EmPowering The New Women of Somers Town

Claire Taggart- Yr 4-UNIT 22

Displaced Migrant Communities of Somers Town

india

bangladesh

somaliasomers town

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

female migrant communitiesvulnerabilities of new migrant women in somers town

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 Ways 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 a 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

state and connect

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

drawing

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

Park Benchproviding opportunities for social encounters outside the house

meet and chat

Deployable shelter with seating creates privacy in public spaces

Park Benchcreating private space in public area

action: sharing a cup of tea, bringing intimate indoor activities out

collabortate and produce

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

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

communal farming balcony

Structure creates connected, communal social spaces along bal-conies

Trellises begin to con-struct 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

Trellises hinge out from main framework

Removable, collapsible fabric growing containers hook onto structure

framework fixes onto balconies

Framework Details of Facade System

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

collapsable

planters

fabric

planters

in-built

sprinklers

folding

trellis

bent ply

structure

trellises fitted onto a main framework

Cultivation of crops along balcony spaces

planting, cultivating, harvesting and composting

trellis folds out from facade

Book Exchange Library-

Secret Bricks slip out from brick-work between apartments and along walkways and corridors

Book ExchangePrivate and Shared Spaces

private, personal home study space

Exchange Wall-

Two-way kitchen wall opens between neighbours and into

communal spaces

Sharing of food, 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 objects between homes

food

farming produce

toys

household items

books

Exchange windows-exchange of objects between different rooms in housess

exchange walls create sharing interfaces between homes

placing, taking and replacing

Somers Town TrailNeighbourhood walking route

Excercise and play stops dis-tributed 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 physi-

cal 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 de-sired and publishes information for route stops

screens connected to published online route informationscreen changes gradually over time to indicate route

Play Net levels overlap for safe

Built on rooftops and with-in courtyards

Safe enclosed playground with seating, adult supervision and socialising below

Play Landscapelayered landscape for children and parents

Existing walls and built fences enclose

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 also collects water for community farming project

Piezoelectric generating fibres woven into netting generate cur-rent to light leds integrated into fabric clamps

leds integrated into fabric clamps

Clamps fix two levels of netting together

Play Landscapelandscape lights up with movement through peizoelectric vibrational generatoion

Reactive Fabric responds to movement and friction, lighting up to show activity within land-

scape

Connections Between 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

Zoetrope Actions

excercise

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

oxenholm

dalehead

gillfoot

ampthill square estate, hampstead road

somers town

ampthill square estate

Site: Ampthill Square Estate, Hampstead Road1:2500

ampthill square estate

euston station

ampthill square community facility

disused ampthill square community facility

run-down ampthill square estate towers

Specific Sites to be addressedAmpthill Square Estate

HS2 high speed rail demolition

demolition

site

currentproposed hs2 route

1:5000

ampthill square estate

ampthill square community facility ampthill square

community facility

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

Somers Town Community

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 {

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

provide educational resources to the women, their families and ampthill estate community

combat isolation and depression through involvement

develop language, organisational, managerial financial skills

Gender and Employment in Local Labour

Markets (GELLM) Comittee

Power Station Clients

Compensation Scheme

ampthill Power Station