The New Lunar House Part 1 Project 2015 Charlotte Moore Cardiff University | UK The relocation of Lunar House, a bastion of Central Government, from London to the North is a speculative strategy, exploring the potential of rebalancing the political powers of a country. Immigration sits at the core of an increasingly multicultural society yet migrants are often labelled as negative assets; relocating the chief immigration centre simultaneously brings new trades and employment to the North, a historically deprived area compared to London. This promotes universal ideals of cultural cohabitation and religious coexistence, the beginnings of which are already present in London.Straddling the Mancunian Piccadilly transit node like a caravanserai and dominated by Lunar House in the skyline, the international precinct inspires integration by enticing the city’s residents with spice repositories and interfaith prayer halls. A temporary migrant work facility – a silk factory playing on the Silk Road’s original function of global socio-political transmission whilst reflecting both Manchester’s textile past and the historic trade of UK immigrants – creates a sustainable migrant support network devoid of social fluxes whilst enabling a re-visioning of the immigration service.Propelled by recent news centred on the major Abrahamic religions, I set out to explore the political role of architectural strategy. With new findings published daily, the process became adaptive as I came to understand that every action has an anthropological impact when specifying an architectural solution to crises such as the current refugee situation. Tutor(s) Peter Salter