Yingzhe Fan

The covid-19 pandemic has had a major effect on the Melbourne CBD, leaving many
sites empty. This project focus' on an underused carpark on Williams Street and aims to encourage a strong activation of the site.

On the 19th of August 2021, as the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan, Australia
announced it would accept 3,000 refugees as a humanitarian country. Everyone has
equal rights. To demonstrate the importance of social justice, this project aims to build
a refugee community on this inner city CBD site to provide temporary shelter for refugees.

Islam is practiced by 99 percent of the population in Afghanistan and 187,000 in
Melbourne. However, there are very few centers of Islamic activity in central Melbourne
and almost all of them are on university campuses. So as long-term development, this
is a proposal for a place of Islamic community gathering and praying.

The overall form of the project is inspired by traditional Islamic architecture and culture but presented in a more modern and simple way. The combination of private and public Spaces,
semi-hidden in the heritage, reflects the mystery of Islam.

The arrangement of the project follows the symmetry arrangement of traditional Islamic culture.

The residential area provides a temporary living place for refugees. The residential area is small but meets the basic requirements of daily life (including shared kitchen, bathroom, cleaning room and courtyard). The entire project can accommodate approximately 120 refugees.

It shows the layout of the whole project and the walking experience. The project contains a large number of landscapes and plants. Since humans and animals are impure in Islamic culture, only plants can be used as decoration. The garden represents heaven on earth.