People in motion: architecture in transit for new production backgrounds

The aim of the project is to show how architecture and its strategies can provide an alternative to the people forced to move in this case, those who are fleeing from Syria's war. Moveable materials and technologies, which are able to fit themselves in the local economies and industries.

Representative and symbolic issues play a significant role in the project. There is need for architectural projects addressing the global dimensions of contemporary problems and investigating how human activity changes the world. Building as a performative act means images taking position and raising awareness to encourage the creative potential of the population. Our way of thinking about architecture is changing; we can turn the urban signification areas, institutions or busy squares into opportunity spaces for emotion, reflection and citizenship. There is a need to incorporate new values into the architectural language, transform it into a cultural background from which to learn: refugees receive training in constructive skills and tools in order to build their shelters. After the war ended, the scaffolding structure and refuges will be packed in intermodal containers and shipped to support Syria's reconstruction. Is it true that a conventional housing project could accommodate a larger number of refugees with less cost? For sure. If necessary, we could build once again the great housing estates of the 60s in the peripheries of the great European cities, able to relocate the entire population of Syria. Perhaps the challenge is to raise awareness among the public about the importance of providing support to the forced migrants, occupying public spaces and creating new humanitarian aid structures. There is need to stop this avalanche of ten second news rapidly waned in our minds, isolated from any sense of community. This great scaffolding installation wants to be more than just a building, but a manifesto against the crime of war, here in the city centre of Barcelona. It is not just a residence, but also a challenge to be more aware, more sensitive and hopefully moved to make a difference.