Syracuse University SURFACE School of Architecture Dissertations and Architecture Senior Theses Theses Spring 2014 Dubai: Re-Designing Labor Worker Communities Can Cakmak Follow this and additional works at: https://surface.syr.edu/architecture_theses Part of the Architecture Commons Recommended Citation Cakmak, Can, "Dubai: Re-Designing Labor Worker Communities" (2014). Architecture Senior Theses. 203. https://surface.syr.edu/architecture_theses/203 This Thesis, Senior is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Architecture Dissertations and Theses at SURFACE. It has been accepted for inclusion in Architecture Senior Theses by an authorized administrator of SURFACE. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DUBAI: RE-DESIGNING LABOR WORKER COMMUNITIES Can Cakmak Syracuse University Fall 2013 Advisors: Jonathan Massey + Anne Englot CHAPTER 1: THESIS PREP ABSTRACT In an effort to provide humane living conditions for immigrant workers in Dubai who are trapped in the Most labor camps where construction workers live today exist as a rentable development designed for flawed immigration system, I will design a ‘worker community’ to replace the ‘labor camps’ where workers profit and lacking basic living amenities. In order to raise the standard of living of the workers, this thesis live today. These communities will be tested at a variety of levels, from planning, infrastructure, modularity will propose a redesign of the labor camps into worker communities, which will be located immediately to materiality; and while certain elements such as planning will play a much more significant role than, next to the construction site. The community will include amenities and public spaces, which will be built for example, infrastructure, the goal will be to generate a worker community which will provide necessary up of modular typologies based on workers’ temporalities and needs. The structures will be built primarily amenities and act as a temporary city - immediately next to the construction site. out of compressed earth bricks, as they have proven to be an efficient building material in climates such as Dubai. The redesigned communities will act as temporary cities near the construction site. The immigration of workers from overseas into Dubai is an overlooked humanitarian issue; from the moment they are deceived into an idealized lifestyle, to their day to day living/working conditions once they Once the construction project is over and labor workers relocate, the worker community will be disas- arrive in Dubai, all the way to the deprivation of their rights as humans. Dubai and almost all other GCC sembled. The compressed earth bricks will either be reused in a new project, or will be recycled back countries have a shameful way of luring uneducated foreigners into their countries as immigrants, and to the earth. If a worker community is situated in a location where no new projects are taking place, the treating them as modern day slaves. Companies and individual citizens control immigrants by enforcing structures which were once home to labor workers will be modified, and converted into low income hous- the Kafala sponsorship system, and waive international guidelines and rights set by organizations such ing. These low income houses will be put on the market to be rented by a certain employee class such as as the International Labor Organization. 1 While an issue such as the Kafala system is just one of many cashier, janitors, waiters, etc. The compressed earth bricks will play a large role in both the disassembly facets of the overall situation, this thesis will focus on the impact architecture can have to improve the of the worker communities, or their eventual conversion into low income housing. lives of the South Asian labor force behind the luxurious facade of Dubai. 6 7 AN OVERVIEW OF THE THESIS COMMUNITIES INFRASTRUCTURE THESIS BACKSTAGE SURFACE IMMIGRATION EXTREMES LOW-COST PROPOSAL ISSUES DEMAND MODULARITY MATERIALITY THESIS: RECREATING WORKER COMMUNITIES BUSINESS BAY DEVELOPMENT BusinessBusiness BayBay is a ddevelopmentevelopment in tthe heart of DDubai,ubai, right next to main highwahighway;y; Sheikh Za- yed Road. The develodevelopmentpment is a mixed use, 8800 million ssquarequare foot pplannedlanned aareare of Dubai tthathat is meant to bring a varietvarietyy of ininternational businesses into one area. Filled wwith offices, rresidences,esidences, restaurants, shoshoppingpping malls,m and a variety of international expatriates,expatriates, it is one of tthehe fastest develodevelopingping areas of DuDubai. While the site of this thesis is essessentiallye any ppartart of Dubai where there is a cconstruction pproject,roject, as an examexampleple scenario, BBusiness Bay iiss a great location for the imimplementationplem of tthishis thesis. Currently, some ppartsarts of tthe Business BBayay are comcompletedpleted and upup and rrunning,u there are still lots of free land where projectsp are pplannedlanned to begin. While certain lalandn prices in tthehe Bay are high due to projectedprojected revenues, other areas will not be filled for yyears,ea making it ppotentiallyotentially a great location for ttemporaryem low iincomencome housing. 2 FigureFigure 1 12 13 THESIS: LABOR COMMUNITY TO DISASSEMBLY .5 1.5 2 Beginning Years Years Years Later Later Later Construction site is determined. A Construction moves forward, more As both construction and worker Construction nears completion site to build the worker community workers come in, and the worker community expand, generators and the worker community reaches is allocated in a near by location community grows with the addition provide electricity, trucks bring in full capacity. Modular pieces and to the project. of modular pieces. clean water, and take away sew- amenities have created a city like age waste. community near the construction project site. 14 15 THESIS: LABOR COMMUNITY TO LOW-COST HOUSING CONVERSION 2.5 3 3.5 4 Years Years Years Years Later Later Later Later Construction is almost complete, and Construction area begins to get Worker community shrinks to much Project is fully completed, con- less labor work is necessary. Due to cleaned up. Generators are re- smaller sizes while the construction struction site is cleaned, worker high land value and planned proj- moved while trucks continue to site is almost completely cleaned community is disassembled and ects, the worker community which bring in clean water and take up. eventually rebuilt in a different housed the construction workers be- away sewage at a less frequent location. gins to get disassembled. rate. 16 17 SCENARIO 2: LABOR COMMUNITY TO LOW-COST HOUSING 1 2 3 Beginning Year Years Years Later Later Later Project is initiated as construction Infrastructure is constructed as Construction moves along as the Project is near completion, labor site and worker community site are the worker community grow. Infra- worker community grows, and infra- camp is at maximum capacity and determined. structure is built continuously due structure is constantly expanded. infrastructure is laid out along the to plans to convert camp to low- entire site. income housing. 18 19 4 6 8 10 Years Years Years Years Later Later Later Later 3URMHFWLVFRPSOHWHO\ŹQLVKHG:LWK After a few years, surrounding Modular houses are disassembled to potentially The low income housing is complete- additions to the modular pieces areas begin to develop, driv- be reassembled elsewhere. Infrastructure remains ly taken apart and new projects be- of the worker community, it is con- ing land prices up. Renters either to serve for upcoming projects. Surrounding ar- gin on the land, planned to bring in verted into low-income housing move out due to their short-term eas continue to develop driving land prices even large revenue. and people begin to rent on expatriate contracts, or relocate. higher. short-term leases. 20 21 BEHIND THE SURFACE OF LUXURY UN DATA GRAPHS IMMIGRATION INTO THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES IN 2013 GROWTH OF TOP 3 IMMIGRANT COUNTRIES SINCE 1990 Ba ngladesh 3,000,000 n ta kis Pa INDIA 1,089,917 953,708 2,250,000 t p y g E 2,852,207 711,894 1,500,000 477,139 s e n i p # of Immigrants p i l i h P 320,684 BANGLADESH a i s I n e d n i a o d n I n e m PAKISTAN e Y n a d u S n a 750,000 d r o J Kuwait Turkey UK Lebanon USA Thailand France Saudi Arabia Netherlands 60,802 44,268 33,856 24,948 15,526 10,085 9,958 7,247 3,292 1990 2000 2010 2013 Figure 2 Figure 3 YEAR 24 25 THE KAFALA SYSTEM SPONSORSHIP OF IMMIGRANT WORKERS The Kafeel (employer) Unfortunately this The Kafala system gives an sponsors an immigrant leaves the employee incredible amount of control employee so the for- exposed to potential to the employer over their eign worker can gain a exploitation. In many employee. For example, the legal working visa and cases, they cannot employee needs permission residency. This is called even leave the country in order to change jobs or the Kafala system. 3 without their employer’s sometimes even leave the support. 4 country. This means that any changes in their contract, such as extended hours, Under the Kafala Every GCC (Gulf Cor- lower pay, etc., can happen system, the employee is poration Council) without the worker’s consent. If almost completely con- country employs the they do quit, they are con- trolled by the sponsor Kafala system; where sidered illegal immigrants. If who has control over ‘temporary’ migrant they cannot afford to pay for many aspects of their workers are brought in their ticket home, they can be lives including, most im- under the sponsorship ‘stranded’ in the country for portantly, their passport. of the employing com- years at a time. 6 pany. 5 Figure 4 26 27 MAFIWASTA LABOR WORKERS: FACTS VERY PASS- "THE WORK IS 'THE WORST IN THE WORLD,' 600 THOUSAND MUR- OFTEN RE- PORTS ARE WORKERS ARE IN DERS & VIO- HE SAYS.