Temporary housing units for newcomers in London

This project is all about a safe haven for a newcomer to a big city.

The idea for my Master’s thesis has been developed by my very own experience when I first moved to London. The desire to live there led me to achieve my goal, yet I had to overcome many problems and obstacles. Along my way I met many colleagues with who had similar experiences to mine. London is a city of fast pace energy and happenings. It is a city of wealth, power and glamor, continuous developments and innovations. London is powered by energy of people, driven by the desire for advancement and success. All this attracts thousands of new people every day. However everything is not as it seems. The housing crisis is result of foreign investments, lack of new build and astronomical prices of properties. All this reflect in the renting market which makes it extremely difficult to find a place to stay – especially in the beginning. One’s first steps in this city can be very difficult – arranging documents, finding your first job, finding a place to stay – to rent a room in a hotel for a month would cost you a fortune, hostels with sharing rooms are inappropriate for people who are moving into city and have a lot of luggage. If you don’t know anyone in the city to offer you a couch for a month you are in a difficult position. All this led me to this theme of my Master’s thesis in which I shall focus on. It relates to a group of people in London who haven’t got a place to stay when arriving in the city. Although they are in the process of finding it they need to live somewhere in the interim before obtaining a solution for permanent stay which can take weeks. While being a newcomer it is important to meet new people and socialize as much as possible. The purpose of this thesis is dealing with exactly this: While staying in a place with similar people, working together, socializing together or cooking together in communal spaces you have your own little area – a small sleeping cabinet that offers just about enough space to store your belongings and give you the private space everyone needs.