Temporary Habitat – Respite Architecture for Asylum Seekers

Temporary Habitat is a humanitarian architecture proposal that reimagines infrastructure as a space of care, dignity, and social responsibility. Situated on the Eagle Pass–Piedras Negras International Bridge at the border between the United States and Mexico, the project addresses one of the most urgent global challenges of our time: the provision of safe, humane, and adaptable shelter for asylum seekers awaiting legal entry into the United States.

Rather than viewing the bridge solely as a geopolitical threshold, the project reframes it as a spatial opportunity—a bridge of destiny—where displaced individuals can temporarily live, recover, and regain dignity while navigating complex migration processes. The design acknowledges that asylum seekers are not transient statistics, but individuals and families in need of protection, stability, and human connection.

The proposal was designed by Jerry He as a response to the growing humanitarian burden placed on border zones due to war, violence, and human rights persecution across the globe.

Editor's Choice entry of No Man's Land

Humanitarian Architecture as a Design Framework

At its core, Temporary Habitat is grounded in the principles of humanitarian architecture, where architecture acts as a social instrument rather than a purely formal or aesthetic object. The project moves beyond emergency shelter to propose a resilient, community‑based respite center that integrates housing, healthcare, education, and social infrastructure.

The design recognizes that asylum seekers often arrive after prolonged periods of instability and trauma. As such, the project prioritizes not only physical shelter, but also psychological security, access to information, and opportunities for self‑reliance. The architecture is conceived as a living system—capable of growth, adaptation, and participation by its inhabitants.

Site Strategy: Building on the Border Bridge

The restriction of using the international bridge as the sole project site becomes a defining strength of the proposal. The bridge provides structural continuity, accessibility, and symbolic power as a connector between nations. The new architectural intervention maintains respect for the existing infrastructure while attaching itself as a layered, inhabitable extension.

By occupying the bridge, the project establishes a protected corridor that shields users from harsh weather conditions while creating a safe transitional zone. The architecture does not interrupt mobility; instead, it adds social value to the bridge by embedding humanitarian functions within its structural logic.

Modular Living Units and Community Organization

The accommodation strategy is based on a system of modular housing units designed to respond to diverse family structures and individual needs. Units are configured for:

• Single children (separated from family)
• Single adults
• Elders or disabled individuals
• Couples
• Families of three, four, or six

These living modules can be flexibly combined and reorganized based on demographic ratios, allowing the habitat to evolve as population needs change. The modular logic ensures efficiency in construction while enabling customization and dignity at the scale of daily life.

Beyond housing, the project integrates shared amenities such as playgrounds, communication spaces, areas for rest and exercise, and communal corridors that encourage interaction and collective care.

Programmatic Components

Temporary Habitat functions as more than a shelter. It operates as a respite center, offering essential services required for humane living conditions:

• Registration and information centers
• Medical care facilities
• Adult training and skill‑building areas
• Retail, storage, and canteen spaces
• Spaces of worship and reflection
• Solar energy infrastructure and renewable systems

These components work together to create a self‑sustaining micro‑community where asylum seekers can access food, healthcare, legal information, and education while awaiting official processing.

Construction Strategy and Participation

The construction system combines reinforced concrete infrastructure with a lightweight timber framework and CLT (cross‑laminated timber) floors and walls. Steel connectors, brackets, and modular joints allow for efficient assembly and disassembly.

A key social dimension of the project is the involvement of asylum seekers themselves in the construction process. After receiving training, residents can participate in building their own living units, fostering agency, skills development, and a sense of ownership. This participatory approach reinforces dignity and transforms architecture into a tool of empowerment.

The building is also designed to grow incrementally. As the number of asylum seekers increases, the structure can expand within a defined range, ensuring scalability without loss of coherence.

Jurors’ Reflections and Critical Discourse

The project was evaluated within the context of a highly complex competition framework. Juror Jachen Schleich (Partner, Dellekamp / Schleich, Zurich) emphasized the importance of addressing migration politics and social realities beyond technical solutions. He highlighted that strong projects are those rooted in a clear conceptual reflection on migration, supported by coherent development and representation.

Juror Luis Diego Barahona Ortega (Director, LDB Arquitectura, Costa Rica) noted that the project stands out for the balanced integration of its components, describing it as a rational proposal that meets the competition’s requirements while effectively utilizing the available site sectors. The clarity and strength of the presentation were also acknowledged.

Juror Juan Cuevas Duran (Founder, Estudio Cavernas, Thailand) observed that the design responds well to its context and realistically addresses the most important needs of asylum seekers, reinforcing the project’s pragmatic yet humane approach.

At the same time, critical feedback pointed to the need for deeper reflection on the thematic core of migration and a clearer foundational narrative, underscoring the importance of continuous dialogue between architectural intention and humanitarian ethics.

Architecture as Ethical Responsibility

Temporary Habitat ultimately argues that architecture cannot remain neutral in the face of global displacement. By transforming a border bridge into a space of protection and care, the project positions humanitarian architecture as an ethical practice—one that serves people before capital and responds to crisis with empathy, realism, and dignity.

The proposal envisions a world where infrastructure supports life, where borders can shelter rather than exclude, and where architecture becomes an active participant in building a more unified, peaceful, and humane future.