BWMSTR Label / Living in diversity. Inclusive housing for newcomers

Living in diversity. Inclusive housing for newcomers opens on 9 November. In this exhibition, the HEIM-collective look at plausible alternatives for refugee housing. Taking centre stage are innovative projects in which (new) citizens share spaces, thus promoting cooperation and integration.

Innovative housing typologies With the support of the Universities of Antwerp and Ghent, as well as the Flemish Government Architect, the HEIM-collective explores new forms of living together in diversity, many of which are initiated from the bottom up. Current examples of inspired national and international projects shine a spotlight on schemes that unite, strengthen and enrich people.

Today, refugees are isolated from society and sent to open communal asylum centres to await the outcome of their claims. These facilities cover basic needs but discourage self-organisation, entrepreneurship and integration. After naturalisation, refugees face an uphill struggle to find suitable accommodation. As a result, many newcomers spend their days within the ‘tiny island’ of a segregated ‘arrival district’. The current situation, both during the asylum process and after naturalisation, fails to foster integration. But what are the alternatives?

From theory to practice HEIM is part of the cradle of housing projects that puts ideas into practice. In addition, the collective cooperates with civil society organisations to formulate a structural approach to the housing needs of naturalised refugees. HEIM aims to create housing typologies that encourage people to live together in diversity.

About the exhibition series BWMSTR Label In 2017-2018, the Flanders Architecture Institute exhibited the results of a selection of the BWMSTR Labels 2016 in the walkways of DeSingel. The HEIM-collective was awarded the BWMSTR Label for their research. The Flemish Government Architect embarks on an annual quest to identify strong spatial concepts and integrated research questions that make a positive social difference. The BWMSTR Label (Government Architect Label) is an important tool that enables the Flemish Government Architect to pick up on innovative and policy-relevant ideas and support (design) research.

Programme:

• Welcome by Dirk Geldof, Dr.Politic and Social Science (UA)
• 'Living in diversity' by HEIM-collective
• Reflection by Iyad Tatari, Syrian architect and artist