http://www.seenetwork.org 2011-12-21 11:30:47 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 en daily 1 http://www.seenetwork.org/activities/213/ 2011-12-21 11:30:47 National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC), Bucharest 16.12.2011 Zeppelin Association, Archis Interventions/SEE, DISC (Dutch Initiative for Sustainable Cities), Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAI) - Debates on Tour programme How can our cities become more attractive, both for their inhabitants and for investment? By whom and how could new projects be implemented, partnerships being created, how could funds for all of this be attracted? The conference brought together professionals from different disciplines, from Romania, The Netherlands and Germany: architects, urban planners, economy and finance experts discussed possibilities and scenarios for new urban projects and business solutions together with the audience. Moderated by Joep de Roo and Kai Voeckler, presentations were made by Gheorghe Patrascu, Chief - Architect of the City of Bucharest; Serban Tiganas, President of the Romanian Chamber of Architects; Anca Ginavar, General Director for Territorial Development, Ministry for Regional Development and Tourism Romania; Piet Van Ruler, senior partner urban development, Twynstra Gudde, Amersfoort; Prof. Liviu Ianasi, 'Ion Mincu' University of Architecture and Urbanism, Bucharest; Damo Holt, director, Ecorys Research & Consulting, Rotterdam; Ellen van der Lei, European Investment Bank, Luxembourg; Sorina Racoviceanu, director, IHS - Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies, Bucharest; Eugen Panescu, architect and director, Planwerk, Cluj.]]> http://www.seenetwork.org/activities/211/ 2011-12-09 14:08:38 Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade (MoCAB) 05.12.2011 The conference - whose primary focus was 'Energoprojekt', one of the world's leading construction companies, founded in 1951 and still operating globally - encompassed presentations by Marijana Vasic on the history of the company, and a study by Dubravka Sekulic of the International (Trade) Fair site in Lagos, Nigeria, which was designed in the 1970s by Zoran Bojovic, who also joined in the discussion. There followed a presentation by Ljiljana and Dragoljub Bakic about a project they undertook on behalf of Energoprojekt in the 1980s, namely to design and build the Conference Centre and Sheraton Hotel in Harare, Zimbabwe. The presentations and discussions provided an interesting insight into Energoprojekt's operations, and situated these in the broader context of Yugoslavia's role in the Non-Aligned Movement. At the subsequent workshop, the 'Non-Aligned Modernity' project's future prospects were discussed with the Belgrade scholars presently investigating various examples of Yugoslav institutional policy - that of the Museum of African Art, for instance - in the light of Non-Alignment policy. The 'Non-Aligned Modernity' working group - represented at the workshop by Zoran Eric (MoCAB), Manuela Bojadzijev (Humboldt University), Jochen Becker (metroZones), Kai Vöckler (Archis Interventions) - and its collaborators - the artistic duo Sabine Bitter and Helmut Weber and architect Dubravka Sekulic - pinpointed the questions that need to be answered in the course of its members' on-going research, in order to make an effective contribution to global discourse on contemporary urban and socio-political developments. The group plans ultimately to compile its research findings in a joint publication.]]> http://www.seenetwork.org/activities/208/ 2011-11-18 12:24:02 Vivacom Art Hall, Sofia Architecture Week (SAW), Sofia 05.11. - 04.12.2011 In cooperation with AzW Architekturzentrum Wien/Vienna and SAM Swiss Architecture Museum, Basel. Organised by Architecture Center Sofia Az S (Ephgenia Hodkevitch and Boris Enev) Curated by Kai Vöckler The exhibition (co-curated by Vladimir Kulic and Maroje Mrduljas) focuses on the architecture of former Yugoslavia and its successor states, and on urban transformation in South Eastern Europe, by referencing various case studies from Belgrade, Bucharest, Kotor, Pula, Prishtina, Sofia, Tirana and Zagreb. Sofia is the final venue on this exhibition tour, following successful presentations in Basel (2008), Vienna (2009/2010), Bucharest (2010), and Belgrade and Podgorica (2011), where it — and the accompanying program of conferences — aroused a great deal of public interest. Curator Kai Vöckler has expressed interest in developing a new, innovative format, both in order to intensify exhibition participants' discussion of current urban transformation in South Eastern Europe, and to present their findings to a broader public. ]]> http://www.seenetwork.org/activities/206/ 2011-11-15 14:04:41 Community Building Mitrovica (CBM), Center for Civil Society Development (CCSD), Archis Interventions Oct. 29, 2011 In the framework of the 'Divided Cities' project, a meeting was arranged with Momcilo Arlov (CCSD), Valdete Idrizi and Afërdite Syla (CBM), in order to discuss the situation in Mitrovica and future cooperation. The representatives of the Civil Society Organisations from Mitrovica North ('Serbian') and South ('Albanian') gave a brief insight into their work in recent years, a specific focus of which has been he recently founded Mitrovica Forum. This joint civil platform for representatives of both communities is open both to members of the general public and to members of the city administration. More information about the Forum will be available in a forthcoming Archis SEE Network publication, in spring 2012. ]]> http://www.seenetwork.org/activities/203/ 2011-11-15 14:03:41 Archis Interventions, Hackenbroich Architekten Oct. 28/29, 2011 Archis Interventions initiated and organised a public debate with architects and representatives of the Municipality on the topic of recurrent problems in the legalisation process. About 7000 applications for legalisation are currently being processed, but it remains unclear how many illegally erected buildings have still to be dealt with. Also, more illegal buildings have been erected since the registration phase ended, which calls for a new response from the Municipality. A new, additional problem is that the procedure for obtaining a building permit is still too complicated and extremely slow — in some cases it lasts several years. Furthermore, binding and coherent building legislation has not yet come into force. The overall process — legalisation per se, the enforcement of building regulations and the issue of building permits must therefore be radically reorganized. One outcome of the debate is that Archis Interventions, with the support of Hackenbroich Architekten and students of the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Prishtina, will analyse selected sites in order to illustrate problematic aspects of the legalization process as well as potential solutions, and thereby make recommendations on how to improve the legalisation process and speed up the issue of building permits. ]]> http://www.seenetwork.org/activities/200/ 2011-11-08 12:28:16 Zeppelin, Hackenbroich Architekten, Archis Interventions

The 'Magic Blocks' project, as presented in the SEE Archis Interventions in South Eastern Europe insert to Volume #26, December 2011 (download on seenetwork.org/projects) culminated in various strategies, including an urban strategy focused on the 'non-space' behind the prefabricated tower blocks built as public housing in the socialist era along Bucharest's major boulevards. This 'concrete curtain' cuts off the older urban social fabric from main circulation routes. The workshop focused on strategic activation of this zone by proposing a new form of regulation, which would designate the area behind the tower blocks an intervention zone and differentiate it from the older urban fabric, which is a designated protected zone. Stimulating investment in the intervention zone and possibly also permitting a greater density of construction there - office space as well as other building types - would represent an improvement of the semi-public space behind the blocks, and contribute to preservation of the inner-city urban fabric. For this reason, important stakeholders from the municipality such as politicians and also experts from various fields are to be addressed directly. The workshop concentrated on developing this concept for public presentation. ]]> http://www.seenetwork.org/activities/197/ 2011-11-03 12:09:08 Part of the Archis SEE Network Divided Cities Project Dipkarpaz / Rizokarpaso, Cyprus (05.08.2011) Archis Interventions Cyprus Initiative The workshop - part of a broader program of meetings, events and workshops - was organized in cooperation with the local residents, associations and authorities of the village Dip Karpaz / Rizokarpaso, in order to read, learn from and contribute to their and our understanding and usages of space. The children's workshop was organized as one among several attempts to document children's perspectives on current conditions in the village while also providing them with a chance to re-think and evaluate their environment, and social dynamics in the village. Throughout the process they had the chance to discuss with us, among themselves, and with their families the qualities of the physical and social village environment, including cultural interaction among groups of people there. The basic aim of the workshop was to bring together the children of both communities to discuss their viewpoints on the existing qualities of the village and to envision its future. By examining the children's spatial practice within the village, it was possible to identify potential intervention spaces that all members of the society, and the children in particular generally pass by in the course of their everyday routine. Using this strategy, the project aims to identify neutral spaces and the routes taken by the youngest social group in the village, where interaction and cooperation between communities seem to be possible. Photos of the village shot by the children, as well as the drawings they made in order to explain their respective villages will be integrated in a single village map. This drawing by a 9-year-old Turkish girl visualizes acceptance for the co-existence of the church (kilise) and the mosque (cami). ]]> http://www.seenetwork.org/activities/195/ 2011-07-22 17:44:28 ]]> http://www.seenetwork.org/activities/193/ 2011-07-13 16:31:08 Exhibition at the Canadian Center for Architecture (CCA), Montreal (16.06.-04.09.2011) The Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) presents The Good Cause: Architecture of Peace, an exhibition in its Octagonal Gallery examining issues arising from the reconstruction of post-war territories. The Good Cause explores the creation of lasting peace through architecture and planning projects designed to stabilize, humanize, and rebuild cities and territories devastated by armed conflict. The exhibition questions whether reconstruction can be an instrument of peace and conflict prevention, and it highlights the complexities alongside factors of success and failure involved in this process. Conceived by the NAI (Rotterdam) and Archis (Amsterdam) and realised in collaboration with the CCA, the exhibition looks at the production of space in wartime and peacetime and presents case studies of projects undertaken with the participation of architects, planners, and architecture schools in several regions scarred by long-term geopolitical tensions: Afghanistan, Kosovo, South Africa, Rwanda, Israel, and Palestine. The Archis Interventions project in Prishtina which developed strategies on the regulation of formerly illegal construction in Kosovo and fostered improvements in the urban fabric is part of the exhibition. Curators: Saskia van Stein, Lilet Breddels and Arjen Oosterman Photo: The Good Cause: Architecture of Peace, installation view at the Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal, 2011 (c) CCA]]> http://www.seenetwork.org/activities/191/ 2011-06-14 15:49:20 Hands On Workshop 21 May, 2011, Dipkarpaz/Rizokarpaso, Cyprus A participatory workshop organized in Dipkarpaz/Rizokarpaso, on May 21, 2011, discussed and evaluated the needs and the potential of the village itself , its inhabitants, and the broader spatial environment. The workshop aimed to bring together all the diverse communities in the village. The municipality of Dipkarpaz and local communities supported the workshop, the first participatory gathering of this type to take place in the village. However, ongoing social and political tensions made it difficult to begin work with all local communities simultaneously. Therefore, the Hands On Workshop on May 21 was focussed initially on the Turkish residents of Dipkarpaz village. The team then arranged small meetings with the Greek population of the village, which are to be continued in the coming weeks, in order to make a better and fairer evaluation of local needs and potential. Besides being the first attempt to bring together all the village communities and thus improve living standards and infrastructure within the settlement, the Hands On Workshop also demonstrated great overall potential for bringing out the capacities of the area, the village itself, and the inhabitants. The workshop developed a set of strategies and actions - a village map, for example - which will be implemented in the coming months, in cooperation with local residents. A concept for a permanent community centre and a new central site for a village market will also be worked on. A Dipkarpaz Festival, which would draw attention to the village and show off its assets, is also under discussion with officials and citizens.]]>