In this project, compounds represent the spatial and material infrastructure constructed in cities overseas to accommodate temporary international presence during UN Peace Operations.
United Nations agencies are constructing large compounds in hundreds of cities around the world. These compounds, although located within cities and in close proximity to inhabited areas, are designed solely by military engineers as self-sufficient islands. This study and design intervention aims to make visible the myriad impacts of these compounds on their surroundings through the use of architectural tools and design thinking. This project seeks to speculate how UN bases can transform from militarized to public civic spaces and be inclusively designed so that, when the UN leaves their bases behind, they can begin a second life and become important resources for the local community.
During the research, two workshops were initiated to investigate the definition, policies, planning process, and legacy of Dutch compounds. Additionally, these workshops aimed to explore an inclusive design approach by asking: Can compounds be planned for multiple uses? When a force leaves, can the compound adapt to a second civic life and become a valuable resource for the local community? This research aims to explore the contemporary architecture and landscape of war and international relations. Dutch military presence overseas, framed under UN, NATO, or EU mandates, is not large but has a significant impact, especially within the context of the 3D approach.
Construction projects initiated by international forces during these missions are enormous and disproportionate to the local scale. Although intended for temporary use, many of these spaces are built with long-lasting materials such as concrete, bricks, steel, and prefab structures. As a result, many buildings remain and become waste or a nuisance for the local community. The Netherlands is known for its design expertise, both on small and large scales, as well as its involvement in humanitarian missions and significant investments in development aid projects worldwide. As the 3D integrated approach promotes collaboration between soldiers, humanitarians, and diplomats, we ask: Can this collaboration extend to creating comprehensive spaces? Can buildings and spaces constructed for missions swiftly transform into civic assets such as schools, housing blocks, medical clinics, or parks?
Workshop I
The Future of Compounds
With this workshop, we seek to investigate an inclusive design approach by asking questions such as: Can compounds be planned for multiple uses? When a force leaves its compound, can the compound adapt to a second civic life and become more resourceful for the local community?
Workshop II
Reimagining the peacekeeping mission: legacy scenarios for Camp Castor in Mali
With Dutch forces deployed at a swiftly constructed base in Gao for the peacekeeping mission to Mali (part of the UN’s MINUSMA initiative), a workshop initiated by Het Nieuwe Instituut research fellow Malkit Shoshan brought together engineers from the Netherlands Ministry of Defence and experts from various fields, including architecture, landscape architecture, economics, local stakeholders, activists, and critical anthropologists, to consider how this compound, and other bases, might leave behind a constructive legacy.
The event was a continuation of a previous, more general workshop addressing the issue of the enormous waste of resources generated by foreign forces during peacekeeping missions. This initial workshop introduced the concept of legacy design. Subsequently, it was decided to transition from general observations to a case study by inviting a group of experts to develop design scenarios and alternative visions for the future use of Camp Castor in Gao, Mali.
The workshops included representatives from the Dutch ministries of defense, foreign affairs, and development, as well as private consultants, architects, landscape designers, anthropologists, and economists.
Essay The Legacy of Peacekeeping Missions:Pre-cycling the compound by Malkit Shoshan. Volume Magazine #38.
Link to the exhibition BLUE: Architecture of UN Missions.