On the Economic Crisis and its Intricate Relation to Architecture

The Berlage Institute, in conjunction with A10 New European Architecture Magazine, Bureau Europa, and the Powerhouse Company, will present the symposium entitled Rien ne va plus / Faites vos jeux  on Thursday, 17 June, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, Berlage Institute, Rotterdam.

The symposium considers the economic crisis in relation to architecture and a possible agenda for the future of architectural practice.

The program starts with the premise that we are confronted today with a range of crises intrinsically related to one another: the financial crisis; the climate crisis; the financial, technical, and organizational deadlock in the building industry; concerns over aging populations; and a moral crisis that impedes us from formulating an appropriate attitude towards the all the former. All these crises have a direct influence on the practice of architecture and the position of the architect or urban planner in society. In a series of five conversations, renowned thinkers and architects are invited to debate on the current state of affairs in the building industry and to consider possible solutions for a more successful future practice.

Do architects and urban designers carry responsibility when it comes to the ‘boom’ in the building industry prior to the crisis? How will the changes in financial regulation influence the practice of architecture and city planning? What are the opportunities within design and architecture in relation to sustainability, a contemporary culture of disposability, the shrinkage of cities, and aging populations? How do varying rules and restrictions influence the architectural process in different political contexts? Should the architect claim an autonomous position, or should he or she actively engage in the reality of political and economic circumstances?

The symposium is part of the binary research project, also entitled “‘Rien ne va plus’/’Faites vos jeux,'” which also focused on the recent economic crisis and initiated by the Powerhouse Company in 2009. The project began last September with an exhibition entitled Rien ne va plus at Bureau Europa in Maastricht, which was accompanied by the publication of a reader and a series of debates between architects, urban planners, and real estate developers. In the fall of 2010, a follow-up exhibition entitled Faites vos jeux will open at the same venue, accompanied by a second reader. The symposium stands as a pivotal occasion, in which we look back at the problems presented in Rien ne va plus and begin to think about possible solutions that will define the content of Faites vos jeux.

Speakers include:

Pier Vittorio Aureli

Head of “The City as a Project” PhD Program, Berlage Institute, Rotterdam

Thomas Kong

Architect / Jaap Bakema Fellow

Winy Maas

Founding partner MVRDV, Rotterdam

Bjarne Mastenbroek

Founding architect  SeARCH 7 / director  BNA

Daniel Niggli & Matthias Müller

Founding architects EM2N

Philipp Oswalt

Director Stiftung Bauhaus, Dessau

Rudy Stroink

Director TCN Properties

It will be moderated by Hans Ibelings, Editor-in-Chief, A10 New European Architecture Magazine, Amsterdam; and Roemer va Toorn , Head of the Projective Theory Program, Berlage Institute, Rotterdam.

http://www.berlage-institute.nl

17 giugno 2010