A Rehabilitation Centre for Terrorism Victims in Iraq

Tamayouz Excellence Award invites architects and designers to submit their ideas for a Rehabilitation Centre for Terrorism Victims in Iraq.  The rehab centre should offer a safe and comfortable space for the patients, supporting their health, psychological and physical needs.

Response

Participants are asked to design a rehabilitation centre for the victims of terrorist attacks in Iraq.

The rehabilitation centre should provide the necessary medical care for patients while promoting a sense of safety and hope.

The centre’s physical environment should not give the feeling of a clinical and a treatment institution. Also, indoor and outdoor spaces should encourage social interaction, sporting activities, and learning.

Moreover, the rehabilitation centre should help reduce restrictions imposed on the physical activities of patients and enable them to enjoy the highest quality of life physically, psychologically, and socially.

The Challenge

In Iraq for every fatality of terrorist attacks, there are approximately three injured victims – most are innocent citizens who become a soft targets for militant groups.

Furthermore, those who survive these brutal attacks live irreparably damaged lives, often taking years to reconcile their losses and traumas and to recover from their physical and/or psychological injuries.  As a result of these tragedies, there is a growing need for centres in Iraq that support an interdisciplinary course of rehabilitation, providing optimal conditions for treating survivors of terrorist attacks physically, psychologically, and socially.

These centres are for rehabilitation and not medical treatment, the rehabilitation centre should feature healthy and safe environments that work positively to achieve the potential of the injured person in a way that is constructive and realistic.

A Rehabilitation Centre for Terrorism Victims in Iraq

Rehabilitation is long-term, oriented to positive life activity, and considers the whole person.  Additionally, the rehabilitation centre should provide extensive rehabilitation to the injured person and give them a feeling that they have control over their lives again by assisting them in better understanding, coping with, and processing the emotions and memories tied to traumatic experiences. The centre should also train the patients and build their capacity to develop their skills and confidence to rejoin society and the job market.

“It took me years to reconcile with my injury and love my new self again, I was ashamed of my amputated hand, I didn’t want people to see it, I had a feeling that it was my fault that I lost my hand, you forget you are a victim.  Rehabilitation is all about connection, you need to connect with the specialists to respond to therapy, and you can only connect in a private setting.  Centres need to offer personal privacy, I always asked my family to wait in the reception whenever I had an appointment.  Patients spend hours in these centres, it becomes your second home, it always helps when the centre has a positive atmosphere to remind you that life is not over yet”   A victim of a 2008 terrorist attack in Basrah

Eligibility

Architects, students, engineers, and designers are invited to participate in this competition.
Moreover, participation can be on an individual or team basis (maximum of 6 members per team).  We encourage the involvement of multidisciplinary teams.

Schedule

May/2022 – Competition launch and early registration
01/10/2022 – Closing date for registrations and submissions
Oct/2022 – Shortlist Announcement
Nov/2022 – Announcement of results
End of 2022  – Annual Tamayouz Excellence Award Ceremony
All Deadlines are 11:59 pm GMT (London).

Registration

Early Registration: $75 from 01/May/2021 – 30/June/2021
Standard Registration: $90 from 01/July/2021 – 31/August/2021
Late Registration: $100 from 01/September/2021 – End of registration