In 2023 Transition by Design alongside Jessop and Cook Architects were asked by community organisers to reimagine the Campsfield immigration detention centre after plans for its reopening were released. The community worked for many years to shut down Campsfield, which officially closed in 2018. This proposal offered an alternative to the detention centre, we wanted to create a community that housed refugees in a humane way, with generously sized houses, lots of green space and public amenity. By repurposing the existing structures into a museum, we ensured the site’s history wouldn’t be erased and instead could be learned from. This alternative concept for Campsfield could house 276 people in a way that honors their dignity and humanity, reflecting the care and compassion of the surrounding community.
