Rights of Passage
Soft Cities with Coffey Architects, Margaret Ravenscroft, Dion Barrett, Room for Refugees and Vanclaron CIC
A group-built community and scalable sanctuary for asylum seekers
You are an asylum seeker. You must leave your home because of war, famine, economic insecurity, human rights violations or some other traumatising event.
You escape through a series of ‘passages’ in search of sanctuary: a boat, a lorry, a long and unknown road. But far from being pathways to safety, these are restrictive and often dangerous routes. They deter self-actualisation and stifle hope.
Even once you have reached the UK – your supposed place of safety – you face new, hostile passages: detention in a ‘reception’ centre; no right to work; unsustainable financial restrictions; homelessness.
Rights of Passage diverts asylum seekers from the experiences of corrosive passages, instead welcoming people to a place where they can start to build.
A new community building with co-living accommodation above becomes a true ‘reception’ centre. Here people can live amongst a like-minded community, learn useful skills, meet a lawyer or social worker, rest and regain dignity. From this space, residents can also co-design and deliver a group-build development that will occupy the remainder of the site, including their own homes.
This is a collaborative, productive and practical activity that heals, soothes and engages. Finally, you have the agency to create your own characteristic, safe passages into a new life. As you move from your temporary co-living accommodation into your newly built home, space is freed up for others seeking safety – who will iteratively add their distinctive homes to the development, too. This repeatable model of hospitable, co-delivered communities provides new Rights of Passage into the fabric of UK society.
Soft Cities
Colm Lacey, Developer / Urbanist
Coffey Architects
Margaret Ravenscroft, PHD Researcher
Phil Coffey, Director
Michael Henriksen, Associate
Studio 50Two
Dion Barrett, Videographer, Photographer, Architect
Room for Refugees
Room for Refugees, Positive Action in Housing, Refugee Housing Organisation / Housing Advice
Vanclaron CIC
Creative workshop participants, Community Health and Wellbeing Organisation / Engagement and Advice
