The project Material. Context. Society. Perspectives of Future Architecture was launched in 2022 with the aim of examining the current situation within the profession, as well as architectural concepts that can help us reflect on it. Its goal is to question architectural guidelines for an interdisciplinary future for a profession that strives towards the common good of the people and the planet.
As curators, Ajda Bračič and Maša Ogrin developed the exhibition as well as held an interdisciplinary international workshop and a roundtable which interrogated possible futures of our profession, while the exhibited projects posed questions on its direction and the nature of our preferred environment, simultaneously searching for tools to enable it.
Designing the space for the future can be described through three main aspects which all projects have in common and are used to define quality architecture. In this project, we call these aspects “material”, “context” and “society”.
Material discusses the tangible matter of future architecture. It is essential that building materials are recycled as much as possible, that new materials are manufactured non-extractively, that by removing them from nature, the wider geology, society, or ecosystems are not harmed, and that vernacular building techniques are maintained and used to create new methods of implementing bio-based materials.
Context deals with the existing tissue of society, buildings, locations and areas. Tangible structures can be infused with a new programme, existing neighbourhoods improved with new content, and new content presented to solitary and abandoned buildings. Adaptive re-use is one of the best ways to counter energetically and materially wasteful new buildings, as well as the degradation of cultural landscapes. Society creates culture and accentuates the urgency of the social role of architecture and spatial planning. The role of the architect – more than just a role of an independent professional co-ordinating the building process – is
the role of a mediator between agents, inhabitants, visitors, builders, investors, society, nature, and the state. The most successful projects are created with the participation of the public, by discussing the activities, wants, and needs.
Architecture impacts the society in every environment. The question is what kind of a society we want.
The three concepts merge into several subconcepts and intermediary ideas, areas of interchange, and new meanings. We welcome any multi-facetedness, indeterminacy, and eclecticism which challenges our dialogic view of the world and contributes to a more plural, multidimensional perception and the creation of a common environment.
This booklet presents projects from our common cultural and geographic region, which were also included in the exhibition at the Dessa Gallery in October 2023. We aim to establish a wide network of reference transcending national borders. The selection of projects is somewhat arbitrary; they could be replaced by other examples. More important than a given specific project is the groundbreaking concept each of them implements, the idea by means of which the project fosters reflection and affects the development of architecture in the future.
Open public space is the freest element of the built fabric, a place of free and unpredictable exchange between different social groups. Unlike built or virtual space, it imposes fewer rules that would determine the use and behaviour patterns, and it is a place where the connections in the local community can be formed. At a time when the virtual world is dominated by corporations, it is all the more important to develop and nurture tangible public spaces.
2018, Aalborg, DK | Area: 3500 m2 | Investor: Aalborg Municipality | Photographs: Rasmus Hjortshøj, Coast Studio
The transformation of the former unloading area into a new urban space has allowed the programme of Aalborg’s largest sports and cultural centre to be extended outwards, while at the same time improving the visually less appealing architectural structure.
“The many shapes of red divide the foyer into different parts, together with playful white stripes. A red carpet leads visitors from the environmentally friendly bus connection to the sports centre, inviting them to linger or play in the foyer.”
— authors
2011, London, UK | Investor: Create London | Photographs: Assemble
Folly for a Flyover transformed a disused motorway undercroft in Hackney Wick into an arts venue and new public space. The Folly project was based on the idea that how we imagine spaces is often as important as the physical characteristics of a space in determining its use. By re-imagining the past of this place, its present is temporarily established. For a considerable amount of time, the space under the motorway was a temporary setting and spoke of the past of a place that had been overtaken by the car infrastructure.
Over nine weeks, 40,000 Londoners, artists, and visitors took part in events, concerts, performances, workshops, dinners and talks. In the new ‘fairy tale’ for the area, the Folly was described as the home of a stubborn landlord who refused to move to make way for the motorway that was later built around it, leaving it, with its pitched roof, stuck between the eastbound and westbound lanes of traffic.
“The construction campaign was carried out with the help of volunteers and local residents, and the materials for a temporary object, were, tellingly enough, obtained from discarded railway parts.”
— authors
“Crises can also be addressed through architecture”Giles Smith, Assemble
interview by:
Ajda Bračič, Maša Ogrin
photographs: Assemble
Assemble is a multi-disciplinary collective working across architecture, design and art. Since 2010, they have developed a wide range of projects united by openness, democracy, and sustainability.
Who initiated the Folly for a Flyover project?
The pavilion project is already twelve years old. Until then, as a group, we had only done one project, and we initiated that one completely on our own. It was successful, so we decided to do another one. At that time, we were still studying and doing other things, so the project was more of a hobby, part of our leisurely engagement with the city. We also connected with the MUF collective, which had been involved in projects in the Hackney Wick area. They identified this location under the viaduct next to the canal, and we started thinking about what we could do. Then the district community got involved and allowed us to execute the project over the summer.
Many people were involved in building the project. How did you find volunteers, were they your friends or members of the local community?
Both – friends, family, and we, as a collective, were numerous. We worked on weekends and socialized in between. The entire design concept was based on the idea that you don't need professional knowledge to build: it was about connecting wooden bricks with rope. It looked great, but it was just a matter of needing volunteer help. But as we started working, locals naturally passed by, curious about what we were doing, and they joined in the construction. When we finished the work, there really wasn't a feeling that the project belonged to anyone. It was communal; many people dedicated their time and energy to it.
What about the design process itself?
Since we were working in a very neglected location that local residents didn't like, we wanted to tell its story. We wanted to add history, mythology that it didn't have. We developed a kind of fairy tale about a house that didn't give way to the highway, and because of it, they had to build the highway the way they did. This structure had to look surreal, beautiful, and strange at the same time.
Your projects have a temporary nature, yet they leave a deep material impression. Many materials came from the immediate surroundings, and after the end of this temporary project, you reused them, right?
That's right, we used old railway sleepers for the wooden bricks. The project is now gone; it lasted one summer, but we used some of the construction material afterward to build a permanent stage onsite. Some materials were incorporated into various useful objects for local schools. We made sure to use only older pieces of wood that hadn't been coated with modern toxic chemicals.
As a collective, you tackle both temporary and more classical projects. How do you view this temporariness?
Even buildings with a longer lifespan are, in a sense, temporary. Temporary projects are problematic because they still require a significant initial investment in terms of energy, finances, and ultimately, creativity and emotions. I think at the beginning of our career, we did a lot of temporary projects because that was the
only option for us. Otherwise, the first of our 'permanent' buildings will soon be demolished, which is a very interesting experience. Temporariness doesn't seem to me so much a goal that designers pursue but rather a circumstance dictated by market demands. It speaks to the constant need for change, for populating new programs, for producing new content. It would be better if we focused on buildings with longer life cycles.
In your project A Factory As it Might Be, which is also a temporary installation, there is an interesting idea about a building that produces itself. Here, architects only act as those who establish a process that then unfolds on its own.
This project is partly based on our workshop in Liverpool, which we established some time ago. It's a workshop where local residents work and make products from local materials, thereby building a building around themselves. We used a similar mechanism in a larger project in Arles, which we are just finishing with BC Architects and Atelier LUMA. We are increasingly realizing that people like to be involved in the building process and that, in the end, they feel much more connected to such a building. It seems that this is a good guideline for the future, and we would like to incorporate this principle into as many of our future projects as possible. In fact, I can already see the seeds in the project we talked about earlier, Folly for a Flyover, which is
one of our earlier projects. Even then, we were thinking of the location as a place for knowledge exchange, networking, and community building.
So you also act as facilitators; you find challenging locations, then establish contact with local authorities, with the location owners, with the local community, and together find a solution?
That was also the story of the Granby ceramic workshop in Liverpool. It's not a purely architectural role but a broader, more organizational one. In Liverpool, we actually established a functioning business, which goes beyond the classic role of an architect.
What is usually the response of investors or other stakeholders? Are they aware of the importance and added value of such engagement?
So far, we have usually encountered very good responses and understanding. If we communicate common goals well with people, they are usually very open. But it seems to me that some topics we have been dealing with for more than a decade are only now starting to be talked about in public. Adaptive reuse, for example –people now finally know what it is, even though we were talking about it twelve years ago. This is good, but I find it interesting that it still took so long for society to have these kinds of conversations.
Would you like to convey anything to future architects?
I don't know if this applies to everyone, but I sense among younger generations of architects a fear that architecture may not be capable of changing anything. This is related to the many crises we experience. Therefore, among the young, there is a great desire to move into other fields, or to respond to crises primarily as activists. But I think there is great value in using our skills and knowledge as architects to address and solve crises.
That's a lesson I want to pass on to my students: that it's possible to address and solve crises through architecture.
The countryside is often understood as a place of simple, bucolic idyll or a place of closed, exclusionary traditionalism, but today the countryside is above all a place that offers the possibility of experimentation, one where alternatives to existing production and logistics chains, interpersonal relationships, and settlement patterns can be developed.
2022, Somerset, UK | Area: 800 m2 | Investor: Wraxall Yard CIC | Photographs: Lorenzo Zandri
An abandoned dairy farm complex dating back to the beginning of the 19th century has been transformed into an organic farm and tourist accommodation. The owners’ aim was to allow everyone to establish a connection with the soil, the project brief calling for optimal accessibility, sustainability, and inclusivity. Since the opening of holiday accommodation in July of 2022, over 60% of visitors have been families with a disabled member. The communal area is rented out free of charge to groups of local seniors and of youths with addiction problems.
“By using as many reclaimed, locally sourced or bio-based materials as possible, the project championed alternatives to the carbon-intensive, extractive processes that are behind many contemporary building processes and materials. It also supported skilled masons and carpenters with the knowledge of traditional techniques, allowing the building to become embedded within the local context - both culturally and economically. Finally, the inclusivity of both the design and the way in which the building is run challenges the assumption that designing for everyone implies making compromises or sacrifices for some.” —
Clementine Blakemore
In a large former quarantine stable complex in Essen, which is under heritage protection, an ecological co-living project was developed. Narrow and long buildings have been sectioned into smaller units with large living spaces and light on both sides. Each unit includes a small private garden as well as the access to communal green areas.
“This project proves that new housing developments – which do not directly add value to the countryside, and even threaten it – are not out of the question but can be used strategically for the active preservation and optimal reuse of historical heritage. It offers an inspiring and attractive alternative answer to the typical Flemish space-consuming fragmentation with detached houses surrounded by large private gardens far from the city centre and public infrastructure.”
— Brecht Van Duppen
After more than two centuries of reckless and extensive use of the world’s material resources, the consequences in terms of planetary degradation and the climate crisis are clearly visible. Many creative design and research collectives are developing new ways of architectural practice that take advantage of local conditions and have a regenerative impact on the environment. Rethinking the materials with which we build and the associated techniques with which we process resources is essential for the future of space. Inspired by traditional knowledge combined with modern technologies, we can contribute to a better future for the space by reducing waste, using natural, degradable materials, or recycling existing products.
2022, Issenheim, FR | Area: 700 m2 + 500 m2 | Investor: Issenheim town council | Photographs: Clément Guillaume
The most important part of school buildings is the courtyard, where social interactions take place. The colonnade of the unusual wooden columns provides a shelter from the weather conditions and has a deliberately raw appearance, yet the choice of material makes it at once welcoming, homely, and educational, being that the columns were handmade by carpenters. The multi-purpose hall is located in the intermediary space between the school and the added outdoor space; the external facades become internal. In contrast to the monumentality of the courtyard, the interior architecture draws on incongruities, heterogeneous materials, polychromy, and an abundance of small elements that foster domesticity.
“The project aims to preserve the skills of carpenters. This approach was only possible by using local timber and accepting its defects, knots and cracks, which contribute to the beauty of a timber structure. Our proposal won the competition because of the evocative power of the courtyard and our desire to control the origin of the timber from the forest to the installation on the site. By avoiding using fragile elements, we wish for this project to stand the test of time for many decades to come.” — authors
2012, Hamburg, DE | Area: 420 m2 | Investor: private | Photographs: Hagen Stier
The kindergarten in the suburbs of Hamburg is intended for children of the youngest age groups because their scope of perception is still very limited. The idea of a kindergarten in nature is to intensively connect children with nature from the earliest stages of their development. The variegated floor plan allows all the playrooms to have contact with the outdoors. The central area, which is connected to the lively common area of the changing room and playroom, also frames the tranquil natural environment of the courtyard garden and has a calming effect. The kindergarten, constructed of natural materials – timber treated in a local sawmill transformed into architecture – stands as a testament to the importance of the surroundings.
“Children from all groups are connected to each other through a central space.” — Timm Schönberg
2020, Arles, FR | Area: 2000–2500 m2 | Investor: LUMA Foundation | Photographs: Baptiste Chatenet, Victor&Simon – Joana Luz, JeanYves Demuyter, Olivier Querette / Ektadoc / Caméléon
Lot 8 is designed as a research and design studio in a former railway electrical workshop. The members of the collective conduct research into the performance of low-carbon and biomaterials, and they have renovated the building for their own use, i.e. research and education, mostly by reusing waste materials such as oilindustry waste, quarry waste, etc., to test the possibility of using materials discarded by the local industry and thereby creating new opportunities for the local community. The building is primarily a creative space with workshops for wood, metals and ceramics, algae and mycelium dissection laboratories, work and community spaces, a materials library, etc. The close relationship between the design and the construction allowed the architects to experiment freely and to create more than twenty new material recipes that had to be tested and certified for use.
“By exploring the resources and existing knowledge in our bioregion and bringing together different areas of expertise, Atelier Luma develops local solutions for the ecological, economic, and social transition. The project is developed in collaboration with local actors, drawing on regional knowledge and raw materials, and creating a long-term impact through educational the programmes and projects.” — authors
2021, Massa Lombarda, IT | Area: 60 m2 | Investor: Municipality of Massa Lombarda, TER Construzioni | Photographs: Iago Corazza
TECLA — the name is derived from the words Technology and Clay — is the first house made from local earth and built by 3D printing. It’s a prototype, designed to thoroughly change our building and dwelling habits. The material used is locally sourced and can be fully recycled, while the building technology is also very energy efficient. The organic form has been developed by the architects to accommodate the material and building technique as much as possible. TECLA was printed in approximately 200 hours.
“The idea was to print the building just from one material. Pushing the technology to print a dome was a really big challenge.” — authors
“We need more flexible regulations”Lapo Naldoni, Mario Cucinella Architects
interview by:
Ajda Bračič, Maša Ogrinphotographs:
IagoCorazza
infographic by:
Mario Cucinella ArchitectsLapo Naldoni is a civil engineer and designer who has been involved in the TECLA project from the very beginning. In a conversation with the curators, he addressed the advantages of using new technologies in the construction process and described plans for the development of 3D printing with soil.
TECLA is currently only a prototype and is located in a single location. However, the project has garnered significant attention. Do you wish to expand it to other locations?
We are currently refining the design as there are some critical points we need to address. You may have seen the first version online, but the next version will be quite different. We printed the first version of the structure, then collaborated with Wasp to evaluate its positive and negative aspects. We discovered many things and are now developing a new design. Currently, testing is more important to us than distribution.
What were the main challenges you faced in developing the prototype?
TECLA does not have an external investor; we have done everything ourselves in collaboration with a consortium of companies. We contributed our time and knowledge, and companies like Mapei provided us with free materials. Massimo Moretti, the founder of Wasp, and Mario Cucinella began researching dome 3D printing in 2019 because it was not possible until then. The main idea was to print the entire structure from a single material, and that material should be readily available, like earth. We conducted numerous tests on 1 : 20 and 1 : 30 scale models to assess architectural value, and when we began testing structural strength, we made 1 : 10 scale models. To truly evaluate the structure and all its properties, however, it is essential to have a 1 : 1 scale prototype.
How did you develop the architecture of the structure? Is it a dome because it is constructed in a similar way to ancient arches?
The shape is highly archetypal. When we think about ancient architecture, it is clear that these forms result from humanity's struggle against gravity. The dome and arch are the best ways to create a covered space and thus overcome gravity. Before TECLA, I helped develop the first project, Gaia, which was a very small space with vertical walls, but it was not quite the same. With TECLA, the feeling is exceptional because the same material that supports the structure also covers it.
How was the collaboration with local authorities in setting up the structure?
In the EU, we still do not have general standards for building with earth. However, the authors of this project have an agreement with the municipality to build prototypes in this area. They even allowed us to organize a party in TECLA! Despite testing the structure extensively, there is no certification or assurance of its stability. Therefore, we can only consider it as a pavilion or prototype. Even at the Venice Architecture Biennale, pavilions are not subject to as strict regulations as traditional structures. 3D printing is a completely new technology, so there is still a long way to go to certify it as a construction technique, standardize results, and obtain approvals. 3D printing often appears as infill, but we want to 3D print the load-bearing structure, which is quite bold. Everything takes time to develop, test, and establish. Just as with hempcrete, also with earth
we need to be aware that we are building with biological materials. These are living materials that change according to the weather, humidity, and the scale of the structure. It is very difficult to compare such materials with concrete or brick. Therefore, in the future, we will need more flexible regulations that allow us to use these materials.
Do you think it will be possible to 3D print an entire house independently in the future?
I think it's good to use more than one technology and more than one material at a time. That way, we can get the best qualities from each. Even with TECLA, we are thinking about how to use various technologies in the project and take advantage of their diverse benefits. However, when it comes to an automated process, it is a big challenge because it is difficult to integrate different technologies without at least some human presence on the construction site. This is one of the challenges of 3D printing: how to reduce the need for highly specialized techniques that would assist the machine in producing very complex geometry. We need to find a balance among all these aspects.
In your opinion, what are the main advantages of introducing these new technologies into construction?
I believe that through 3D printing, we can bridge the gap that has opened up in architecture and construction since the Renaissance. If we think about, for example, the dome of the Santa Maria
ENVELOPE
ENVELOPE FOUNDATIONS DOOR
WINDOWS
WINDOWS TOP
SYSTEMS
SYSTEMS
SOLAR
PHOTOVOLTAIC
PHOTOVOLTAIC
PHOTOVOLTAIC
FURNITURE
FURNITURE
del Fiore church in Florence, built by Brunelleschi: that construction site could not function without an architect because the entire plan was in his head. Since the Renaissance, we have greatly developed technical drawing, plans are very complex, and today, the architect can be completely removed from the construction site. They sit in the studio, and others build according to their instructions. I believe that 3D printing can help reconnect the architect and the construction site. The architect sends their plan directly to the machine, and the machine prints exactly what was drawn. Additionally, a special advantage is that we can 3D print with
earth. Earth is one of the most commonly used building materials in the world; one in three people lives in an earth house. However, most people are dissatisfied with these houses. 3D printing allows us to introduce more complex geometries and precise moves into earth construction, which can increase the material’s capacity and drastically improve the quality of living. I think architects have a great responsibility because they are directly responsible for the final result. They are no longer responsible only for good drawings but also for good execution at the construction site.
SANITARY
SANITARY
SANITARY WARE CURTAIN
ON-SITE
Natural
Locally
Locally
In a way, 3D printing with earth is also democratic, as popularizing this technology could hypothetically allow a house to be printed anywhere at low cost. The cost of 3D printing depends on the amount of material and time consumed, but not on the shape being printed. That’s important. With 3D printing, it’s not necessary for all buildings to have the same shape, as was the case with standardized concrete structures, which helped reduce the final cost of using concrete. This allows us to have more variations of similar building geometries or to parametrically adjust the structure to a specific location or user. Like a tree: all seeds look the same, but trees will grow differently depending on the amount of sunlight, water, etc. I believe there is a great opportunity for 3D printed architecture here: to completely avoid standardization and instead develop phenotypes that then adapt according to location, program, users. That hasn’t been possible until now.
REUSABLE
RECYCLABLE
The school is envisaged as a grouping of three longhouses (“longères” – a traditional building design in Brittany) with a timber façade and differently pitched roofs connected on the western side to form the reception area and the entrance hall. Towards the east, the units open onto the playground. An interplay produced by the gliding between the three volumes is given a role in the architectural composition and bolsters the notion of paths in the landscape both outside the building and within it.
The façade, featuring extensive glazing on its northern orientation, gives a direct view of the planted slope and offers seating in the window recesses. A peripheral crown of opalescent frames provides homogeneous light.
“An interplay produced by the gliding between the three volumes is given a role in the architectural composition and bolsters the notion of paths in the landscape both outside the building and within it.“ — authors
Sands End Arts and Community Centre is a welcome addition for the local community. Sited beside the Clancarty Lodge in the northwestern corner of South Park, the centre caters to a wide range of users, offering space for social and educational activities, clubs, a café, etc.
The premises intended for the community promote social integration and are designed in close collaboration with the future users and stakeholders. The aim of the building is to maximise its contribution through a minimal use of resources. The building achieves a lifetime embodied carbon figure of 546 kg CO2e/m2. Over 35% of the building material is composed of recycled materials, with a responsibly sourced CLT timber structure, which has inherently low embodied energy values.
“The design starts with the building’s setting. Between affluent neighbourhoods and the borough’s social house estates, the building is intended as a democratic building for all strata of society - open, accessible, and welcoming. Communityrun and for the use by the community. As a fully timber structure, Community Centre did not require complicated detailing to avoid cold bridging. Structure is left exposed to avoid unnecessary additional internal finishes. The building’s brick skin has been made with upcycling over 28 tonnes of potential construction landfill material, factory production of crosslaminated timber is made from traceable sources of materials.” — authors
2019, Margent Farm, UK | Area: 30 m2 | Investor: Margent Farm | Photographs: David Grandorge, Oscar Proctor
This small building, whose programme can host multiple programmes including living, working, and education, was developed by fourteen students under the mentorship from London Metropolitan University, and then built by the same students in twelve days. British legislation allows this kind of building to be erected without a planning permission, which means it can be easily implemented in a multitude of situations. The structure is a spruce stud-frame with hempcrete cast in situ, wood flooring, wood-fibre insulation, and hemp-fibre bio-resin corrugated cladding. The house is carbon negative.
GROWTH
Materials grow capturing CO2 from the environment
ASSEMBLY
The natural materials are processed and assembled on site
“The client, Margent Farm, is an industrialhemp farm developing hemp-based products including the cladding for the building. The windows, door, and stair are custom-designed and made on site. The building is heated with a biomass stove and solar power.” — authors
In a time of permanence, temporariness is the essential ability to transform everything into something else.
Temporariness calls for a reflection on the lifecycle of objects, materials used, and production processes.
Temporariness can be a manifesto, a wish, an announcement.
POLYVALENT MODEL
The building use is able to adapt to extend its usable life
Infrastructure Infrastructure enables the links in society and space, transport infrastructure connects points in space, industrial infrastructure enables production processes. It is often the case that new infrastructure, as a result of societal change, diminishes the value of old infrastructure or displaces it totally. Because these interventions are extensive and substantial, these facilities become expensive ruins, nevertheless, it is within our power to revive them.
Creativity is the ability to question customary things and find new, better solutions. It is the ability to look at interventions in space from multiple angles. Committed creativity is the ability to find solutions and make suggestions on one’s own and then work together with shared enthusiasm to implement them.
The context represents the material remains in the environment, intertwined with the cultural history and content of the place, including the customs, language, social and political forces, and aspirations of the community living in the area. The implementation of new programme into the existing fabric helps to balance and preserve the identity of the landscape and its inhabitants while reducing the carbon footprint by conserving the energy already invested in the construction. Usable spaces that encourage the continuous upgrading of our shared environment are thus created.
Adaptive re-use is a term that is only now becoming well established in spatial planning. It involves the transformation of existing architectures with new usages. In this way, it intertwines the existing spatial context with the new use and involves us, as users of space, in the continuous development of the history into the future, allowing for the development of a continuous social and spatial identity.
2022, Reus, ES | Area: 1323 m2 | Investor: Reus City Hall | Photographs: Adrià Goula
The El Roser Social Centre was set up to promote care policies for people in situations of social vulnerability. The site chosen is the municipal prison from 1929, which was closed in the middle of the 20th century; it later housed a municipal pre-school centre. Ten years after its closure, it was restored to a social use that is completely opposite to its original purpose with a project transforming and reactivating the neighbourhood in which it is located. The architects have stripped out the strict structural design of the prison building and adapted it to soft programming through interventions. They removed all redundant buildings, including perimeter walls, to create an open urban space for the users and local residents.
“The pandemic proved that while one part of the population was able to work remotely, another saw its income drastically reduced to the point of being unable to cover its typical outlay. In Reus, the number of families requiring food support from Social Services increased by 60% in 2020. The attention to vulnerability has a clear local component because it is based on the personalization of attention and the monitoring of the individual to address subsistence-related issues. El Roser makes it possible to manage social services in the 21st century because it provides a comprehensive, integrative, inclusive, collaborative—in short, strategic—approach, and it does so based on local action in direct contact with the people it helps and in constant interaction with the society.”
— authors
2008, Veenhuizen, NL | Area: 5200 m2 | Investor: VROM Rijksgebouwendienst | Photographs: Ulrich Schwarz
Veenhuizen was established at the beginning of the 19th century as a reformatory with the aim of educating people and reintegrating them back into society, but shortly after its opening the progressive concept was abandoned, and the village was turned into a prison village. The renovation strategy was in a sense archaeological and elemental: the buildings were stripped back to their original form in order to bring the classical design with a central market square back into focus. Large glass frames were added to the buildings to announce the building’s renewed public use and also to serve as orientation in the space. The historic building complex is thus not just put on display but instead tells a story of its history through the architectural elements. The spatial decluttering, the new layering, and the restrained classicist interior playing with the utility elements, are all based on the conviction that the importance does not lie in the historical breaks but rather in the continuity.
“The architectonic value of every building part had to be weighted against the socialhistorical value.” — Atelier Kempe Thill
2018 I Saint-Nazaire, FR I Area: 2954 m2 I Investor: Mesto Saint-Nazaire l Photographs: 51N4E, Filip Dujardin, Philippe Ruault
During World War II, the occupying forces built a large submarine base on the French Atlantic coast. The submarine base was the only building that remained after the destruction of the city. The infrastructure has become a monument thanks to its indestructibility. Demolishing it would have entailed huge costs, so twenty years ago, the city decided to make use of it. Gradually, it began to host various functions: a restaurant, a public space, an experience centre for former transatlantic travel, a roof garden, a concert hall, and a space for experimental art. The relocation of the Jacques Brel Hall of Fame to the submarine base created the potential to link and upgrade all the programmes.
Today, the base functions as an urban district, as a potential-enabling device, and an infrastructure activating a range of possibilities for different future users. The architectural gestures are restrained to allow for a strong physical effect: the architecture that relates to the context of the bunker and the water is offered for intensive use as part of everyday life in the city.
“The result is a deliberately simple project functioning more as an urban district than a single building: a potential-enabling device, an infrastructure activating a broad range of possibilities for various future users.” — authors
2019, Roskilde, DK I Area: 2980 m2 (school), 2598 m2 (dwellings) I Investor: Roskilde Festival Højskole l Photographs: Rasmus Hjortshoj
The former production hall of a Danish concrete manufacturer has been converted into a secondary school and residences for pupils and teachers. This system is based on the ideas by 19th-century Danish intellectual N.F.S. Grundtvig, who believed schools should educate their students to be active participants in society. The new 5,578-square metre learning facility offers pupils and teachers an environment for creative projects based on voluntary co-operation, humanitarian orientation, creativity, and social entrepreneurship. The reused concrete shell, which was originally a single open space, forms a robust contrast to the sixteen individually coloured boxes that host programmes such as workshops for the school’s art courses, stages, music studios, a dance hall, classrooms, a staff room, and a 150-seat lecture theatre. Between all of them, a sheltered environment is created, a learning landscape for experimentation with urban social engagement.
“The most important message we would like to convey to other architects and practitioners is to make it a premise to use the existing structures as much as possible for the design. Besides retaining the identity and heritage of the site, we can reduce the building’s carbon footprint by reusing existing structures and materials, and repurpose structures in such a way that they remain adaptable in the future.” — authors
Care represents consistency and maintenance, but it also represents a relationship, either to space and nature, or to society or the users of architecture. The topic gives rise to interesting and useful reflections on our relationship to buildings and spaces, as well as to all the fragile natural, social, and symbolic ecosystems in which we live.
Scott
The Kinning Park Complex (KPC) is a community-owned building that has been an ever-changing centre of education, activism, and community protection for over a century. The building was built as a primary school in 1910 and converted into a community centre in 1976. By 1996, it was falling into disrepair; the authorities decided to close it down due to austerity measures, and a group of users and supporters occupied the premises to highlight the importance of the building to the community. They found support from decision-makers and today the Kinning Park complex is a multi-purpose community space.
The character of the building is important to the users and the refurbishment did not want to create a sterile space, so the aim was to reuse as much of the existing joinery as possible. Opening up the original stairs helped to improve visibility, safety, security
and access, and opening up the roof with glazing along the ridge allowed natural light to shine through so that the central space of the building now feels generous and light. The interior, enlivened by a system of coloured blocks in primary colours, which will always be available for purchase, helps people with different levels of literacy to find their way around easily.
“Our ambition is to create architecture which is rooted in the needs of its community and end users which is also bold, joyful, and colourful and full of personality. We’ve learnt to do a lot with a little over the years, and this skill and commitment will become increasingly important as the cost-of-living crisis continues, and organisations suffer more cuts to funding and capital support.”
— authors
2021, Roeselare, BE I Area: 9500 m2 I Investor: Inagro, REO Veiling l Photographs: Filip Dujardin, Filippo Rossi
Agrotopia rethinks urban food production and intensive use of space, circular use of energy and water, and more sustainable greenhouse gardening. It is sited on the roof of the REO vegetable and fruit market on the Roeselare bypass, the West Flanders logistics hub for fruit and vegetables. The building comprises spaces for the production and storage of vegetables and fruit, and houses high-tech research facilities for cultivation, encircled by an educational trail for the general public. Agrotopia is designed to train a new future generation of urban farmers who will learn to work with new horticultural technologies and business models in addition to growing vegetables. Rainwater collected on the roof is used to irrigate the plants while the remaining water is treated and reused. The heat from the nearby municipal waste incinerator heats the greenhouse. The whole building consists of one standard greenhouse with diffused glass.
“Agrotopia as a test case: building a greenhouse atop an existing building has never been done before on this scale and it presented many opportunities and challenges. The integration of the steel greenhouse with the concrete substructure and complex installations has resulted in a true public building with exceptional architectural quality for the city of Roeselare.” — Niklaas Deboutte, META Architectuurbureau
2016, Melle, Belgija | Area: 1800 m2 | Investor: Caritas Psychiatric Clinic | Photographs: Filip Dejardin
A number of pavilion-type buildings on a large estate outside of Ghent have housed a psychiatric clinic since 1908. One of the buildings, named Sint-Jozef, was subsequently abandoned and has recently been transformed into an halfcovered communal area serving as a public square within a ruin. The structure has been preserved and protected while trees and greenery invade the formerly interior spaces. The double nature of the new architecture is underscored by the roof, which has been removed in some parts and reconstructed in other, while sometimes appearing only as a glass reinterpretation. Dynamic ambients offer several possibilities of use and allow the patients of the facility to rest or interact.
“Care changes. Which inspires its context. But the context is already there. And it could inspire care. Jozef as an inspiration for changing care. Care as an inspiration for changing Jozef. Jozef as an unexpected result. A changing care, but not without Jozef. With Jozef. As a context for a new care. An inspiration. And not something to be left behind. Unexpected, but basic. Without technology. Without comfort. But with possibilities. By reading the context differently, and giving a different context as a result. Maybe just that, maybe just enough.” — Architecten de Vylder Vinck Taillieu
2022, Amsterdam, Nizozemska | Area: 3070 m2 | Investor: De Warren Coop | Photographs: Jeroen Musch
De Warren is the first living co-operative in Amsterdam with a self-built building. After a series of workshops organised by the architects and future inhabitants, it was decided that as much as 30% of the building should be common spaces: a large auditorium, playing room, several coworking spaces, communal kitchens and lounge areas, a meditation room, a greenhouse, and even a recording studio. The facade is made of repurposed tropical hardwood azobe and the structure is wooden in its entirety. Due to ground conditions, piles needed to be used; they are not only structural but also play an energy role by containing hoses and regulating the building’s temperature as a heat pump would. The roof is equipped with photovoltaics while the modular floor plan can be completely redesigned for an alternative use in the future.
“Architecture can aid the practice of the care for the environment and society by building buildings with the maximum use of biobased materials (timber is an important factor) that also allow de-installation so the materials can be reused in a simple way in the future. In this way, the impact on resources of nature is minimised. By having a housing building where 30% of all spaces are common spaces has a very different effect of how people live, and a strong sense of community is developed.” — Boris Zeisser
2014, Marburg, DE | Area: 1100 m2 | Investor: Municipality of Marburg | Photographs: Eibe Sönnecken
The former Vitos psychiatric clinic in the town of Marburg today houses several educational institutions. One of them is a new environmentally friendly kindergarten, which at the time became one of the first German buildings with an annual surplus of energy. The first essential component of the plus-energy concept was a well insulated building envelope. Compact geometry and deep overhangs on either side of the building are key to reducing unwanted summer heat gains. The ventilation is thoughtfully executed, manually operated in milder weather, and central with heat return in summer and winter. All of these characteristics allow the roof photovoltaic system to feature a electricity-production capacity surplus to the building’s needs.
“The aim was to test whether it is possible to construct a non-residential building that generates more energy than it consumes and whether it is possible to operate a building exclusively with locally available environmental energy. We have succeeded. The use of locally available environmental energy – either solar, wind, or geothermal – can and should become a natural part of architecture.” — authors
2021, Kildedal i Ry, DK | Area: cca 3000 m2 | Investor: Pensiondanmark in Realdania | Photographs: Astrid Maria B. Rasmussen
The structure of this co-living project for active inhabitants over the age of fifty is entirely made of timber and repurposed steel plates. Thirty-three units of the first phase will in a couple of years be joined by further units intended for multigenerational co-living. Architects collaborated with the future inhabitants during the design process: a series of workshops before initiating the idea phase allowed for a truly participatory nature of the neighbourhood’s creation.
»The model we are testing in Ry divides communal facilities into small buildings with separate functions. The facilities are adjacent to the primary access routes. The purpose of this is for the residents to naturally pass by them as they leave or return home, so that the informal encounters in particular can help stimulate active participation in the community. PensionDanmark has a powerful sustainability agenda, which in Ry has meant that all the communal facilities are made of recycled materials and the entire project is made of timber structures.« — Emma Hansso, Vandkunsten
Spatial processes are constantly alternating between the impact of space on society and society on space.
The space under consideration is often approached by architecture as an external factor in the service of the investor. It is important that spatial processes take place in an integrated way, with mechanisms that involve balancing the wishes of all the individuals affected by the projects, investors, regulators, professionals, and the individuals who live in the space. It is necessary to develop ways of communication and of exchange with local communities and end-users that are not exclusive but rather inclusive.
Resilience means that buildings can withstand the ravages of time, weather, social change, and calamities. Social resilience is also the ability to endure in time and space, despite the changes that challenge us. Finally, resilience is the ability to take a stand and defend values when they are under threat.
The search for identity is one of the most enigmatic quests in today’s era of dispersion and disparate influences, but it is also crucial for the creation of common social agendas and a sense of belonging. Architecture and other building interventions that respect the history of a place and build on it through spatial dialogue help to prevent the loss of spatial orientation and that of thought and strengthen the dignity and self-confidence of the society that inhabits the place.
The three-day workshop, held from 9 to 11 October, brought together individuals concerned with the future of space.
visit to the laboratory for 3D clay printing
visit to the laboratory for plaster research in building renovation
Under the guidance of mentors, the participants identified challenges in space. The exhibition and site visits served as the toolbox and inspiration for analysing shortcomings and spotting opportunities in our immediate surroundings. The goal was to design action plans for the realizations of the spatial solutions.
We introduced some of the proposals:
The first group addressed spatial education. Through various activities, we would create a safe and stimulating space where children, up to the age of 12, could learn to act in a sustainable way. In the context of workshops, they would learn to make objects from natural materials and to prepare meals from food available in the neighborhood. A proposal for a children's game - The Three Little Pigs - was developed, through which the children would question the meaning of a familiar story. By listening to it and reinterpreting it they would reshape it in order to make the message of the story more sustainable. Through their own activity, drawing, sketching, storytelling, they would develop skills and empowered their ability to contribute to societal goals.
The second group addressed open public space, and its current misuse because of private interests. The need for relaxing, unsupervised corners where city dwellers could have the opportunity to rest, play, and even work resulted in the creation of a plan for temporary use of abandoned shopfronts, locations for work, exercise, the creation of a network of
sheltered corners in outdoor green public spaces, etc. These locations could change over time, depending on the space available, but it was felt that someone should take responsibility to ensure that there are always enough of these areas for the population of the city.
The third group addressed the challenge revitalization of abandoned villages. They identified the problem of dying villages, the lack of public events in villages and the large number of abandoned buildings, possibly with shared ownership. The proposed solution was a kind of commitment to dedicate these empty buildings, if not in use for a decade or more, for temporary use to local communities or associations, in return for their commitment to taking care of the building. That could mean societal contribution to revitalization the houses, stopping their decay, and at the same time making space for content that would bring life to the village. If these houses could be rented out for a non-profit rent, or in exchange for renovation the facilities, younger generations, that struggle with the housing market could move in. The challenge is to regulate and define these relationships legally and formally.
Monday, 9 October
15h – introductory meeting in the Gallery Dessa and guided tour of the exhibition
16h – lecture by Björge Köhler: “Tabula Plena – The Existing as Basis for Transformation”
17h – lecture Katarina Živković: “Hidden Practices – Earthen Construction”
18h – discussion and design tasks
Tuesday, 10 October
14h – visit to the Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute, discussion on testing and certification of materials and visit to the laboratories
16h – meeting at Dessa and working with mentors
18h – discussion
Wednesday, 11 October
14h – visit to Krater, tour of the temporary laboratories and ecosystem in abandoned construction site and short workshop
15h – work with mentors
18h – presentations of final strategies at the Refinery (Cukrarna)
19h – Round table: Katarina Živković, Björge Köhler, Maša Hawlina, moderated by Ajda Bračič, Maša Ogrin
20h – socialising and networking
Special thanks to Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute and the research and production space Krater.
BJÖRGE KÖHLER, urban planner.
Based in Northern Germany. His projects range from planning strategies and large-scale landscape approaches to small-scale architectural projects and interventions in the urban environment. After studying in Hamburg and Oslo, Björge became part of Urbanista, a Hamburg-based urban planning agency focusing on collaborative planning processes. He is the head of the “Gröninger Hof” cooperative, which aims to transform an old city garage into a mixed-use structure.
KATARINA ŽIVKOVIĆ, architect and natural builder. She is dedicated to exploring different building techniques and materials that can be used in a contemporary context. She is a member of the Applied Crafts Club and the Association for the Promotion of Earth Building in Serbia, where she runs workshops. She has participated as a trainer in regional events such as the Regio Earth Festival in Hungary and Romania and a training on traditional construction in Kosovo.
AJDA BRAČIČ, architect, writer and editor.
She runs the platform for building renovation – Kajža. She collaborates with media in the field of architecture and culture. She has co-edited publications for the Venice Architecture Biennale (Venice, 2018) and the BIO Industrial Design Biennale (2019, 2022). Co-curator of the exhibition Looking for an Apartment ... 100 Years of Organised Housing (2021). Former contributor and executive editor of Outsider magazine. Author of the award-winning debut short fiction collection Flying People (2022).
MAŠA OGRIN, architect, co-initiator and creator of several design and social actions Pop-up home (2012–2015). Co-author of the award-winning design product, Helga wine rack (2018). Co-author of projects and prize-winner in several international architectural competitions (Hamburg, 2014, Kiel, 2016). Co-designer, organiser and curator of the initiative Altstadt für alle (Hamburg, 2020). Co-author of the project Straw Roof (2022).
Material. Context. Society. Perspectives of Future Architecture
Dessa Gallery, 11 September–11 October 2023
Curators: Ajda Bračič in Maša Ogrin
Production: Zavod Kriterij
Represented by: Kajža, Materially Based
Coproducer: Galerija Dessa
Exhibition design: Urška Alič, Ajda Bračič, Maša Ogrin
Poster and publication design: Urška Alič
Slovenian proofreading of the texts in the exhibition: Katja Paladin English proofreading of the texts in the exhibition: Sašo Podobnik
Photos of the exhibition opening: Blaž Jamšek
Photos of the workshop: Amadeja Smrekar
Thank you for your help in preparing the exhibition and selecting the music for the opening: Borut Bernik
Print: Print Point d.o.o.
Number of copies: 50
Workshop participants:
Katja Florjanc
Tim Gerdin
Živa Gostinčar
Tanja Kocjančič
Lara Pišl Ptičak
Mojca Sfiligoj
Amadeja Smrekar
Jaka Šubic
Veronika Tržan
Blaž Završnik
Project Material. Context. Society. Perspectives of future architecture took place in the year 2023 in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
This publication is part of the Project Material. Context. Society. Perspectives of Future Architecture and is available in print (Slovene version) and online.
Sponsors: The project is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia.
Sponsor of Exhibitions at the Dessa gallery:
