top of page
God's House

Skyscraper Design for Homeless in New York;

Homelessness is defined as the inability to have a permanent home where human needs are met. Homelessness is heavily correlated with poverty. According to a 2005 survey, 13.3% of the US population, or 38,231,521 people, live in poverty. Research shows that the number of homeless people, which was around 250 thousand in the early 1980s, increased to 723,968 as of 2005. The states with the highest concentration of homeless people relative to the population are California (195,637), Texas (39,578) and New York (37,987).

The erosion of social security, the inability to spread job opportunities and the inability of existing job opportunities to solve the problem of poverty, and the use of homeless people as a fear factor by the system causes the problem to grow. With the urban transformation projects operated in parallel with these, the increasing land rent in growing cities also destroys low-rent accommodation opportunities. One of the most striking statistics on the subject shows that between 1973 and 1993, 2.2 million low-wage leasable settlements were converted into estates and luxury apartments in the USA.

 

It is important to examine the problem of homelessness together with the phenomenon of poverty, in order to make other phenomena that cause homelessness visible. These can be listed as domestic exploitation, local violence, mental disorders, addictions. When the problems of the homeless are examined, it is understood that it is wrong to look at the issue as a failure of the penetration of the economic system. The solution proposals offered by the government are to try to make the homeless people who are sacrificed invisible in shelters at a minimum cost, when there is no need for cheap labor. The aim of the capitalist system is to digest the homeless, which it already considers ineffective as a labor factor, within the system. Problems that become visible are covered with exceptional stories, individual addictions or mental illnesses.

 

A family spends approximately 11 months in the shelter system. For 2002, the annual cost of a family to meet needs is $36,000, compared to $24,000 for a single adult.

 

GOD'S HOUSE???
Inspired by the churches that many homeless people prefer for shelter, skyscraper is a place where everyone and people from all walks of life are welcomed with tolerance. It was named GOD's House.

 

The cardboard boxes used by the homeless in New York for shelter or sending messages constitute the starting point of the project. Temporary shelters made of cardboard have become synonymous with the homeless. Based on the impression that the number of cardboard boxes would increase in direct proportion to the increasing homeless population, the cardboards were stacked on top of each other. The resulting texture helped to roughly shape the structure.

 

The skyscraper has taken into consideration the important transportation arteries of New York while settling in the building area it is in. It has been ensured that the skyscraper is positioned skillfully in this dense settlement. Extending additional function buildings of the building are connected with tubes by breaking them off from the road level. 9.5 m from the road level. The tubes at the height are connected to New York by escalators. Triangular, transparent tube passages terminate in Battery Park. The road leading to the tunnel has been covered in order to increase pedestrian circulation.

In October 2010, 38,000 homeless people are staying in the New York shelter system every night. This figure includes 9,700 families and 15,000 children.

 

According to studies, homeless male individuals have higher rates of serious mental illness, addiction and serious health problems than homeless families.

 

60% of New York City's homeless people reside in the Manhattan area.

 

The homeless, who are the owners of the skyscraper, have always been seen as a burden for society until today. In order to change this, care has been taken that the House of God, where they live, does not impose an extra burden on the city like other tall buildings, and the design has developed in this direction. While doing this, the skyscraper has become a structure that serves not the needy anymore. Primarily, it converts Co2 into oxygen with the bioreactor tubes in its units. It also produces its own electricity thanks to the wind turbines located at the front of all vertical garden modules. It is an indication that economically this skyscraper is not independently dependent on the services of the city. There is also a greengrocer to sell the organic food produced. It also serves New Yorkers in a cafe and restaurant where it can use and sell its organic foods. Another social advantage is that health, library and sports modules can serve New Yorkers thematically on certain days. For a week, free vaccinations in health units or reading days for children in library units can be organized. On such special occasions, the number and density of these modules can be increased with the help of the crane.

volkandalağan

bottom of page