Davidson Prize - Temporary Accomodation

The Wizard of Oz begins with Dorothy, having her house uprooted from her home in Kansas, finding herself alone in a strange land. A Yellow brick road leads to an Emerald City and a promise of a way back home. On her journey, she meets a community of individuals each searching for something that is missing within them. Ultimately, the end of the road leads to an illusion; there is no magical solution and each of the characters must look to themselves to fulfil what they are looking for.

Design can create an environment that fosters a choice of engagement with a wider community. It encourages each one to find their place in society and an option not available to many that do not have place they can call a home. 30,070 children left the care system in 2022**, they are young, vulnerable and can easily lose their way as they search for a balance between finding their independence and a place in their world. A re-imagined ‘Emerald City’ can give them an interim environment that they can use to integrate into a chosen career path.

We envision self-built, Pentagon shaped modules, clustered in a variety of configurations that create a unique community layout providing a flexible and scalable solution. Inhabitants can position themselves freely in a realm between the private room and public interaction. They are empowered to take ownership of the immediate built environment and their own future.

Home becomes the space that one builds around oneself.