substandardPLUS

Authors’ Comment

As an attempt of redefining the limit, the project uses the existing spatial and human resources of the temporary nightshelter in the Pantelimon neighbornhood, in order to respond and upgrade the daily needs of the homeless people who currently live there. In response to the excessive presence of fences in the Bucharest public spaces, the project proposes a new form of border made out of 48 storage units, a neighborhood resource collector, a covered space and a planter. The presence of the equipments extends and completes the shelter’s restrictive night-time schedule, allowing individual acces to personal belongings throughout the day by transforming the existing property limit from an object of separation into a space that is continuously defined thought its everyday use. The existing boundary is negotiated between two instances of concern related to public space: the street – open for collective activities and the shelter – with controlled access, situated in the care of Public Administration, thus redefining the shelter’s relationship with the neighborhood The project transforms a marginal situation - both spatial and social - into a new place with multiple uses, upgrading the living conditions from a official temporary shelter to an informal semi-permanent accomodation. From a separation tool, the boundary becomes a space for help and interaction.

Jury Comment

The project shows a very social and humble attitude towards the life of homeless persons. It manages there to put this problem in the spotlight and search for answers to a number of greater problems that society nowadays has.

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