Architecture for integration – Konstfack student Else Abrahamsen helps to improve the reception of refugees

What can interior architects bring to the table, and how can the profession take social responsibility during the ongoing refugee crisis? Will the wellbeing of newly arrived migrants increase if they can participate in improving their every-day environment? Masters student Else Abrahamsen, who is currently studying on Konstfack's Interior Architecture Programme, asked herself these questions last autumn and her answers led to activities that help promote integration and greater wellbeing among newly arrived migrants. All of the activities are based on the knowledge of how much the physical space affects people.

“I contacted a transit accommodation centre in Oslo to improve the situation there for the newly arrived migrants using simple means. I then went on to start Makers Hub; a non-profit, interdisciplinary collective which aims to raise the currently poor standards of the Norwegian refugee reception. Our activates involve engaging the residents in innovative and creative methods that improve their daily lives and increase their well-being,” says Else Abrahamsen.

She has named her master's degree project Interior Architecture for Inclusion & Change and she has held several workshops, to which she has invited both newly arrived migrants and fellow architects. The project is about physically improving various spatial features as much as it is about creating a sense of participation and worth through interaction. It also means that the residents, whose days essentially consist of waiting for news about their respective futures, have something to do. One example is the popular cooking activity that, thanks to Makers Hub, will now also be provided at accommodation centres in the surrounding area.

“What I'm most proud of is that, thanks to my project, my colleagues have realised that our professional skills are needed in this context and that we can make a difference. And of course, the project will continue after I have completed my studies at Konstfack,” concludes Else Abrahamsen.

For more information and pictures:
www.makershuboslo.com
else.abrahamsen@me.com