Member News / Academia to the Real World

‘Safi Military Barracks, Malta’ - Sketch Copyright: Mark E Breeze, AIA

It is not always easy for AIA UK members outside London to make an enduring impact on the Chapter.  Perhaps the first Chapter awareness of Mark E Breeze, AIA, was his jury involvement and subsequent presentations of the 2019 Design Awards.  Later that year, he enticed the London membership to his adopted city Cambridge for what was billed as a Super Saturday CES Extravaganza. His commitment to architecture, design and sustainability thus firmly established, a place on the AIA UK Chapter Board as the inaugural Sustainability Chair quickly followed.  

Lest Mark’s association with the University of Cambridge produces images of sleepy academia, the release of the book Structures of Protection? Rethinking Refugee Shelter and the film Shelter Without Shelter, (see the film trailer HERE) give further insight into Mark’s interests in realities of shelter.  Both the book and film come out of the University of Oxford ‘Architecture of Displacement’ research project, a collaboration between Mark and Tom Scott-Smith at the Refugee Studies Centre, examining refugee accommodation across Europe and the Middle East. 

The book (published by Berghahn Books) opens up the world of forced migrants as it draws on a range of disciplines – sociology, anthropology, law, architecture and history.  Each chapter describes a particular shelter and uses this to reflect on the ‘relationship between architecture, place, politics, design and displacement’. 

The film – awarded RIFA Best Research Film of 2020 – explores the hopes and challenges of providing temporary housing for refugees.  Images below and at the end of the article illustrate some of the shelters Mark and Tom encountered during their research. 

‘Improvised sheltering, Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan’ – Photo Copyright: Mark E Breeze, AIA

‘Azraq Refugee Camp, Jordan’ – Photo Copyright: Mark E Breeze, AIA

'Interior view of the former International Convention Centre (ICC), Berlin, converted to a refugee shelter’ – Photo Copyright: Mark E Breeze, AIA

As there is always the danger that even a good book or film - however thoughtful and comprehensive – might not engage with actual practice, Mark is currently co-directing an Architectural Association design studio exploring new forms of  shelter and domesticity. He has also recently formed his own collaborative design-research practice Spatial Realities.

As the founding chair of The Sustainable Shelter Group – a research and design collaborative in Cambridge - he is in a position to bring together ‘professional design expertise, academic research and experienced humanitarian practitioners to create integrated, sustainable and relevant sheltering solutions at any scale and in any geography’ and make a determined impact on the real world.  

'Beyond the fence, Azraq Camp, Jordan' - Sketch Copyright: Mark E Breeze, AIA 

Written by: Lorraine King, AIA 
This article has been written as part of the AIA Newsletter’s commitment to member news. If you are aware of UK Chapter members’ involvement in newsworthy projects, research or events, please bring them to our attention via secretary@aiauk.org and we will publish the story. We will not know what has been achieved unless someone tells us! We welcome pictures as well as stories…