Refugees center in the Negev desert

Illegal immigration from Africa to Israel is the name of a phenomenon that began in the second half of the 2000s in which many people from Africa entered Israel illegally, in hopes for better life. According to the data of the Israeli Interior Ministry, the number of these illegal immigrants amounted over 55,000 in January 2012. African illegal immigrants in Israel usually initially arrive in Egypt from their country of origin and from there they are smuggled by Bedouins to the border between Egypt and Israel. The way up is dangerous, difficult and often deadly. Another danger lurking for the illegal immigrants is the Egyptian army policy to shoot at them in order to prevent crossing the Egypt/Israel border. There are mixed feelings in Israel about the issue of illegal immigration from Africa and illegal immigrants in general. At the moment Israel has new laws to imprison all immigrants and also to locate them in half open detention centres. The costs are really high for prisons, maintaining, feeding and also transporting the immigrants on daily basis to the neighbouring cities and back. There is nothing offered to the asylum seekers, even their freedom is cut off. Detention centres are located in the Negev desert in the harshest surrounding and conditions, isolated from the rest of the society and without any future or possibility for a normal life. Our task was to try to reconcile two sides, Israel that doesn’t have a solution for immigrants and them who are threated in the cruellest way without home or job. The project is designed as a mega-structure in the Negev desert, self-sustainable community and eco system. Mega-structure offers a self-developing and growing platform for the agriculture, farming and living that through time could develop into the educational and food production facility not only for the residents, but for the region as well. It would instead of pushing away the local inhabitants, actually grip people attention, welcome visitors and bring prosperity. Structure is developed following the shape of the existing landscape and it is organized on different levels to protect the land and inhabitants from the harsh desert conditions. Residents can built their own houses which is one more way of keeping them busy and training them, all knowledge they gain they can use later to implement in other places or pass it on. The whole system would prevent desertification and turn the whole location in prosperous agricultural land. The designed community in the desert has numerous programs, essential for the everyday life, from health centre, schools, arts and crafts workshops, sports and other facilities.