No Mans Land Design Competition

No Mans Land Design Competition Entry. 2021

This project proposes a counter architecture to a typical border wall at the US/Mexico border. The building is imagined not only as site specific in this case but is also given ambiguity that this architectural condition can occur in any border location between Mexico and the United States, perhaps even at a global scale. The mass need for densified dwelling and resource management at border locations around the globe is essential in the modern political climate. This is not only viewed as a design proposal but also considered a new type of global infrastructure to accommodate mass migration between municipalities. Running parallel with the existing bridge, this architecture performs as an infrastructure to facilitate the movement of thousands of migrants and citizens alike, as well as provide food, health, sanitary, and information resources while housing a variety of individuals and family structures. Using the typology of “bridge” the architecture uses horizontality to its advantage creating a moderated experience of border crossing, while using the typology of the “wall” to accommodate the growing number of migrants. As a result, the experience dissolves into something almost “border-less.” The adaptability of the public promenade and housing alike transforms the typical border crossing experience for asylum seekers. Migrants are allowed to continue their living/co-living habits with others around them in a moderated programmatic structure, partaking in the architecture, while overlooking the natural border of the Rio Grande River from their dwelling units. The architecture relays its bigness from the outside but acts as a humble beacon to remind onlookers of the ephemerality of migration.

Immediate needs for asylum seekers are critical resources such as food, sanitation, healthcare and counseling services, processing and information resources. These resources occupy the public promenade level and are accessible to all who matriculate throughout the entirety of the project scope, from the entry point, and into the United States. Once these immediate needs are met, the asylum seeker and their family can be housed in the dwelling spaces above the public promenade during their period of transition.

The building utilizes readily accessible building materials such as concrete and wood to comply with the large program it accommodates. While the exterior is rendered in a strong infrastructural material, the housing units are wrapped in warm wood to convey the comfort and familiarity of domesticity. The units can be open and closed with windows and sliding thresholds. Since the climate is hot and arid, inhabitants are able to open their units and allow air to pass through to mediate the thermal conditions in their dwelling units.