EUROPEAN FORUM FOR ARCHITECTURAL POLICIESFORUM EUROPÉEN DES POLITIQUES ARCHITECTURALES

platform for european architecture

This work programme has been funded with support from European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible of any use which may be made of the information coutained therein.

Supported by

Organizers

www.underconstructions.eu

WORKSHOP 3Potsdam / DE30th March 2012

PRESS RELEASE

PARTICIPANTS

Verena Brehm

Cityförster, architecture + urbanism, Berlin, DE

Tore Dobberstein

Planungsbüro complizen, Berlin, DE

Florian Köhl

Fat Kôhl Architekten, Berlin, DE

Clément Mariott

Un plus Un, Paris, FR, manager

Yvette Masson-Zanussi

EFAP a.i.s.b.l, manager, Bruxelles, BE

project manager of underconstructions

Celia Picard

wonderland, platform for european architecture, Vienna, AT

partner project manager of underconstructions

Hannes Schreckensberger

wonderland, platform for european architecture, Vienna, AT

partner project manager of underconstructions

Marco Stathopoulos

EFAP a.i.s.b.l, manager assistant, Bruxelles, BE

project manager assistant of underconstructions

Carl Zillich

Bundesstiftung Baukultur, Potsdam, D, head of research

www.underconstructions.eu

send@underconstructions.eu

Workshop

The third Underconstructions workshop was hosted at Bundesstiftung

Baukultur, Potsdam / DE on the 30 of March 2012.

Following the first two Underconstructions workshops taking place in

Vienna and Rotterdam, this Workshop was devoted to the topic of „Re-

thinking inclusive strategies“ as an innovative method of implementing

civic engagement in architecture and urban planning in Europe.

Inclusive strategies have a tradition which is little-known in Europe.

Hannes Schreckensberger and Celia Picard from wonderland offered a

short historical review of the Austrian architect Eilfried Huth and his im-

plementation of participatory practices in social housing projects from

the 1970s to the 1990s. The participants heard about the importance

of the socio-political will of local authorities in realizing such processes

and how individual commitment was necessary to challenge and push

the rules, in the past as well as in the present.

Clément Mariotte from „Un plus Un“ introduced an innovative housing

model they developed. The model allows modest families to own

their own place of residency. It aims to provide families with affordable

and unique apartments. The association assumes the role of facilita-

tor between home-buyers, local authorities, developers, banks and

building material suppliers. With the aid of lawyers, they developed an

«uncomplicated state buy» system. They worked with banks in finding

the right format of credit.

Florian Köhl from FAT KOEHL offered a summary of his experience as

an architect in his ongoing processes. He presented different varia-

tions of shared authorship strategies co-housing groups implement.

> Célia Picard, Hannes Schreckensberger, Tore Dobberstein, Marco Stathopoulos,Clément Mariotte, Yvette Masson-Za-nussi, Carl Zillich, Verena Brehm, Florian Köhl.

> Hannes Schreckensberger, Marco Stathopoulos, Yvette Masson-Zanussi, Clément Mariotte.

Together with his office in Berlin, which has been focusing on this

field over the last few years, he accumulated a significant amount of

experience. Shared authorship is based on a clear definition of roles

between users, architects and the project manager. Its relation to the

city is fundamental for the office, and their work focuses on co-ope-

rating with groups in integrating this relationship with the domestic

demand. As citizens actively engaged in their cities, they consider the

project to be flexible and aren’t afraid of bending some of the urban

rules they find meaningless.

Verena Brehm, from the transnational architecture office Cityförster,

talked about the implementation of participation as a method in their

practice. She focused on their study of the future transformation of the

airport Berlin Tegel area following its shutdown in the summer of 2012.

One of the main theses their proposition had, which was prepared for

the consultation commissioned by the Senate Department for Urban

Development of Berlin, was the generation of engagement by changing

the tools of planning.

Torre Dobberstein from the Planungsbüro Complizen introduced their

innovative and award winning approach of implementing sports in

urban planning. The so-called “Sportification” process utilizes sports

as a universal medium. It serves as a method for constructing a playful

argument which encourages discussions about the city. Inclusion in this

process takes place through personal experience and the development

of the feeling of belonging. This method brings up an important ques-

tion: how much power do inhabitants have and how can they react to

their social environment?

Following the presentations, a final discussion ensued. It focused on

how far participation can go and the meta-idea that participation is

about democracy. One of the recommendations coming out of the

discussion was to find and develop adequate conversation languages

between the inhabitants and politics. Doing so could create new

partnerships which foster inclusive strategies. The goal is to make

possible, the realization of new processes which can generate social

change.

The workshop covered the questions of empowerment and parti-

cipatory practices on different levels in innovative manners, which

are showcases of good tools, as underlined by wonderland. Invited

architects and experts pointed out that a critically ethical approach,

and innovative processes, were necessary in managing the high

risk associated with the loss against the power of the construction

business and the reluctance of policies. The adaptation of these new

strategies require effort by policymakers and a strong will for change.

And finally, EFAP stressed that participatory practices play an important

role in ensuring the evolution of policies that it aims to support. By

setting the needs before the project and the rules, these processes

give priority to the best solution in a specific situation. Good solutions,

projects that work, provide the best information for adapting policies to

reality. By disseminating information about possible architectural and

urban planning processes, Underconstructions is a powerful tool for

designing better European cities.

> Tore Dobberstein, Verena Brehm, Carl Zillich, Florian Köhl