HIC ET NUNC III.
ZHdK, Interdisciplinary Module. Activation of an Asylum Seekers Camp, Zurich.

HIC ET NUNC (Here and Now, in Latin) defines a design attitude based on immediacy, responsibility, and action under constraint. The series was conceived to confront students with contexts in which design must first define its own legitimacy before intervening.

HIC ET NUNC III was the third workshop in the series and took place in Messehalle 9 in Zurich. It was developed in collaboration with the interdisciplinary BA Design program at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and AOZ Zurich, in response to the refugee emergency of 2016. At the time, approximately 250 asylum seekers were temporarily accommodated inside a large exhibition hall. Modular OSB cabins were constructed within the hall to guarantee basic privacy. While these structures addressed immediate housing needs, the spatial conditions between and around the cabins remained undefined, affecting everyday life, social interaction, and individual well-being.

Building on the experience of the previous workshops, HIC ET NUNC III focused on the activation of the spaces in front of the cabins, transforming them into semi-private zones that could support everyday activities beyond mere circulation. In addition, one temporarily unused cabin was transformed into a dedicated room with restricted access for women, providing a protected space for privacy that was otherwise precarious within the camp environment. The workshop was developed with the support of IKEA Switzerland and DOKA, whose contributions enabled the realization of small-scale, immediate interventions within the given constraints.

Expose - HIC ET NUNC III exposes the spatial and social consequences of emergency housing beyond the provision of shelter. By focusing on thresholds, intermediate spaces, and access conditions, the project reveals how privacy, safety, and dignity are negotiated not only inside dwellings but in the spaces between them. Exposure here operates through spatial attention to what is often left unresolved in emergency infrastructures.

Mediate - The project mediates the transfer of practical and ethical knowledge related to acting within highly sensitive environments. Students learn how to identify which spatial modifications are possible, legitimate, and necessary when working in proximity to vulnerable populations. Mediation functions as a process of defining boundaries: what can be altered, who can decide, and how design actions can respect existing social dynamics while addressing urgent needs.

Activate - HIC ET NUNC III activates underdefined spaces within the camp by transforming them into usable, meaningful environments. Through small, targeted interventions, the project improves everyday life conditions without introducing permanent or intrusive structures. Activation occurs through careful calibration rather than scale, demonstrating how minimal spatial actions can generate significant qualitative change.

HIC ET NUNC III positions design as a practice attentive to thresholds, limits, and degrees of intimacy. By mediating how and where to intervene, the project reinforces design’s role as a situated, responsible act in emergency contexts.