Time, Memory and Place; the Creation of Home for a Vulnerable Society: How Can the Continuance and Celebration of the Idea of Home Be Expressed Through an Orphanage?

This thesis explores the role that architecture can play in the accommodation of orphans in Botswana. Government statistics predict a sharp increase in the number of orphans over the next few years due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The objective is, therefore, to provide an environment that would become a home for such children, allowing them to grow up without the problems normally associated with orphanages, for example, stigmatisation, lack of individual parental care and emotionally stunted growth. Given the lack of established orphanage precedents within the country, the thesis will analyse a wide range of knowledgeable sources that have a vested interest in the welfare of children in the home, at school and at play. With this knowledge, a methodology will be developed with which to guide the anticipated construction of orphanages throughout the country. A design site will then be identified within the country on which to evaluate the methodology. The thesis title and question denote the emphasis on the concept of home, a concept which becomes a theme throughout the thesis exploration and design.