America is a nation of immigrants. According to the American Immigration Council, Connecticut has a sizable immigrant community, composing approximately fourteen percent of the state’s population. This design is intended both as an introduction into the design of civic spaces as well as a larger look into who forms our local communities, and how architects may work to serve their neighbors. The brief, Centers for Immigrant Services, supports various community needs, these purpose-built, multipurpose buildings will be designed to support immigrants with an array of resources, including legal clinics, one-on-one legal counseling, ESL classes, literacy classes, computer classes, citizenship classes, job placement assistance, survivor services, and economic advising. Special services may include resettlement and sanctuary advising. In addition, these buildings will serve a community of volunteers and service providers, as a place to conduct training, network, and conduct workshops or host events on an ad-hoc basis. Outreach to the larger public will take place through film screenings and exhibits in the center’s public gallery space.

Under the tensions within the debate of immigration, immigrants should be provided with opportunities for resistance and self-expression. This community center intends to provide a platform for protests and rally events for immigrants and strengthen the current protest platforms and other gathering events. The design also proposes a connection to the general public, by connecting the main street of Stamford.