The 2025 CAAJ international student design competition, Filling the Gap: New approaches to Diversion, Healing and Rehabilitation, was launched in January 2025 to focus on the gap created by contemporary crises. These range from the influx of highly addictive drugs, to climate change, war, poverty, discrimination, homelessness, and the suppression of Indigenous culture. Traditional justice institutions such as police stations, courthouses, and custodial facilities are not always able to respond effectively, especially in light of the increasing need for mental health care and support facilities.  

 

Students were invited to speculate on these issues in a design competition for a new community-oriented building that helps to fill the gap. This involved the selection of a site in a community of the competitor’s choice, identification of the specific crisis (or crises) being addressed, and the development of an architectural or urban design solution.

 

Ninety-four entries were received from students of architecture in sixteen countries. Responses ranged from functional proposals grounded in the reality of their context to more philosophical ideas or commentaries on the chosen context.

 

While the proposals themselves were unique and varied, the jury noticed several common themes, approaches and preoccupations.

 

All of the entrants engaged to some degree with the community where their site was situated, some more than others. This community-centered focus was particularly evident in several entries that worked with existing religious structures. The entry “Spaces Secular Needs - An Architecture of Coexistence” sited in Tehran, Iran involved the transformation of existing vacant and underutilized mosques into sanctuaries for vulnerable children. This entry received an honourable mention. “Just a Little Bit of Faith” in Toronto, Canada used a series of interventions to improve the delivery of community programs in an existing religious facility. The submission entitled “Renest: Spaces for Second Chances” set in Dhaka, Bangladesh took community engagement a step further by explicitly including interviews with potential users as part of the research process.

 

Sustainability and adaptability themes were layered onto many solutions. A number of proposals featured locally sourced materials in their construction, such as bamboo, clay, and recycled materials. Other designs allowed for future flexibility including phased growth, modular scalability, and deconstruction/reuse.

 

The most common crisis themes explored were humanitarian and social justice topics including homelessness, addiction recovery, post-disaster rebuilding, and gender-based marginalization. The strongest proposals went beyond just a static building design and focused on supporting a process of healing and empowerment. The resulting solutions tended to lean towards modest, context-sensitive solutions that addressed real needs, low-cost, small-scale interventions that “work quietly but effectively” versus iconic architecture.

 

Several projects used strong conceptual metaphors — bridges, weaving, circular paths — to express social reconnection or rehabilitation. The weaving metaphor was used to represent community interconnection in the highest-scoring project, as described below.

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