The new premises for the AZCBS, an accommodation centre for asylum seekers combined with a community school, is projected at a former harbour basin (Veilinghaven) in Utrecht. Its urban location and mix of functions mean that the asylum seekers' centre can cost less to build. Moreover, the combination means that the building can be used more effectively and advance integration of those seeking asylum. This integration shakes off its anonymity, in that the asylum seekers then have a readily identifiable place in the social and urban structure. The AZCBS presents an anchorage in Utrecht and in the perception of those living in that city.

I wanted my final-year project to address a current topic and set myself the task of improving the living conditions of asylum seekers in the Netherlands. I began with the brief drawn up by the COA, the central body responsible for receiving asylum seekers, which aspires to a 'sober yet humane' policy. Asylum seekers' centres should cost no more than the absolute minimum; anything more is too much, too lavish and all at 'our' expense. Its position in the vicinity of amenities is a major money-saver to begin with. Siting the centre in a rural area would mean having to build such amenities specially for the purpose. Combining it with the community school is particularly advantageous. The community school consists of a 12-class primary school plus a community centre, a crèche, after-school facilities, a sports hall and a multimedia centre cum library. Having the components of the brief overlap creates a certain spatial surplus that can be used to enlarge standardized components. Both school and centre profit from each other's presence. For instance, the rooms for individual asylum seekers can be enlarged from 5 to 12.5 sqm, and the common room from the standard 42 sqm to 55 sqm. Spatially, the complex brief has been translated into a clear, basic closed structure of private rooms round a sculptural heart. The two main groups are kept separate wherever a high state of surveillance is required. Aerial walkways connect the private shell with the heart where the communal facilities are clustered.

Place of education: AvB Amsterdam
Specialization: architecture
Tutors: Liesbeth van der Pol, Bjarne Mastenbroek & Moshé Zwarts