Mohammad Reza Asgari

advisor

International Imam Khomeini University

Islamic Republic of Iran

My favorite approach to architecture is rooted in crafting spaces that go beyond functionality,… more

Dear Edomawit Ayele,
Your project’s ambition to address displacement by offering more than just shelter is both timely and commendable. By incorporating hygiene facilities, informal learning spaces, communal areas, health centers, and recreation alongside sleeping, cooking, and dining zones, you’ve crafted a human-centered program that recognizes the multifaceted needs of displaced people. The decision to use modular blocks made from plastic waste and sand not only accelerates construction and offers reuse potential, but also tackles environmental issues and generates local employment—a clever two-for-one strategy that reinforces the project’s social and ecological mission. Moreover, the overall form reads as a cohesive identity, which is vital for creating a landmark of safety and hope.

However, the project’s visual communication doesn’t yet live up to its conceptual promise. Without rendered perspectives or sketches, it’s difficult to sense the atmosphere you intend—how light filters through the spaces, how textures of recycled plastic join with sand, or how people animate the communal courtyard. The graphic quality of your plans also needs enhancement: uniform line weights, the absence of color or hatch patterns, and minimal annotations make the drawings feel flat and hard to read at a glance. Introducing a limited palette to zone functions, varying line hierarchies, and adding icons or key diagrams (such as an exploded axonometric showing how modules stack) will help bring clarity and vitality to your presentation.

The interior connections, while conceptually sound, would benefit from more explicit circulation diagrams. Right now, it’s unclear how residents move from private sleeping pods through hygiene areas into dining or learning spaces without crossing into awkward or dead-end corridors. Overlaying primary and secondary pathways on your plans—and introducing transitional “threshold” spaces, like light-filled vestibules between program blocks—would both clarify flow and enrich users’ daily experience. Additionally, ironing out minor plan irregularities—straightening unnecessary jogs, harmonizing room sizes, and aligning your structural grid—will improve both constructability and the sense of cohesion throughout the complex.

Finally, consider deepening your project’s sense of place by showing how natural light and views shape each block’s interior life. Simple section studies indicating sun angles, shading devices made from recycled materials, or a quick sketch of a group gathering at dusk can vividly convey the emotional qualities you describe. If you’re working in a digital environment, render at least two key perspectives—perhaps the communal courtyard alive with activity, and an intimate moment in the learning space bathed in afternoon glow. If you prefer hand-sketch overlays, print your plans and annotate them with color and diagrams; either way, richer visuals will let reviewers experience the hope and safety your design promises. With these tweaks—to graphics, circulation, and ambiance—your powerful concept will be matched by equally compelling storytelling.
Regards