1st prize "A Home Away From Home" competition
Hotel 'Nice to meet you!'
Together with Rik Tuithof and Micha de Haas we won the "Home Away From Home" competition. This competition, organised by the Dutch government, asks for new solutions in providing housing for refugees.
First of all a big thank you to all contributors that helped winning this competition. The proposal, Hotel 'Nice to Meet You!', is a concept for a hybrid building with a combined program of housing for refugees and a hotel. Availability of hotel rooms can be adjusted depending on the necessity to house refugees. An additional advantage of the mixed programme is that it creates opportunities for spontaneous social interaction between refugees and other guests.
Refugees can work in the hotel which allows them to actively contribute to the society that is providing them with shelter. Being an active part of society helps integration and gives a sense of purpose for the refugees.
Making the facilities of the hotel (i.e. lobby, restaurant, gym and swimming pool) available to the immediate neighbourhood brings the neighbours in contact with the refugees. This allows the refugees to grow a social network in their new city.
In the long term, when the demand for refugee housing decreases, the building can be transformed into (social) housing.
