The 115th John Stewardson Memorial Fellowship in Architecture Competition - 2016
(Refugee School for Young Women)
Syrians are quickly fleeing their communities to find safer areas of refuge. In doing so, many Syrians are losing hope and the sense of community. This new refugee school for young women is meant to provide them with a sense of empowerment and regain confidence within themselves. It will also act as a small community for women within the Zaatari refugee camp, located in northern Jordan. Most young women do not go to school after the age of fourteen because they are needed to help make money for the family. At this new school, there will be an outdoor garden where the women can learn to grow food, prepare the food, and then sell the food at the small café, located in the front of the school. The café would be open to the local community who can purchase small amounts of fruits and vegetables. The school has been designed using a modular system for easy construction and expansion. The modular system can be utilized at any refugee camp with local durable materials. Northeast Jordan has dozens of basalt quarries that can be easily made into basalt blocks, which are durable and provide thermal and moisture protection. The interior walls will be constructed using a new local method with scaffolding and gravel. This new refugee school is intended to provide local Syrian refugee women a new sense of community, while being easy to construct with readily available materials and a modular system.
Modular Diagram
Easy of modular design allows for easy expansion and multiple variations of layouts.
Plan of Refugee School
Section A
Use of vaulted ceilings is a traditional Syrian building element.
Section B
Detailed Interior Wall Section
