Architecture has been criticized for being a primary elitist indulgence. Most architectural projects are funded by the wealthy and seen as a means of bringing beauty into the surrounding environment. Architecture, however, is a double-sided coin with functionality balancing out aesthetics. With the ability to strategize radical solutions, architects equally find themselves at the forefront of solving complex issues. The context of Southeast Asia offers a demanding challenge with various social problems, giving architects a chance to save the world with humanitarian design.
Southeast Asia comprises a vast number of diverse social groups, each tackling its own set of problems. Some issues that remain common are lack of affordable housing, loss of traditional agriculture-based livelihoods, environmental concerns, and vanishing social identity. Cost efficiency becomes an important aspect of social architecture where resourceful and tailored design must be affordable.
Over the years, talented architects are being produced from these nations, educated and experienced with the concerns of their people. With the power to translate community needs into built programs, the architect responsibly takes on the role of a social worker.
Rohingya Cultural Memory Centre / Rizvi Hassan
Bangladesh’s Rohingya community has lived in uncertainty for most of their lives, finding themselves in refugee camps and radical lifestyle changes. A survey conducted by the International Organization for Migration showed that 75% of Rohingya refugees stated ‘identity crisis’ is a primary source of stress and decreased well-being. The Rohingya have lost more than their land - they are losing their culture, language, and tradition as well. To fight back for the lost identity of their community, the Rohingya Cultural Memory Center provides a space for refugees to feel acknowledged.
The architect Rizvi Hassan pursued the project with contributions from the community. The team used references of architectural models in Myanmar made by Rohingya artisans, closely mimicking their native structures. Several participatory workshops with key leaders of the Rohingya community informed the culturally-driven design. The building serves as an example of how architecture can help communities reclaim their identity and celebrate their stories.
Volontariat Homes for Homeless Children / Anupama Kundoo Architects
Commissioned by the Pondicherry-based NGO Volontariat, a cluster of craft-inspired homes was designed to shelter homeless children from challenged backgrounds. Anupama Kundoo’s work views affordability through the lens of sustainability to meet both the project’s and the children’s needs. The houses were made of mud from the site using local labor, supporting the local economy.
Plenty of unconventional and ‘waste’ materials were used to meet the social project’s budget. Bicycle wheel frames were used as formwork for the windows and later repurposed as window grills. Glass bottles and cups are found to be employed as structural units in the masonry and parts of openings at the crown of the catenary curved domes. Unlike most low-cost and low-impact housing solutions these homes display unusual shapes and fun colors, making happiness a part of the children’s daily lives.
Farming Kindergarten / VTN Architects
The Farming Kindergarten was designed to solve the issues brought forth by urbanization in Vietnam - air pollution, drought, flooding, salinization, and lack of green space. Intended for a lower-income community, the project provides food, play spaces, and exposure to agricultural practices to 500 children of the neighboring shoe factory’s workers. Providing childcare services to the factory workers brings them relief, while the children are able to enrich their mental, physical, and social well-being. The kindergarten makes agricultural education and large open-ground play areas accessible to children who may not have these facilities otherwise.
VTN Architects combined local materials, low-tech construction methods, and sustainability strategies to minimize environmental impact as well as project costs. The construction cost was brought down to 500 USD per square meter which is competitively cheap in the Vietnamese market. Post-occupancy reports indicated energy and water savings figures of 25% and 40% respectively.
Microlibraries / SHAU Indonesia
With an interest in books and reading declining, the illiteracy rate and school dropout rate in Indonesia remain high. Since 2012, SHAU Indonesia has been running the project ‘100 Microlibraries’ with the mission to make education and literacy more accessible through architecture. Initiated as a bottom-up tactic, the structures employ ideas like sustainability, alternative material, and placemaking.
Each micro-library is designed to reflect the identity of the neighborhood and serve as a source of pride to the community. Already active sites are selected to install each regionally-contextual micro-library. With communication and participation from the residents of the area, they were encouraged to maintain and take ownership of the structure. Through understanding the needs and context of the place, small interventions have the potential to bring large societal change.
