Roofless is at same time a participatory process and a place of negotiation on questions of distinctions and use of public and private space in the refugee camp Al-Fawwar. In the form of a communal public square, the project addresses life and existing contradictions in the camp beyond the general distinction between private and public. Since 1950, the refugee camp Camp Al-Fawwar has been located about eight kilometers southwest of Hebron in the southern West Bank. It houses Palestinian refugees from Beersheba, Bayt, Jibrin and the surrounding area. About 6500 people live in about 500 dunums (0.5km2). Although several generations have lived in the camp, it is still considered politically inappropriate to settle down domestically, so residents are in a perpetual state of limbo. Roofless offers space for a new perspective on the inevitable contradictions of the community.

Creation of a community place that simultaneously offers space for a new, active negotiation of existing distinctions and utilizations of space and time in the camp. The project highlights contradictions and invites all residents to be part of the discussion and process. Roofless also creates a public, safe space for children to play.

Beyond the spatial transformation, the square shows, above all, the collective fantasies of all the actors who actively participate in the process of engagement and renegotiation of community life.

DAAR (Decolonizing Architecture Art Research), Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti