrive twice a day meaning that the use of the space will only be occupied heavily for a few hours. If the ID check is done before arrival to the main part of the Welcome Centre, then the space can function both for migrant workers and locals. For locals the centre acts as a cultural centre for exhibitions and leisure activities, whereas for migrants they can enjoy these aspects of the centre as well as prepare their stay for housing and work.

Waiting SpaceQueuing should be eliminated to reduce stress and anxiety. To achieve this, queuing can be defined spacially in an alternative way. Waiting areas need to be as enjoyable as possible, with many places to sit, eat, rest, socialise and enjoy the surroundings. This will provide the only opportunity to stop and reflect. These spaces should have an option to be shaded for comfort.9

adjustment through the built environment. Studies of Sicilian public buildings show that there are common attributes to these buildings in form, aesthetic and materiality. See Appendix 5.1 Study of Entrances in Palermo’s Public Buildings.8 See Stage 4 for Shaping Integrated Spaces9 Also see page 52 for waiting space example and shade information


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The Welcome Centre, Palermo consists of the cable car platform entrance (1), the piazza(2), the home centre(3) and agricultural centre(4) which are visible and accessible from the piazza space. This enables navigation around the piazza to be simple and to introduce living and working realms to migrants. See 1.2 and 1.3 for details.

Cable Car Station Piazza

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Welcome Centre Programs


1.4 Assessment and value

Through the Welcome Centre, security checks and assessment for work, living and study placements are required. This utilises skills coming from other countries and a chance for migrants to not only work in their field, but to specialise in it. Migrants must feel as if their contribution makes a difference in order for them to respect their host country. They must feel as though they add not only economic value but cultural value also.

There are 4 official procedures to consider that may cause anxiety:• ID check• Home placement• Work placement• Educational study placement

The ID check could be done as soon as the migrant comes off the ferry enabling the anxiety of ‘getting through’ to be clear as soon as possible. This allows the other procedures to become more relaxed. The other three procedures home, work and educational study placements should be held in spaces that are transparent to others to reduce the anxiety that may occur on the basis of what happens in these meetings. This is opposed to closed doors and little openings in rooms that evokes a feeling of interrogation instead of a discussion.The environment of home, work and education centres should reflect the real working or living environment that they refer to. This can be a visual explanation of what the migrants can expect in each of the fields. For example, the home placement should happen in a home environment, work placement in tree filled courtyard, and educational study in a classroom.

Home Centre Agricultural Centre Agricultural Learning Space

Housing see Stage 2 and 3

2 3


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In Arab culture, shade is saught not sun. outside shading in Tunis exists as fabric draped over narrow passages (top). Shading is also considered in this fashion for waiting spaces for the Welcome centre (bottom).See 1.3 waiting spaces and 1.5 shade for details.

Images(Top) Hisham Mortada, Traditional Islamic Principles of the Built Environment, (London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2003)

(Bottom) By author

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Shaded Queuing Space


These meetings should be conducted in a way that means the migrant does not feel as if he or she is being hurried or undervalued. Each person should have time to discuss their queries or doubts to someone in Arabic if they feel that this is necessary.

Using a piazza space which encourages social interaction by providing space for both locals and migrants encourages an adjustment to a Sicilian environment and also provides the opportunity to be seen by others.

1.5 Comforts

BathroomsBathrooms should consider the Islamic beliefs of Tunisians and include Islam friendly design. Highest amount of privacy and water washing facilities are required to meet the requirements of Islamic culture. This familiarity will help to make the migrants feel considered and welcome.The body must not be revealed to other people in the Muslim idea of the ‘aurat’10 and therefore partitions must be opaque and reach the floor, which is especially important for female cubicles.Another important factor is the need to wash using water to eradicate the ‘najis’. A handheld shower device should be provided instead of toilet paper.11

ShadeArab culture encourages shading in the house as well as outside to protect against harsh climatic conditions. Traditional housing encourages shade and ventilation which may be found, for example, in courtyards, earth construction materials, shading elements, landscaping, compactness and windcatchers. Contrary to the European culture, Arab culture seeks shade not sun. So for the comfort of the migrants, outdoor areas need sufficient shading in places where people may need to wait, and indoor spaces should avoid direct sunlight.

10 The ‘aurat’ is the part of the body that is not acceptable to be revealed to other people. For men this is generally acknowledged to be between the navel to the knees. For women, the whole body except the face and the hands. For this reason, bathroom partitions are required to respect these ideas and have adequate coverage between people.11 ‘najis’ is the other concept important in the discussions of personal bathroom etiquette.In toilet etiquette, the najis in the bathroom context are urine and faeces, which are required to be cleaned off the body. It is most important to be clean before prayer. It is imperative that water is used in this process, and other methods may only be used if there is no water available. Therefore there should be a way to wash

using water.


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ID checks should be done as soon as the migrant leaves the ferry to reduce stress within the building.

Assistance with luggage must be considered. Transport for people and their luggage from the ferry to Welcome Centre is required.

Journey from ferry to building should incorporate the surrounding atmosphere and outward looking views.

The journey should be enjoyable and incorporate ceremony of entering Sicilian environment.

How the development responds to its physical context to encourage views and environments of Sicily. This should include the character, landscape and topography of the site to present a ‘face’ of Sicily to newcomers.

Should be an introduction to Sicilian environment in cultural adjustment while providing home comforts or home luxuries such as

access to food, religion, culture, traditions.

A limited use of international symbols to reduce an airport like feel.

How space for migrants can be used for the public in and between ferry arrivals to encourage the enjoyment of Arab and Sicilian cultures coming togather.

How waiting space does not include queuing and instead seeks more casual and alternative ways for people to enjoy their wait.

Centres for work, living and studying reflecting the type of environment they each regulate. Their design should encourage the view of the products or the environments they deal.

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STAnDARDSStage 1- Approach and Acculturation

Proposals must demonstrate:

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How invitations should be sent out to migrants wanting to take part of the temporary work scheme. Details about their housing, work and transport should be arranged prior to the day of travel.


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Assessment is open to view by other migrants and the public to make the process transparent and unthreatening

How the scheme complements the local network of public spaces preparing the migrant for Sicilian urban life.

Each migrant must feel valued in meetings by being given a adequate amount of time to talk and to be involved in the decision making process. This should be in a relaxed setting.

An understanding for the need for Islam friendly bathrooms in terms of hygiene and need for privacy.

Enough shade in outdoor spaces where people may need to wait, and no direct sunlight into buildings.

STAnDARDSStage 1- Approach and Acculturation


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Images by author

Palermo ferry site is just one of the locations where there are urban dwellings for migrants. Urban dwelling space could occupy the city in many locations in the run down historical quarter of Sicily.


STAgE 2Urban Dwelling Space

Mr Maija is at the home centre and is presented with his new core house. There are three types1 to choose from: single, family and single plus. He had already booked his choice and sent his families’ fabric2 over to be custom made into his core house prior to his visit. The core house looks just like the house in the brochure that he was sent. The staff have explained that this core belongs to him and will travel with him to agricultural sites across Sicily where he will be carrying out his work. It contains all the necessities he needs to live.

For now, Mr Maija will be staying with his core house in Palermo, while he is undertaking an agronomy course before going to agricultural sites. He attaches his luggage to his core house and a network of electrical cables and pulleys transport3 his core of his house from the home centre to his living quarters. It moves at a walking pace so Mr Maija can walk alongside it. He follows the core like his personal guide. He and his core house leaves the welcome centre and enters the residential quarters. The core takes him into a lift shaft and as they travel vertically he passes communal spaces4 where people are cooking and talking. He also passes entertainment spaces where there are sports activities. There are views also out to the mountains and the sea. The lift stops and the core moves out into the designated room. This is where he and his core will stay during his stay in the city. As the core moves into the correct position into the room from the lift and Mr Maija enters through a door always being able to see his core with his baggage on it at all times.

Mr Maija enters a living room space with his baggage decides to look around the flat before he unpacks and sets up his core house. Leaving the living area of his house he acknowledges the location of the bathroom5, and the bedroom6 space upstairs. Satisfied that the house matches what he expected from the brochure, he unpacks his bags and plugs in7 his core house to the apartment himself using the guidance book. The systems are colour coded to help with attaching his core in terms of water, electricity and physical connections.

After unpacking his luggage into his core house, the family rugs made by his wife are a nice reminder of his loving family at home relying on his trip to support them. He rolls them out from the core onto the bare floor of the apartment and by customising8 his space in this way he feels more at home.

Leaving his apartment there is a communal cooking area and activity spaces that he and three other men share. It gives him a chance to learn how to cook for himself and his new friends, since back home, his wife does all the cooking. Two of his neighbours have families at home like him but one of his neighbours brought his family here. He normally spends most of his time with his family but occasionally socialises with the others in their communal space9. They are not just neighbours but collegues, as they will be travelling together to the agricultural sites for fieldwork. Mr Maija being new to the experience, learns from his peers who have been doing temporary work here for years.

1 See 2.2 House Types

2 See 2.1 Materials

3 See 2.1 guide

4 See 2.4Communal Spaces

5 See 2.3Bathroom

6 See 2.3Bedroom

7 See 3.2Set up

8 See 2.1Materials2.3Bedroom

9 See 2.5Public outdoor Spaces


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Core House Components

Bedroom space/ family living space

Bathroom and kitchen spaces and communal living spaces

Loose items to use for communal spaces

portable stove furniture

Core house contains all the essentials for living at urban site and agricltural sites. This design is in accordance with furniture schedule 5.5 and utilises the essential aspects of living a full life in Sicily. See Stage 3- Agricultural Dwelling Space for more detailed information on the setup of the core house.

Image by author


notes on Existing Housing

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Today, migrant living consists of rundown overcrowded housing some without running water. There is an importance in housing migrants in quality homes because it is essential in encouraging capacity, future growth and wellbeing. In city sites renting is difficult for immigrants since locals try to take advantage of them and ask for higher rents than the local population which drives migrants to other unsafe options. Dwelling space for migrants constitutes the most important space in terms of stability, comfort and wellbeing of the migrant in the host country. It determines the social relationships between migrant workers and locals.

AIMSThis stage of the manifesto sets a minimum requirement that is specific to meet migrant urban dwelling needs. It provides guidance on design and layout of dwellings with cultural and religious background knowledge to make generous housing that enables migrants to have a full life in Sicily.

2.1 Core house

Core house needs to house the essentials for living while also being transportable. Due to the many locations that the core will serve it is necessary for the core house to be flexible in terms of location and orientation. For more information on agricultural sites see stage 3.

Through study 5.5 typical furniture schedules have been analysed in accordance with case studies to find the most basic needs.

The core house should contain facilities for sleeping, eating, washing and hygiene at its most basic. Due to the necessity of lightweight and transportable elements the requirements for these activities need to be kept as minimal as possible. However, there is also a requirement that even in temporary living, that the migrant feels comfortable, valued and at home. The main idea to express here is that although the standards needed may be minimal they need not feel disposable.

ExpectationsDue to the unconventional mode of living and travelling with the core house, publications should be produced and sent to workers before they arrive in Palermo. This will prepare them for what is to come and for what is expected for them. This


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Mobile house acts as a guide for the migrant who follows the mobie house to the residential quarters.

Core houses in the ‘residential quarter’ of the Palermo site. The core houses situated inside the building act as the heart of the house providing necessities to sleep, eat and live.

Core House at Urban Site

Images by author


will ease their anxiety and provide a sense of security. For the setup of the home see 3.2

MaterialsEach Tunisian family has their own pattern and fabric which is part of their heritage and ancestry. Each family uses this fabric as part of their wedding ceremonies and is an integral part of each families’ identity.This material should be transcribed directly onto the design of the core house to bring about a sense of belonging. This material is also often used for furnishings and rugs, so the material can also be used for interior uses also as a way to demarcate space without the use of walls.

guideAt Palermo, the transportation of core house from a depot to residential quarters can be taken advantage of in terms of creating a sense of value and connection between the migrant and his new core. The migrant should be able to follow the core house to his residential quarter giving not only a guide of the building in the process but also marks the beginning of the journey that the migrant and his core house will take together. This ceremony of the migrant and his house finding their home in the Palermo site is also preparation for the agricultural journeys that will be made in the future.

2.2 House Types

There are broadly speaking three types of ‘family’ that come to Palermo for work:

1. Single Types. These are singular people looking for temporary work for families back home. Majority of which are men coming from Africa, and smaller numbers from Europe and Asia. a. Some single types can be assigned in groups of 4 and travel together around Sicily similar to kin groups found currently in migrant communities to instill colleague friendships.b. Some may want full privacy and be kept in a non-communal environment.

2 Family TypesWhole families travelling together. In these families, the whole family may be in work or study. They are trying to lead normal lives while working in temporary environments. 3. Family Type+There are also families where some of the family (typically the children and one parent) stays in the city, and the other part travels to agricultural sites (often the father).12

Housing must be distributed according to the correct family type and size of family.It is important to note that on average north African immigrants have 5.7 persons

12 By assessing types, it is presumed that the single male and group males will be the ones who are working, and the permanent residencies are for women and children. At present this is largely the case. However, the study does not limit the roles of women or men, as the study would be the same if the roles were reversed. The increasing number of Polish women for example who are working in agriculture could be housed in the same way but live in a female quarter of the temporary residencies.


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[Academic use only]

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4 bed/4 persons 1 bed/ 2 persons

1a. Single Type in groups of 4

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Four single types share communal cooking facilities to encourage social behaviour amongst kin friends that will be travelling to agricultural sites together.

Single Type contains self contained bathroom and bedroom for privacy. Bedroom space is also adequate for entertaining.

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1b. Single Type alone


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2. Family Type 3. Family Type+

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Family Type contains more than one bedroom and has enough room for using as a family living room also.

Family Type + contains flexible bedroom space for when one core is required to move the gap becomes extra living space.

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Personal Space Studies

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guest spaces

Core houses

Communal dining and guest space

Single Types

Bedroom spaces with adjoining living areas

For ‘single types’ bedroom space is adequate for storage and privacy with a communal guest room for socialising.

Family Types

For ‘family types’ bedroom space has adequate room to be used as a family living room acting as a multipurpose space.

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Maghreb Private Space

Traditionally, rooms were not assigned a particular function in order to achieve full and adequate use for a house.1 More public areas of the courtyard house were traditionally used to entertain family friends that would then turn to extra bedroom space if they wanted to stay over. Due to the ambiguity in use for the private spaces, the buffer areas for more public use become very important. These transitional spaces encourage interaction and socialisation between home owners and guests. So, in creating flexibility and maximum use in dwellings, not only can this approach of ambiguous transitional rooms be used, but it is a way to familiarise and keep the social cultures of the Tunisians alive in the new setting.

1 In Islamic culture it is believed that people should not live in excess, and this extended to living arrangements where rooms should be lived in full.

per family, while the average family size for Eastern Europeans is 3.58 persons.13

Current demographic studies are required to know the proportion of each type of house to accommodate every migrant. Also, the cultural requirements that is necessary and their pattern of living. Above all the spaces need to be comfortable.14

2.3 Personal Space: Bedroom, Living and Bathroom standards

Bedrooms and Living roomsFrom study 5.5, the minimum requirements for bedroom spaces is a bed, storage space for belongings like clothes, shelf space, safe for money and flexibility for orientation in other sites. Yet, the use of the these spaces need to be considered.

In Traditional Maghreb houses, the bedroom is a multipurpose room for socialising, eating and sleeping. It changes its use depending on the user. Tunisian migrant families may require a multipurpose room for spending time with family. This not only is considerate to cultural and social customs, but can also provide grand desirable singular spaces instead of many rooms, in which some may not be used.

13 United nations, The Role of Housing in Promoting Social Integration, (new York: United nations, 1978), p.83United nationsp8414 Survey carried out by United nations, immigrants rated spaces with more importance than accessories. United nations, The Role of Housing in Promoting Social Integration, (new York: United nations, 1978), p.85

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Circulation Studies: Male and Female Domains

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Female domain

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This study shows how spacial relationships between male and female domains may be considered. A passage linking a male domain to the female domain provides optional access.This is a way to benefit social groups and interaction between people, yet respect the religious beliefs of many migrants about privacy.

Male domain

living spacepassage


However, in terms of single workers, Tunisians without their family would not welcome friends into the bedroom, as there would be a separate guest room and courtyard for socialising. It is normal that family areas (including the bedroom) are kept from view of guests. Therefore single units can have a smaller bedroom space, but be provided a guest room or living room for entertaining and socialising.From study 5.5, Living room necessities for comfort are shade and furniture. Living room furniture should be provided to create informal living areas where necessary. and be easily stored and moved around to where residents see fit.

BathroomsIslamic bathroom etiquette calls for two major needs. one of which is privacy and the other the capability to wash with water. See 1.4 for details.

2.4 Communal spaces Circulation and Female and Male DomainsThere are rules within the Islamic culture that males should not mix with females who are not related to them. Even though some people take this to different extremes many may be uncomfortable living in a mixed sex house if they were not related or married. However, social interaction with others is highly recommended in Islam, and many traditional houses have a guest room for that purpose. It is generally thought that socialising in the right setting is encouraged but bringing guests into the family part of the house is not. It is also good to note that there are also people coming from other cultures that would not be accustomed to these rules and would have no problem living in a mixed setting.

However, to suit all cultural needs of the residents the development should take into account the social comfort they provide to all people, especially since the majority of them are from north Africa and are likely to be Muslim.

Kitchen and Dining Kitchen and dining rooms in European cultures are seen as the social area of the house often combining family and entertaining activities for eating, cooking and living. However, traditionally in Arab culture, these areas are the most important areas to be kept private from guests.

Hirsham Mortada, a writer and critic of architecture and urban planning states that ‘keeping a clear separation between private and public life is the most significant social characteristics of Islamic culture.’15 This can be shown in the Maghreb house where the guest reception area is located near the entrance and does not allow views to the kitchen, living and dining areas. Females usually spend their time there and by the Qur’an there is a need for protection against peoples’ gaze toward them. This requirement by traditional houses was met by a transitional or double system of circulation between public and private domains.

15 Hisham Mortada, Traditional Islamic Principles of the Built Environment, (London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2003), p.83


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Kitchen and Dining Space

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Top image shows how ‘single type’ housing grouped in kin groups of 4 have a shared kitchen space to encourage migrants to cook communally and to learn cooking skills. Their bedroom space is preserved for private space.However the bottom plan shows a ‘family type’ house where the kitchen remains a private domain of the house when the central space is required for entertaining guests. The removeable partitions means that the central space can be used for guests while preserving privacy and when taken away it can be used as a larger family room.

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Due to this being a sensitive and highly debatable subject, the layout should not assume that kitchen spaces are going to be of female domain. The layout should be equal and open to change and growth, and then it is up to the residents themselves as to how they want to live. It is arguably more crucial for temporary residents (more often male) to have their own cooking space as they will need to learn to cook for themselves when at agricultural sites. It has been shown that in culturally different circumstances, gender roles can and must change for the improvement for all.16

16 As shown by hostel dwellers in South Africa, different living conditions can alter gender roles and assumptions. Many male hostel dwellers living away from their families have learnt how to cook and clean, which they were not expected or willing to do before. one man states that he is proud that he can cook better than his wife. This shows how an opportunity can change cultural expectations.

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Image by author adapted from Hisham Mortada, Traditional Islamic Principles of the Built Environment, (London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2003).

guest room and courtyard spaces are public space whereas the bedroom and kitchen spaces are kept out of view.


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The circulation for traditional houses has a hierarchy of outdoor spaces that get narrower and more private as one travels towards the private house. There is a gradual transition from public to private space. Cul-de-sacs outside houses become an extension of the private house and arches mark out their special distinction. Social activities for the surrounding houses usually occur at the cul-de-sac. These distinctions and hierarchy prevents urban space from being ambiguous in use and ownership. It is argued that in this urban scale model both the privacy for residents and the integration of the residents can be met.

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Image by author adapted from Hisham Mortada, Traditional Islamic Principles of the Built Environment, (London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2003) outdoor space as

social networks in Muslim cities


2.5 Public outdoor Spaces

outdoor spaces need to promote integration at a neighbourhood level, with respect to the privacy required for individual houses. The circulation between the private house and the public areas of Muslim cities has an established order to differentiate private, semi-private, semi-public and public space which is expressed through the articulation of gateways, three-dimensional signs and symbols. This dictates the use of public outdoor space and is desgined to encourage interaction in markets, shops and at the mosque creating a tight social network.

This could be used to create a structure for interaction with locals. These public areas should be within Sicilian urban fabric and not cut off from it. This is in alignment with the concept of “deterritorialisation and reterritorialisation” (Fortier, 1999) which discusses how migrant populations lose their original territory, their home country only to reposition their ceremonies or cultural beliefs in a new public territory in a way to aid their cultural remembrance and maintenance and to educate locals around them. Thus, by providing the space and opportunity for migrants within Sicily to ‘reterritorialise’ their home country could be a way to reposition the beliefs and ceremonies of the Tunisian migrants, but within a new context. Interaction could then take place in markets, shops, cafes, offices, education and other urban fabric of Sicily.*

*Also see stage 4 for Shaping Integrated Places and Social Change


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piazza space and welcome centre

Private to Public, Palermo Site 1:1000


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Adaptable core houses should be able to be fixed to the grid at city sites and have the option to be off grid in remote areas. Also see Stage 3- Argricultural Dwelling Space.

Core house should be introduced to the migrant at welcome centre, and the transport of the core to the residential quarters should be able to be followed by the migrant to act as a guide and mark the start of their journey.

Different types of accommodation according to demographic. Particular attention to be had for appropriate number of units with 4+ bedrooms.

Provide flexibility in modules that move and stay according to type to accommodate all families.

group single units in 4 or kin groups according to work placement to encourage friendship and interaction between neighbours.

Design which takes social customs of Tunisian migrants into account. Ambigious use of rooms need to be considered such as the socialising, eating and sleeping which happen in family units.

Single units require less space but require storage, shelf space, safe, and furniture that is compact.

Living room furniture that is easily stored and moved around for flexibility of use and for transportation.

Private bathrooms must have an appropriate design according to 1.4, and if possible each ‘single’ worker having their own shower and toilet.

Stage 2 Urban Dwelling Space



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A sensitive response to male and female domains for Islamic beliefs, taking into account the different family groups and their social requirements to see and who not to see in their home.

Housing of couples who should be able to live together but be part of their own domains.

Male kin groups (temporary residencies) of 4 or 5 should communally share living, cooking and dining areas to strengthen social networks.

Children’s areas and permanent resident areas should be independent from the temporary workers areas of the development so when the worker moves to another site, the rest of the house is not compromised.

A street area provided for the optional mixing of all people from different backgrounds that has a communal and practical use, so as not to be dead space.

The use of nodal public areas, which host entertaining, communal gatherings and religious or ceremonial activities.

Provide private circulation to private areas of the house unseen from the entrance to the house or from the street.

Understand how the proposal can redefine the territory of migrants within the fabric of the city by integrating deliberate Tunisian places within an overall Sicilian context.

STAnDARDSStage 2 Urban Dwelling Space


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Interior view of dwelling space at agricultural site

Image by author


STAgE 3Agricultural Dwelling Space

It is time to leave Palermo and travel to the agricultural sites that Mr Maija has been preparing himself for during the past few weeks. During his time at the Welcome centre he has learnt specific techniques enabling him to produce PgI17 certified products. He and his kin group will be leaving in the morning for Caltanissetta to pick and process almonds to make PgI almond milk. He’ll be staying there for 2 to 3 months depending on the crop.

His kin group pack all their belongings1 in their core houses and pack the extra things needed to make his stay more comfortable. He brings some of his favourite food, some of his study books and printouts of the photographs that his wife sent him of his children in Tunis.

All packed and ready to go, the four of them pack their core houses into transport mode2 and they sit together in the front taking turns to drive. Five hours of beautiful scenery later, they arrive at the farm and are greeted by the farmer. He shows them where they can set up their homes. The houses can be set up in space between crops or inside the farmer’s existing barns. Here, Mr Maija and friends can set up their core houses, and have connection to essential services3 needed for their work and their homes.

At this site Mr Maija tries to make it as comfortable as possible as he will be staying for three months. However, in some other sites he may only be there for one night. It is important to him that whatever the length of his stay4 he is able to feel safe, carry out his work and do a good job, and even have some time with his friends.

on a typical work day, he works from 8 to 12, when it is too hot to work, he has to seek shade5 for 2 to 3 hours, and then works again until 8. Eating dictates their day, and now Mr Maija is getting confident with his cooking. The days are long, but when he has time off he enjoys reading, or going to the local town with his kin friends. He misses his family dearly, but he knows that they are counting on him.

17 Protected geographical Indication. Must be either produced, processed, or prepared in the geographical region mentioned on the label. It is not mandatory that the materials used grow or be produced in the designated area, it is necessary that at least one of the stages of production, processing or preparation occurred in the defined area. Such flexible links to the place allow the producer to focus on a specific quality, reputation, or other characteristics that can be linked to that geographical origin.

1 See 3.1 Shared belongings

2 See 3.1 Transport

3 See 3.2 Set up of houses

4 See 3.3 Families and Layout

5 See 3.2 Shade and Temperature


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Travelling Core House

This is an example of how the storage of a family of core houses and their belongings can be prepared for travel.

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Single dwelling

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Palermo Site

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Family Dwelling


AIMSThe section of the manifesto aims to give guidance on the design of core houses and their setup and arrangement in agricultural sites. Core houses provide the capability of adequate housing for travelling migrants and therefore give value to their expertise and existence. The travelling core also aims to provide a sense of belonging to each place and home.

3.1 Core house travelling requirements

The setting up of the core house should be a demonstration of a performative act which is repeated at the different sites which enables “performative belonging”. The elements of the house and its owner’s identity is recreated at each site to maintain migrant identity, value and power. The self sufficiency and dignity of each dwelling is maintained. TransportEach core requires to be transportable by van. It needs to be compact and light in its structure so as to be easily manoeuvered by vehicle. Therefore they need to fit the requirements set by Sicilian road standards, for dimensions and weight.To save space the core need not have inhabitable space but possesses everything needed to create different types of dwelling depending on the site, the length of time and the mood of the migrant. This gives the migrant complete control of his living situation.

StorageStorage of items that workers need to remind them of home, or that have sentimental value need to have shelf space to be able to be displayed in the home. Bedroom space can provide sufficient shelf and display space for these goods Customising the space enables the worker to feel more comfortable with unfamiliar surroundings.18

Storage should be considered in a home sense with more emphasis on compact drawers, and cupboards as opposed to boxes or luggage that need to be unpacked and packed at each location. This means that when the migrant arrives at the site there is minimal ‘unpacking’ to be done.

Another type of storage required is safety storage for money, jewellery and other precious goods. This provides security for migrants who get paid in cash.

Shared belongingsAmongst kin groups and family groups, shared belongings will be required. For example, transportable stove, dining table, fridge freezer and sometimes bathrooms. For these communal activities a communal core may be needed to transport these goods. The products produced at each site will also need to be transported to Palermo, so room for these needs also to be considered.

18 See Hop pickers customisation of spaces page 30.

See 2.1 for basic requirements

See page 80 for notes on Performative Belonging.


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notes on Performative Belonging

Anne-Marie Fortier in her study of Immigrant Italians living in London, claimed that performative acts have binding power and by viewing identity as peformative means identities are constructed by the expressions of their results. Performativity can be seen not merely about routine, but it is ‘through the invocation of convention.’ Fortier makes the example of legal sentences, baptisms, inaugurations and other statements being performative in which the émigré culture is produced. Her argument is that a sense of belonging is not exclusive to one place and that ritual is the binding power which produces this sense.1

Based on the symbolic interactionist perspective2 the interaction and symbols that we use are influenced by the society we live in. This means that migrant culture could be a result of the day to day interactions between migrant groups, their language, their food, their symbols and their beliefs.

1 Anne-Marie Fortier, “Re-Membering Places and the Performance of Belonging”, in Vicky Bell (ed.), Performativity and Belonging, (London: Sage Publications,1999)2 David M. newman, Sociology exploring the architecture of everyday life, (California: Pine Forge Press, 1995)

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3.2 Set up of houses

EnergyPlugging into the existing grid for water and electricity is an essential part of the house set up. At sites with access to the grid, colour coded access should help users to define what areas are which. Manuals or training should be issued for workers to know how to fix any problems.A framework should be provided for the core houses in which to situation themselves. This provides more definitive space for the houses to spread out in and reduces the amount of elements to be transported by migrants. The framework can also dictate the amount of space for each worker and their communal areas. This eliminates the possibility of overcrowding or poor conditions being met at site. The framework should be a standard at each site providing the minimum space requirements as well as having access to water and electricity.

Alternative sources of energy can be used to be independent from the grid. Heat and electricity can easily be created by Solar energy. Solar powered 12V leisure batteries can easily be used in this setting.

orientationThe core house should be adaptable to different orientations and terrains. Cores with circular or octogonal plans can twist to different orientation within the same scheme to benefit from shade and access. Accessible from all sides, the worker can choose which side acts as the doorway.Each location should have a sign to show in which direction is mecca. For some muslims, the orientation of the house is important. Even if this is not important for all muslims, it shows a consideration and also provides a small home comfort.

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Set Up of Core Houses

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4. Roll out rugs tocustomise space

5. Water pebble beds for natural ventilation

6. Increase shading with canopy and mats


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Setup of core house involves using a scissor jack system which hoists the roof up to create bedroom space on the first floor. The rolled up rugs also provide a way to customise any space. Setup can be done by hand without the use of many tools. Photovoltaic material on the roof charges a 12V leisure battery so building can use electricity off-grid.

Rugs

Scissor jack

Simple Setup Details

Photovoltaic material


Self relianceHouses need to be adjustable or fixed by the migrants without the need for complex machinery. Simple joints are essential to the self reliance of migrants, who will be without any help in rural sites. The simple nature of the house enables the migrant to be self-reliant in adjusting and fixing their own house. Tools should be provided for the repairs and alterations that need to be made to the house.

CustomisationAs mentioned in 3.1 customisation can be a way to make the migrant feel more comfortable. one way to encourage this customisation is to make it part of the set up of the house. The use of rugs unfolding from the exterior of the core is necessary to open the core up to create the bedroom. In addition, it is a way to decorate and customise the floor. This doubling up of practical use and customisation means that even migrants staying only one night customise their homes.

Shade and temperatureWorking in the sun all day means that when having time off, the workers will be in need of shade, good ventilation and cool temperatures. In respect of some areas the heat is very difficult to work in, so the houses should be a retreat and provide comfort in between times of work.

To achieve this natural ventilation of the space should be encouraged. In places with little wind, wind catchers and pebble beds filled with water can be a way to encourage air flow and cooling.


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Colleague Layout

Family Layout

The colleague layout uses a central space for communal cooking and socialising with a shared staircase for access to the first floor bedrooms, whereas the family layout has a more private space for cooking and living spaces and a private staircase.

Images by author


3.3 Families and layout

The layout of the houses in agricultural sites must be flexible enough to house between 4 people to 50 people depending on the season and the work required.19 For example, the almond work requires 5 to 6 people for 3 months in a year, however, for grapes all the harvesting happens in one day requiring up to 50 people for one farm.

The layouts of the framework at the agricultural sites should correspond to the length of stay and number of people required. Short stays often require more people, each needing less space than longer stays which may require more living space.

Collegue Layout‘Single Type’ colleagues should be encouraged socialise. outdoor communal cooking and dining can encourage workers to socialise with each other.

However, it is important to note that while most workers are male, there is an increase in women working in agriculture. Therefore as in 2.4, privacy between male and female workers must be respected, while encouraging socialising in more public and communal spaces. Therefore, the infrastructure between cores needs to be adaptable for these needs.

Family LayoutWithin families a different layout is required. Some families travelling together will require less privacy between rooms, and shared family space is more important. one bathroom or two serve a whole family, as opposed to one each. Privacy is most important between family space and others outside of the family.

However, the family unit should not be completely closed off from other workers and communal space shared between everyone should be encouraged to serve as ‘public street space’

Merging LayoutsThe reconfiguration of the housing can be a rural replica of what was at the city, or they can have the ability to merge. By merging, the space for communal activity is greater, which can encourage migrant workers to socialise.

19 As can be shown in Case Study: Kent Hop Pickers p.xx The accommodation was overcrowded with many people sharing small rooms with minor discomfort. However, in Hostel Dwellers example, the overcrowding of the rooms affects male-female, and kin and non-kin relationships and produces difficult living situations. Family members, for example, will not mind sharing rooms, but for colleagues this would produce a lack of privacy.


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Merged Layout of Colleague and Family Units on Site

Family unit

Single unit

Single unit

Example of housing units of different social and size requirements can be met as a merged layout. note that the single unit on the right has its own staircase and screen for full privacy. This may be useful if this agricultural worker was female and wanted more private access to her home. Central communal space still acts as social space for all.

Communal Space

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Shading used for trees and people

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Each stage of the journey and procedures as a performative act to create identity.

Core house enabled to be transported by van easily in groups of 4 for single cores and 1 for family cores.

Storage of items must be able to be sufficient for all migrant needs and take on furniture style storage as opposed to suitcase type of storage limiting the amount of packing and unpacking at different sites.

Shelf space should be provided to display belongings to create a sense of home.

Shared belongings between workers also need to be transported such as dining furniture, cooker, fridge freezer.

A framework at each agricultural site to plug into which dictates amount of space for each worker, communal space and water and electricity connections.

Training or manual to aid attaching core to the grid. Colour coding pipes can also be useful.

Adaptable core houses for orientation and gradients for different sites. Circular and octoganal plans, for example, achieve this flexibility.

Simple joints and fixings so that migrants can fix and alter their homes providing self sufficiency.

Basic tools to be provided to fix and set up core house.

Customisation should be encouraged and be part of the setup process.

Shade and cooling as integral parts of the design of the homes.

Solar power should be taken advantage of due to the Sicilian climate.


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Layout takes into consideration the amount of people and time required at each site.

Longer stays require larger bedrooms and more comfortable living spaces, whereas for one night stays less space is required.

The architecture must be able to accommodate social living between workers, and adequate size bedrooms and living rooms for longer stays.

How privacy between colleagues especially between male and female workers is provided.

How communal social space for cooking and dining is provided at each site.

Different layouts required for families who require less privacy between bedrooms and more privacy between families.

Capability for merging layouts to accommodate more communal space for everyone.

STAnDARDSStage 3- Agricultural Dwelling Space


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Houmt Souk, Djerba.www.geolocation.ws, accessed 19th April 2013

Souks, like this one in Djerba, can act as a place of cultural exchange and acceptance of Migrant culture when present in Sicily.


STAgE 4Shaping Integrated Places and

Social Change

Mr Maija has been living in Sicily for over five months, and he has travelled to three different regions of Sicily already. He has met many people during his travels, including employees, new colleagues and locals.

Mr Maija’s experience of living in Sicily as a migrant, is different from what some of his ancestors or older friends have experienced, and he can see through the places he has lived that Sicily is capable of acceptance and value1 for people in his position. Day to day interactions2 with locals provide him with confidence that he is valued and accepted, but it also helps him with the language, and to learn Sicilian customs, some of which Mr Maija would not find acceptable back home. However, he tolerates such customs in others while in Sicily, and feels that there is a mutual understanding when it comes to his beliefs and customs also.

It is important for Mr Maija, to feel that he is integrated with Sicilians so as not threaten them or for them to treat him suspiciously, but also to maintain his own traditions and beliefs. He likes reminders of his home, like the food, the language, and the holidays and festivals. It is crucial he does not feel as if he is giving anything up from his home culture, but enriching3 his life by understanding others.

1 See 4.3 cultural exchange and acceptance

2 See 4.1 Valuable Pograms

3 See 4.2 Appearance and Character


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Integrated programs for foreign and local value

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AIMSThis stage shows how the built environment can change the migrant and Arab image in Sicily. To provide cultural exchange between two old civilisations which have continuously enriched each other.

4.1 Valuable ProgramsTo shape integrated places with cultural, artistic and technical exchange there needs to be a number of programs accessible to both migrants and locals within the proposal.

Suggested programs are as follows:Museum and Permanent exhibition space,LibraryInformation CentrenewsroomAuditoriumRestaurant and informal market stallsBookstoregrocers20

These programs alone will not guarantee that local people will enter the building, but the design of the building itself, and its publicity in the media, will encourage people who know little about Arab culture to exhibit an interest what is happening in their city.21

4.2 Appearance and Character

new HeritageThe appearance of the proposal should reflect a new heritage for Sicily which shows how two cultures can be enriched by each other.Many can identify Arab influenced building styles for example using stone, arches, courtyards, mosaics etc and agree that these styles look to the past. Interestingly, other adaptations of Arab or Islamic building concepts such as the facade, courtyard and narrow passages are not understood as Arab if ‘cold’ materials like steel and glass are used. Yet, by providing an aesthetic that is technologically advanced or modern it can be understood as looking to the future. Therefore there is a requirement to provide ‘Arab’ aesthetic to reflect the north African influence in Sicilian architecture but not to revert back to traditional style that just looks to the past and does not provide an appearance that communicates the future heritage of Sicily.

However, surveys taken in The Arab World Institute, Paris, which aims to do this, showing that many people had varying interpretations of the building either as an Arab statement or a French one. This may have been to do with its appearance or 20 The agricultural work that the migrants carry out help to produce some of the most desired Sicilian products. These products such as limoncello and almond milk could be sold here to make a physical connection between the migrants and the locals displaying the specialist knowledge required to produce these products.21 At the Arab World Institute, many knew about the building before visiting and their reason for visiting was the acknowledged technical or architectural achievement of the building and wanting to experience it themselves, http://www.akdn.org/architecture/pdf/0959_Fra.pdf


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Access for locals and migrants

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The pink areas show how locals access different parts of the site. Locals are encouraged to integrate with migrants by accessing valuable programs that are useful for both parties.


character. Yet what was more important to the users of the building was the quality and use of the functional spaces inside.22

Therefore one can conclude that: 1. Appearance can bring about pride and be used as an emblem of the future.The appearance and character should therefore represent a new version of Arab-Sicilian style that reflects the cultural exchange. one can see that in history Arab culture was present in design, architecture and even cuisine. The proposal is a chance to revive a cross-cultural style again for the future. See 4.3

2. Since meaning is objective, internal use of spaces is where the success of integration occurs and therefore is more able to help produce the Sicilian community of the future. Materials Materials should be chosen on the basis of ecological merit and locality. Cement is one of Palermo’s principle exports. Therefore, the use of concrete should be considered as a possible material. Use of material should showcase Arab techniques in a modern and innovative way to create something new developing the new Arab-Sicilian style through its materiality as well as its form.

It is important to note that excessive and overly decorated interior spaces are discouraged in the Islamic culture as they are seen as signs of excess and extravagance. This is true also of furniture and goods. 23 glass also needs to be used with care as privacy is important to respect as mentioned in stages 1 and 2.

4.3 Cultural exchange and acceptance

Access and ExclusionVisitors should feel as though they are able to access all of the building that they can see. Entry to private areas of the building should be out of view. This is so that both visitors and migrants feel they are on equal terms when it comes to the space of the building and that all areas can be shared.

Visitors may only visit one area, the museum, or the cafe, or the library. Therefore, there is a requirement that each space must work independently of each other in terms of success of cultural exchange and integration and that the building does not rely on all spaces to achieve this. This is important since few will have a synthetic idea of the whole building, and those that do will probably be architects.

Cultural exchange, through social practices can support the natural community in Benedict Anderson’s concept of ‘imagined community’ where action can produce culture and society. The proposal can act as a new site for the emblem of migrant living in Sicily which can insert itself like ‘Little Italys’ or ‘Chinatowns’. Here, heritage and traditions are maintained and celebrated. Locals are more likely to 22 Institute du Monde Arabe, Paris, France http://www.akdn.org/architecture/pdf/0959_Fra.pdf, accessed 02-04-1323 However, the interior courtyard spaces in some houses are highly ornamented to show wealth in some families.


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appreciate this maintenance of culture if they can be included in it. Through social interaction cultural exchange is made.Therefore, it is important that the restaurant and grocers sell authentic food that reflects all the countries from which the migrants originate. Festivals and holidays from each country should be acknowledged and celebrated publically. The library must hold newspapers and books from these countries. These small changes should be used to include and educate locals into the various cultures as well as creating cultural maintenance for migrants.


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An inclusion of these programs:

Museum and Permanent exhibition spaceLibraryInformation centrenewsroomAuditoriumRestaurantMarket stallsBookstoregrocers

Awareness for choice in materials that communicate looking to the future as opposed to the past.

How appearance reflects cultural exchange.

How the function of internal spaces is integral to design.

Materials chosen on ecological merit and locality.

Materials not to conflict with over-decoration and privacy of spaces.

How visitors can access most of the building. Entry to private areas should be hidden from public view so as not to make visitors feel excluded.

Each space must work independently of each other and not rely on other spaces for the integration or cultural exchange of migrants and locals. They must be addressed in every space.

How heritage and traditions are maintained and celebrated with locals being involved.

How goods and food sold reflects the country of origin of migrants to encourage cultural maintenance.


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Manifesto Summary

Stage 1- Approach and Acculturation

• Migrant presence in the host country must be welcomed and accommodated by designs being considerate in their apprehensions and acculturisation which should ease the difficulties migrant workers have in their new environments.

• Migrants’ value should be encouraged to be seen by other migrants and locals by having designs that are open and transparent to all.

• Understanding migrant culture is crucial in order to design spaces which compliment their daily rituals and provide the right amount of space and features.

Stage 2- Urban Dwelling Space

• Dwellings must be able to be transported to all sites to provide an adequate standard of living as well as providing customisable living space, which encourages comfort and belonging.

• The dwellings should accommodate migrants with consideration to the number of people they are travelling with and their relation. Colleagues and family areas should be designed taking social customs into account.

• outdoor spaces should encourage to redefine the territory of migrants within the fabric of the city by integrating migrant places within the host country.

Stage 3- Agricultural Dwelling Space

• Agricultural dwellings should be easily set up in agricultural sites and possess all items needed for living.

• Dwellings need to be adaptable in terms of layout, orientation, shading and privacy among workers.

• Communal cooking and living space should be provided to encourage socialising but respect the privacy needed for families.

Stage 4 Shaping Integrated Spaces and Social Change

• Integrated spaces can be achieved by the inclusion of programs required for both host country residents and migrants. This also shows an acceptance of migrant culture by involving locals in migrant traditions, celebrations, food, art and history.

• Appearance of the architecture can communicate a cultural exchange and future style of two civilisations which will continiously enrich each other.


Conclusion

This dissertation has investigated crucial aspects of providing a solution to housing migrants on European fringes. The case studies have identified the physical essentials for the living conditions and requirements for migrants but have also indicated the lack of social considerations in terms of the housing of people whose tenure in the country is temporary. It has been the intention to examine the essential factors for acceptable standards of living conditions while giving due regard to the emotional wellbeing of the migrants and their cultural beliefs while encouraging integration with the indigenous population. The design guide manifesto has been created to bridge the gap between physical guidelines and the social and cultural guidelines needed to develop a successful proposal.

The design guide manifesto (summarised left), shows that the socio-cultural considerations are at the core of the manifesto, which aims to tackle difficult integration and humanitarian problems throughout the migrant journey. These guidelines encourage designers to think about how the journey of the migrant can influence the design requirements at each site in order to maintain high standards and increase migrant capacity. Adequate dwellings solve not only physical problems, such as access to running water and electricity (however that alone would improve the current situation), but also how the design of dwellings has the power to bring about social and ethical solutions to enable migrant presence and skills to be valued. The proposals demonstrated here start to show how one may design aspects of migrant living from welcoming to resettlement in urban and agricultural locations. These designs include the study of acculturation, demographics, Arab traditions, and a sense of belonging into a project which aims to be sensitive to all issues.

For these guidelines to be in place there needs to be a change in government and EU policy to make a determined effort in enforcing design guidelines which would affect all migrants at a social level. There are three governmental actions when it comes to migrants whether legal or illegal: repatriation, local integration and resettlement. Local integration should be the priority to prevent underground economy and further the worsening of integration problems.

Without proposals which encourage integration, migrants will be forever undervalued due to indigenous tensions. Without valued migrants, there is little chance that migrants will feel they have any rights to live well and to have decent employment. This loop is what drives migrants down and has a lasting effect of how Sicilians view and treat them. What is clear is that there must be changes to prevent future humanitarian crises.


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5.0 Site Plan 1:1000Site plan for Palermo Welcome Centre and Urban Dwellings

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5.1 Study of Entrances in Palermo’s Public Buildings

The Cathedral

Zisa

Palazzo Abatellis

Palazzo Chiaramonte

Exterior view Entrance Interior

The entryway into public buildings of Palermo often use arches and grand entryways with many steps and public space prior to the font door. In the entrance to the Welcome Centre for migrants a similar architecture could potentially be used to assimilate the migrants to the Sicilian built environment.1

1 Just as in Ellis Island where gustavino tiles where used to assimilate migrants into an American environment. See page 19.

Palazzo dei normanni


Palermo Centrale Railway Station

Town Hall

Market

Botanical gardens

Exterior view Entrance “Interior”


110

5.2 Demographic Study

Africa

Europe

Asia

America

Country of origin

Age

20-39 years

over 40 years

14-19 years

Reason for immigration

WorkFamily

elective residencestudyreligion

Type of work

Other

ServicesAgriculture

Trade

Building

Demographic Study was used to formulate the housing types in Stage 2 Urban Dwelling Space

graphs by Author taken from data by Michele Auguglliaro, “Synthetic Report of the Research Results on the “Immigration in Sicily”: normative, Institutional, Demographic and Economic Aspects”, http://www.migration4development.org/sites/m4d.emakina-eu.net/files/PEoPLES_IMMIgRATIon_In_SICILY.pdf, (accessed 03 March 2013).

111 How to House Migrants on European fringes: A case study for Sicily5.3 Typical Furniture Schedule

Furniture Schedule was used to formulate the temporary furniture schedules on pages 112-115

[Academic use only]


112

5.4 Temporary Furniture Schedule Comparing Case Studies

[Academic use only]


[Academic use only]

5.4 Temporary Furniture Schedule Comparing Case Studies


114


[Academic use only]

5.5 Proposed Furniture Schedule


116

J.S. Black, Work-role Transition A Study of American Expatriate Managers in Japan, Journal of International Business Studies, 19 (1988), pp. 274–291

Jeffrey E. Cole, Sally Smith Booth , Dirty Work: Immigrant Workers in Domestic Service, Prostitution in Sicily, (Lexington Books, 2007).

Tim Cresswell, on The Move, (oxon: Routeledge, 2006).

Cerdin, J.L., Chandon, J.L., & Waxin, M, The Adaptability of French Expatriates: A Confirmatory Analysis. Paper presented at Workshop on expatriation, Madrid, Spain, (1999).

Bulent Diken and Carsten Bagge Lausten, The Culture of Exception, (oxon: Routeledge, 2005).

European Parliament resolution of 6 July 2006, Strategies and Means for the Integration of Immigrants in the European Union, The official Journal of the European Union, C 303 E/845 of 13.12.2006.

Anne-Marie Fortier, “Re-Membering Places and the Performance of Belonging”, in Vicky Bell (ed.), Performativity and Belonging, (London: Sage Publications,1999).

Melanie Mcgrath, Hopping, The Hidden Lives of an East End Hop Picking Family, (London: Fourth Estate, 2009).

M. Mendenhall, g. oddou, The Dimensions of Expatriate Acculturation Academy of Management Review, 10 (3) (1985), pp. 39–47.

Hisham Mortada, Traditional Islamic Principles of the Built Environment, (London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2003).

David M. newman, Sociology Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life, (California: Pine Forge Press, 1995).

Kenneth Tucker, Anthony giddens and Modern Social Theory, (London: Sage Publications, 1998).

Reidar oderth, An Introduction to the Study of Human Migration An Interdisciplinary Perspective, (iUniverse Inc, 2002).

Aspasia Papadopoulou-Kourkoula, Transit Migration the Missing Link Between Emigration and Settlement, (new York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008).

Barbara Parker and glenn M. McEvoy, Initial Examination of a Model of Intercultural Adjustment, International Journal of Intercultural Relations, Vol. 17, (USA: Pergamon Press Ltd, 1993) pp. 355-379

Mamphela Ramphele, A Bed Called Home, (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press,1993).

BIBLIogRAPHY


United nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, The Role of Housing in Promoting Social Integration, (new York: United nations, 1978).

The Un Refugee Agency,” global needs Assessment Report” Refugee Realities, (Switzerland: UnHCR, 2008).

“Hop Picker’s Accommodation”, http://www.hoppingdowninkent.org.uk/accommodation.php, (accessed 20 February 2013).

“Hop Picking”, http://www.20thcenturylondon.org.uk/hop-picking, (accessed 30 January 2013).

“Social Cohesion”, http://www.annualreviews.org.libproxy.ucl.ac.uk/doi/full/10.1146/annurev.soc.30.012703.110625 30-01-13, (accessed 20 February 2013).

“Apartheid in Sicily”, http://www.lastampa.it/2013/01/08/esteri/lastampa-in-english/apartheid-in-italy-a-sicilian-city-s-proposal-for-immigrant-only-buses-DcSd2imxpqI5gifLtjRAjn/pagina.html, (accessed 4 February 2013).

“Institute du Monde Arabe, Paris, France” http://www.akdn.org/architecture/pdf/0959_Fra.pdf, (accessed 3 March 2013).

“Immigration in Sicily, normative, Intstitutional, Demographic and Economic Aspects”, http://www.migration4development.org/sites/m4d.emakina-eu.net/files/PEoPLES_IMMIgRATIon_In_SICILY.pdf, (accessed 3 March 2013).

thesis 2013

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