In Transit field reserach
In 2015 Berlin’s defunct Tempelhof Airport was converted into an arrival center for the hundreds of thousands who applied for asylum in Germany in 2015. The airplane hangars were once again used for people seeking sanctuary, accommodating refugees for the first time since the Cold War when people from East Berlin who had escaped to the “other side” was sheltered in the same hangars.
The In Transit 2 Studio travelled to Berlin and to the Tempelhof Arrival Center in October 2016. At the time the airport served as a temporary home for approximately 1,200 refugees. The observations made during the visit can be summarized as following: The physical environment and lack of programs for common activities pacifies the residents; at the same time, there is no privacy or possibilities for being alone. The physical conditions are acceptable as a short-term solution (days), but not livable for longer periods.
In Transit Studio 2 developed projects responding to the arrival center conditions. See the projects here