EmPowering The New Women of Somers Town

Claire Taggart- Year 4-UNIT 22

Displaced migrant communities of Somers Town

india

bangladesh

somaliasomers town, london

ethiopia

pakistan

ireland

hopscotch asian women’s centre:

ravenscroft primary school:

ampthill square estate:

issues/difficulties in your home/community life

and how you might solve them...

Conversations with recent migrants in somers townissues/suggestions that came up in conversations with members of somers town migrant communities

Female migrant communities in Somers Townvulnerabilities of new migrant women

due to:

social isolation

difficulty with integration

culture shock

change of family structure and role

difficulty with english language

lack of education and employable skills

cultural/religious boundaries

female migrants more susceptible to:

depression and mental health issues

ill health due to confinement, lack of activity and excercise

financial difficulties and unemployment

sustained domestic abuse due to dependency on partner

somers town

Case Studiesempowering migrant women in their communities

aurat enterprise berkshire

‘to empower and encourage women from minority groups to engage in learning’

targeted regular community newsletteremplomyent and enterprise centre training schemesjob club and forum for single parents

community cleaning servicestower hamlets

‘tackling social exclusion’

free training and ESOL classesflexible working hours for family commitmentsstaff away days and women’s group networking to encourage integration

hopscotch asian women’s centrecamden

‘supporting social and economic empowerment of women and their families’

shaah iyo sheeko women’s groupbarnet and harrow

‘breaking isolation through volunteering’

building awareness of eductaion system, political processes and legal systeminvolvement in parent-teacher associations, local councils and communtiy consultative groups

muslim women’s sport foundation‘supporting muslim women to participate in sports at

all levels’

training sessions in all-female environments with professional coachesproviding faith-sensitive competitive opportunities

ulfah artsbirmingham

‘understanding and appreciation of the arts among muslim women’

all-female music tuition sessionsulfah collective band- performing publically

ESOL english classescraft and sewing classestraining in homecare for carers of children, disabled and elderlyadvice on housing, employment and health issues

state and connect meet and chat collaborate and produce

Six ideas to empower migrant women of Somers Town shared and private feminine spaces in and around their homes

learn and develop visit and share exercise and socialise

Staircases on housing facades state their presence and connect balcony spaces

Not-So-Secret Staircasesstating the women’s presence in their homes and privately connecting them

steel frame staircase fixes onto facade framework

Sliding Staircasesstaircases slide up, down and across facade to be used in different homes

facade framework for sliding staircases connecting homes

creating social feminine spaces along balconies

park seat with encorporated children’s climbing frame provides a social meeting point

Park Benchproviding opportunities for social encounters outside the house

Deployable shelter with seating creates privacy in public spaces

Park sheltercreating an enclosed private space in public area

sharing a cup of tea: bringing intimate indoor activities out

structure hinges out from single fixed

upright ring

communal micro-farming project where food is cultivated and shared between the women

Communal Farming Projecthanging baskets within homes and along balconies to grow food

communal farming along balcony spaces

structure creates connected, communal social spaces along balconies

trellises begin to construct new building facade

growing boxes and foldable trellises for small-scale farming produce

Communal Farming Facadefarming project begins to become part of the building facade

waste plant produce composts and feeds back into base of soil bed

connecting steel wires pull trellis structure into shape

bent wood frame trellises hinge out from main framework

Removable, collapsible fabric growing containers

hook onto structure

Trellis framework facade system

Collected rain water flows through pipes in frame-work to sprinkle plants

trellises fitted onto a main facade framework

trellises fix onto balcony framework

Cultivation of crops along balcony spaces

planting, cultivating, harvesting and composting

Book Exchange Library-

secret bricks slip out from brickwork between apartments and along walkways and corridors

Book Exchangeprivate and shared spaces for the women to study

private personal home study space

Exchange Wall-

Two-way kitchen wall opens between neighbours and into

communal spaces

Sharing of food and household items in specified deposit boxes and fridges

opens and connects home to home creating opportunity for other social encounters-

to be appropriated, used and mis-used as desired...

Exchange & Sharing Wallsharing of food and household items between homes

food

farming produce

toys

household items

books

Exchange Windowsexchange of objects between different rooms in the house

exchange windows create interfaces between homes

placing, taking and replacing

Somers Town Trailneighbourhood walking route

excercise and play stops distributed around neighbourhood

Route connects parks, streets and homes

goldington estate

brill place

community sports centre

phoenix court

prince arthur

oakley square gardens

Digital Window Interface

route guided by electronic and

physical markers

organised and planned by members of walking group

and published online each day

marks out house or flat as a stop on walking route

electronic glass screen creates window shading as desired and publishes information for route stops

screens connected to published online route information screen changes gradually over time to indicate route activity

play net levels overlap for safe climbing

built on rooftops and within courtyards

safe enclosed playground with seating, adult supervision and socialising below

Play Landscapelayered landscape for children and parents

existing walls and built high fences en-close space

can be accessed from floor above

Rain Collection for Farming Facade

climbing nets tensioned from rings

water released down through pipes to farming facade

plastic funnels collect rainwater

rooftop play landscape collects water for community farming project

piezoelectric generating crystals woven into netting generate charge to light leds

leds integrated into fabric clamps fixing levels of net-

ting together

Play Landscapelandscape lights up with movement to indicate activity, encouraging social encounters

Reactive Fabric responds to move-ment and friction, lighting up to

show activity within landscape

Connecting Designs

play landscape collects water for

farming facade

stairs connect homes

play/social landscape on rooftops

sharing walls between flats

designs inserted into housing typologies

benches scattered in park areas

door and window interfaces indicate and link the women’s homestrellises make up exterior facade

walking route links homes and designs

grow

n pr

oduc

e sh

ared

Zoetrope Actions

exercise

chat

connect

grow

meet/play

ways to empower migrant women of somers town

share

Zoetropeinteractions with designs

chat

grow

share

connect

play/meet/chat

meet/exercise

Zoetropeinteractions with designs (see animation)

exercise

chat

play

connect

share

grow

meet

Parametric Facade Exploration

changeable anchor points for facade cable net, altering module size

facacde anchor points for steel cable net

madrid workshop- adjustable cable framework facade system to insert add-on spaces

solid steel framework with cable anchor points

inserted modules

inserted functions

The Power Station

empowering the migrant women of somers town through self-sufficiency and community

involvement

Ampthill Square Estate Somers Town

Elderly

...look After...Children..

.provide oppotunity of socialising for...

Rainwater...irrigates...

Sunlight

Plants

...produce......feeds...

...free up...

Mothers

...powers...Homes

...made into...Electricity

...cultivate...

Food

...sold to... Neighbours

...for...

...provides for...{...sold to...community {

oxenholm

dalehead

gillfoot

Site: ampthill square estate, hampstead road

somers town

social housing estate in somers town with a large migrant population

ampthill square estate

Ampthill Square Estate, Hampstead Road1:2500

ampthill square estate

euston station

ampthill square community facility

HS2 high speed rail demolition

demolition

site

current proposed hs2 route

1:5000

ampthill square estate

ampthill square community centre

ampthill square community centre

disused, soon to be demolished ampthill square community centre

run-down ampthill square estate towers

Specific Sites to be addressedAmpthill Square Estate

Sites of intervention in the existing and proposed new build1:2500

Power Station Proposal

Power Station Aims:replace and revive community facility for ampthill

square estate residents

give increased independence, social opportunities and aid community integration for resident migrant women

reviving the bath house as a social event for the communtiy

set up shared childcare network to allow time off and greater free-dom to the women

provide educational resources and teaching to develop language and other skills

bath house librarychildcare

for the women

safe play spaces for children and daytime childcare services near home

for ampthill community

all-female spaces for relaxation and socialising

free library and teaching spaces for whole community

gymnasium

indoor and outdoor spaces for sport- open to communties, societies and clubs at low cost

all-female spaces for improving health and fitness whilst soialising

social meeting spaces producing fresh food produce for themsleves and their households

open communal spaces fresh food produce available at low cost on site

gardens

self-powered communtiy centre for ampthill square estate run by resident migrant women

self-sufficiency

experience in manage-ment, contributing to community and free facilities

low cost services in new community centre

clients:

encouraging development and integration amongst local asian women in camden

all-female run organisation, aiding integration, sport and eductation amongst

somali women and children

Ampthill Square Tenants Association

ampthill square estate management and residents

Compensation Scheme

funding:

compensation for loss of land and rebuilding of demolished community centre

supporting self-sufficiency and city farming projects

funding renewable enrgy installations

funding adult eductaion and employment

Power Station participantsfunding sources, building users and management

staff, up-keep and running of the cen-tre paid for by income from charges for use of the centre facilities by local

community

Gender and Employment in Local Labour Markets (GELLM) Comittee

eductaional courses and resources paid for by camden council

long-term financing and management:

centre to be run by women with a handfull of paid full-time staff and many part-time

female volunteersall services free to staff and volunteers

residents

local community

Construction and Structure

tensioned structures, fabrics, frameworks and modular systems

The structure should be as lightweight and adaptable as possible to be easily assembled and maintained by the

Women

women to be involved as much as possible in construction

making use of the women’s skills and heritage

bengali weaving patterns

ampthill Power Station

homes extend building

building extends homes

inter-woven, overlapping programs and spaces