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Virginia Tech

Home is Here: Community and Health Center

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Over 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the shadows all across America. They live with the fear of being separated from their families and the risk of being detained or deported back to a country they escaped. This thesis explores ideas of home, safety, and belonging through different elements in architecture, utilized to create welcoming and safe spaces. The community and health center is designed to reach, support, and empower immigrants, while acting as a new home where immigrants access a variety of health, education, and social programs. The project reuses and re-purposes an abandoned building, which was originally designed to welcome immigrants, by carving out historic spaces while creating a new addition that gives it new life. To create a more welcoming experience, the existing brick building is integrated with the new through the use of natural materials, color, and the addition of large openings that allow natural light to fill the interiors. The design of large gathering areas both inside and outside allow people to come together and create a sense of community. Located in the center of immigrant neighborhoods, the proposed community and health center acts as a new beacon of hope and tranquility for immigrants in the District of Columbia.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Architecture
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Architecture
Department dc:contributor.department
Architecture
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2020

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Urey Fernandez, Juan Pablo
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Feuerstein, Marcia F.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Emmons, Paul F.
  • Piedmont-Palladino, Susan C.

Subjects

dc:subject × 4

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
vt_gsexam:26765
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/99092

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Urey Fernandez, Juan Pablo. Home is Here: Community and Health Center. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/99092