SYMPOSIUM
EXHIBITIONS & PRESENTATIONS

Refugee settlements are often designed to solve one urgent problem: survival. They provide shelter, food distribution points, water, and basic services for people fleeing war, persecution, and displacement. However, once these immediate needs are met, another challenge emerges. Refugees must rebuild their lives, restore their sense of identity, form new social networks, and create opportunities for the future. Unfortunately, most refugee settlements are not designed to support this transition.

Agulupi Village in Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement, Uganda, exemplifies this challenge. Despite Uganda's progressive refugee policies and provision of land for settlement and farming, three interconnected challenges were identified: social fragmentation caused by dispersed homesteads that isolate residents from one another; limited access to services and economic opportunities due to the scattered settlement pattern; and the absence of spaces that support healing, belonging, and community life. While the settlement provides shelter and basic necessities, it lacks the social and spatial structures needed to help refugees recover from trauma, rebuild relationships, and establish a meaningful sense of identity and place.

The project therefore asks a fundamental question: How can refugee settlements evolve from places of survival into places where people can genuinely begin again?

To address these challenges, the project introduces a planning strategy known as Concentration. Rather than maintaining dispersed housing plots, the proposal reorganizes homes into compact clusters arranged around shared courtyards. This intervention directly tackles social isolation by creating environments where neighbours naturally meet, interact, and support one another. The courtyard becomes an extension of the home a shared space for cooking, storytelling, childcare, recreation, and cultural exchange. Through these everyday interactions, stronger community bonds are formed, helping restore the social fabric often lost through displacement. Concentration also avails more land for the community for economic activities like farming hence they earn a living.

The second challenge of poor accessibility is addressed through the creation of a clear hierarchy of public, semi-public, and private spaces. Housing clusters are connected by pedestrian-friendly pathways that lead to strategically positioned communal facilities. A central market is introduced as the social and economic heart of the settlement, providing opportunities for trade, entrepreneurship, and daily interaction. Essential services such as water points, sanitation facilities, and community gathering spaces are integrated into the settlement structure, reducing travel distances and improving efficiency for residents.

The project also addresses the challenge of emotional recovery through the deliberate design of meaningful places and also providing them with what to do. Inspired by theories of place attachment and social interaction, the proposal creates spaces that encourage belonging, participation, and ownership. Public squares, shaded gathering areas, courtyards, and community landmarks transform the settlement into a recognizable place rather than a temporary camp. These spaces provide opportunities for cultural expression, spiritual reflection, and social engagement, all of which contribute to psychological healing.

Housing itself is designed as an incremental and adaptable system constructed from locally available materials such as mud, wattle, timber, and thatch. This approach ensures affordability while allowing families to expand and personalize their homes over time. Passive environmental strategies further improve comfort and sustainability.