Reyhanli, Turkiye

“We established the Centre to be a place of empowerment and education – somewhere people could have opportunities to learn, to expand their understanding of the world, and to have fun while they do it,” says Dr. Chen-Yu Chiu, Founding Director and Principal Architect of the Taiwan – Reyhanli Centre for World Citizens

Designed by Chen-Yu Chiu and Studio Cho, the Taiwan–Reyhanli Centre for World Citizens, as the first of this kind, was built for improving the socio-cultural integration and inclusion between Syrians and Turkish locals.

Building quality, equality, and sustainability of life for all is a response to the Syrian refugee crisis and the Turkey-Syrian earthquake in Reyhanli, a small town in the south-eastern Turkish province of Hatay adjacent to Syria.

Taiwan–Reyhanli Centre for World Citizens has been awarded a 2023 Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

As the gateway to Aleppo in Syria, the town became the main entry point for asylum seekers during escalating civil conflicts and the subsequent Syrian war.

Over the past decade, Reyhanli’s population has grown from 120,000 to 270,000 people.

The recent Turkey-Syria earthquakes in 2023 severely damaged most cities in Hatay, and Reyhanli received an estimated 200,000 environmental refugees.

Cho and his student team at Bilkent University programmed and designed the Centre with the aim of stimulating socio-cultural, economic, and political integration and inclusion between Syrians and Turkish locals.

Research for the Centre’s architectural program and site investigation started in 2016, while the construction was between April 2020 and September 2021.

Cho has continued his volunteering role as a donor and fundraiser, serving as the Centre’s founding director and the principal architect.

His team works closely with the Turkish government, NGOs, INGOs, and grassroots organizations to realize a joint vision: to build quality, equality, and sustainability of life for all.

Today, the Centre runs a women’s association, cooperative, and social enterprises, providing ongoing vocational, educational, and recreational programs.

The successful establishment of the Centre and women’s association, cooperative, and social enterprise is the result of time-intensive collaboration between the Centre, Reyhanli municipality, and disadvantaged groups in the local communities.

Cho’s team conducted a community survey over 3 years to identify and engage with the disadvantaged groups most suitable for participating in the Centre’s programming, design, and construction process.

Most participating groups were women and children, selected without discriminating whether they were from the Syrian or Turkish communities.

The whole development initiatives set the foundation for building trust, creating a larger and yet more integrated and inclusive community.

The Center’s managers, users, and beneficiaries all participated in the centre establishment, thereby creating a social bond that promotes self-sufficiency.

The joint ownership also created collective responsibility in generating incomes to fund the Centre’s activities.

In effect, the Centre is not just a “transitional shelter” for people in need but also a place that serves diverse functions, such as children’s education, women’s empowerment, community services, recreation, and leisure.

In 2023, the Center is engaging with >200 people, offering them basic living supports, and providing free educational and recreational activities to >300 children onsite.

Project: Taiwan – Reyhanli Centre for World Citizens
Architects: Studio Cho
Lead Architect: Chen-Yu Chiu
Client: Reyhanli Municipality