20/11/2024
November 2024 | Final result of the pavilion for unaccompanied refugee minors in Leidschendam
At Office for the New Earth, we believe that builders' true role is to enlighten and elevate their environment. Their unique task is to translate human needs into material adaptations that embody progress. The more material it becomes, the more challenging it is.
This translation of human needs is not only achieved through means such as letting in nature: views of the landscape, natural materials such as wood, indoor plants, and natural ventilation, or other measurable dimensions that influence our well-being, such as daylighting, natural ventilation, and generous ceiling heights.
But also through the immeasurable, as all materials have passed through human hands several times, with care and attention, a reflection of empathy and dignity towards our fellow human beings, and the future generation in particular. When the proportions are balanced, the formal language enriching, and the construction radiates a certain lightness, the imagination can come to life. When sharp edges are rounded, the wood is oiled and radiates warmth, the space welcomes you and calls you home.
It is such a pavilion that belongs in a shelter for minor refugees. A target group that was not allowed to just be a child and instead fled from violence, poverty, and hopelessness. In Europe, they were often aggressively blocked at various national borders, as if they were criminals instead of children. When you are unwanted and you no longer know who you can trust, a carefully built place may be a starting point to reconnect with yourself.
Moreover, the pavilion is a statement to society that, when we share our ideals and are prepared to take risks, places of need or ‘declared crises’ can be transformed into a source of hope and inspiration. And let a building be the most tangible element in which that value can be expressed.
Design + Construction: ONE
Financer: Asylum Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF)
Client:
Partners:
Sponsors .eu
Photos: .architecture
