The European Cultural Centre (ECC), a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering cultural exchanges on an international scale, showcased its sixth edition of the Time Space Existence architecture exhibition alongside this year's Venice Architecture Biennale. The 2023 installment was centered on the theme of sustainability in its various forms, encompassing subjects related to migration, digital building technologies and material research, future urban developments, and housing, bringing together architects, designers, artists, academics, and photographers from 52 different countries.
Through diverse mediums and perspectives, participants have explored the philosophical concepts of Time, Space, and Existence. With a total of 217 projects on display, the exhibition is held at Palazzo Bembo, Palazzo Mora, and the Marinaressa Gardens in Venice, throughout the six-month duration of the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale, running from May 20th to November 26th, 2023. Focusing also on emerging young architects, designers, and researchers, the 2023 edition of the exhibition is a proactive endeavor to reimagine alternative lifestyles and reconceptualize architecture within the contemporary landscape.
Discover below key projects exhibited at the main venues of this year's edition of Time Space Existence, grouped under 3 key subjects, and check the interview with 3 young and emerging talents whose work is highlighted in the architecture exhibition: BioMat, the Circular Factory, and Oliver Christen Architekten. Also, make sure to read about 10 Structural Installations by Snøhetta, MADWORKSHOP, and others at the ECC's 'Time Space Existence' Exhibition in Venice.
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Time Space Existence 2023 Envisions New Sustainable Ways ForwardPeople Displacement
People displacement, also known as migration, refers to the movement of individuals or groups from one location to another, typically involving a change in their place of residence. Migration can occur for various reasons, including economic, social, political, environmental, and personal factors. The world is facing instances of forced migration, due to conflict, persecution, human rights violations, or environmental disasters, creating significant humanitarian challenges, requiring assistance and support from governments, international organizations, and civil society.
To tackle this, and in the framework of the Time Space Existence exhibition, the Norman Foster Foundation (NFF) and Holcim presented at Palazzo Mora and at the Giardini della Marinaressa, the Essential Homes Research Project, which aims to mitigate the effects of the current cost of living crisis and address the need for social and spatial justice. This project proposes the creation of safe, comfortable, and dignified homes for displaced individuals, designed by the Norman Foster Foundation and constructed using sustainable solutions provided by Holcim’s green solutions, from ECOPact low carbon concrete to Elevate Insulation boards, to make sustainable building accessible to all.
Moreover, at Palazzo Bembo, in collaboration with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), the Civic Data Design Lab at MIT showcased interactive visualizations that present crucial insights into the root causes of migration. The Civic Data Design Lab at MIT is dedicated to utilizing data for the betterment of society, by fostering collaboration among a diverse team comprising data scientists, policy experts, designers, and technologists. At the heart of the exhibition stands a monumental tapestry that depicts the driving forces compelling vulnerable families from Central America to undertake migration, along with the associated costs of their journeys. This expansive data visualization artwork measures 15 by 8 feet and was created using a unique dataset collected by the WFP during a comprehensive study involving 5,000 families from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. The findings from this study were subsequently analyzed and presented in the report titled "Charting a New Regional Course of Action." The tapestry vividly illustrates a significant surge in the number of individuals contemplating migration, directly attributed to the global pandemic's impact and the subsequent rise in food insecurity within the region. Also looking at migration, Hariri & Hariri exhibited at Palazzo Mora a designed affordable and secure prefabricated folding PODs, addressing displacement resulting from political reasons or natural disasters.
Digital BuildingTechnologies and Material Research
Digital Building Technologies (DBT) combines digital technologies with innovative material research to advance the design, construction, and operation of buildings, encompassing various aspects, like computational design, robotic fabrication, digital fabrication techniques, and the exploration of new materials and construction methods. Material research, a crucial component of digital building technologies led the way to innovations in the field, such as the creation of advanced composites, bio-based materials, and smart materials, with enhanced properties in terms of strength, durability, sustainability, and functionality. Digital building technologies seek to revolutionize the construction industry by enabling more sustainable, efficient, and innovative approaches to building design and construction. These technologies have the potential to reduce waste, increase energy efficiency, enhance architectural aesthetics, and create structures that are responsive to environmental conditions and people’s needs.
HUSH, a creative agency, collaborating with impactful companies for 16 years, merging digital storytelling with architecture to convey important messages is presenting Material Stories at Palazzo Mora. This presentation at the "Time, Space, and Existence" exhibition takes a data-driven approach to examining material choices, their impact on form and design processes, and the integration of design automation within the limitations of carbon cost. “Material decisions are fundamental to the role of architects and designers, yet they are often made without a comprehensive understanding of their true sustainability implications”. The visualizations showcased in the exhibition showcase an evolving design process that relies on data, starting with a straightforward quantitative approach and gradually embracing principles of parametric design. This enables a more flexible manipulation of form, scale, and materials, effectively revealing the hidden carbon costs associated with the materials being used.
Combining Material Research, Architectural Design, and Digital Fabrication Technologies, BioMat, led by Prof. Dr.-Ing Arch. Hanaa Dahy is an organization with branches in Germany and Denmark, that explores innovative solutions for sustainable architecture by utilizing materials as a fundamental design tool. This endeavor stems from the urgent need to address the significant environmental impact caused by the construction industry. Employing a bottom-up approach to research, the exhibition presented at Palazzo Mora titled "Materials as a Design Tool" highlights recent endeavors that push the boundaries of utilizing biomaterials in the realm of construction. The first project, 3DNaturalPrint, explores the architectural possibilities of 3D printing using natural fibers. LightPro focuses on the application of an inventive material composed of pultruded flax fibers. Lastly, Smart Circular Bridge showcases the potential of a bio-economy within the construction sector. Collectively, these projects serve as compelling examples, illustrating how biomaterials can contribute to a more resource-efficient approach to shaping the sustainable architecture of tomorrow.
In addition, Circular Factory (CF), also presenting at Palazzo Mora seeks to establish a digital timber factory on the secluded island of Roatan, Honduras. Their primary goal is to manufacture, directly on-site, a housing complex designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. Roatan, known for its abundant resources, presents an opportune location for this innovative project. The island also demonstrates a keen interest in embracing digitization and enhancing skill sets as means of driving positive transformation and economic prosperity within the region. Showcasing the potential of mixed reality in achieving self-balancing construction, SOM with Princeton University’s Form Finding Lab and UCHV Research Film Studio presented a self-balancing vault structure, created by merging traditional craftsmanship with augmented reality technology and inspired by the self-supporting vault construction technique, exemplified by Filippo Brunelleschi's dome for the Florence Cathedral. In fact, the research suggests that this impressive dome might have utilized self-balancing mechanics, eliminating the requirement for temporary external supports during its construction. The installation in Venice was built using 2000 handmade bricks made from recycled material, with the help of a data-driven augmented reality (AR) interface that guided the precise placement of each brick in a complex geometric pattern.
Future Urban Developments and Housing
Nowadays, the main goal of urban development is to create sustainable, inclusive, and vibrant cities that promote economic growth, social equity, and environmental well-being, accommodate the needs of a growing population, and enhance the quality of urban life. Envisioning and designing cities for the future, while anticipating and responding to emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities, future urbanity takes into account concepts like smart cities, green infrastructure, mixed-use developments, walkability, and community engagement. Nevertheless, one of the main challenges of the century remains housing shortages and rising costs, pressing issues in many cities worldwide, that require sustainable and inclusive housing solutions considering affordability, energy efficiency, social equity, and community.
In the aftermath of the devastating blast that occurred on August 4th, 2020, in Beirut, Lebanon, an initiative called the Living Heritage Atlas Beirut, supported by the Dar Group, a collaborative effort between a team of researchers from MIT and Beirut, has geo-located and mapped more than 160 craftspeople who played a crucial role in the reconstruction of the city's center, over the course of 2 years. This project seeks to bring attention to the intangible cultural heritage of Beirut by highlighting the cultural significance of craftspeople, their vulnerability to displacement and economic inequality, and their indispensable role in shaping the future of the city. Through an open-source database, it maps the location of craftspeople and captures their invaluable local knowledge. It features over 800 entries encompassing both historic and contemporary craft workshop spaces. The data for this database was collected through on-site investigations, archival research, and community-based engagement efforts.
On another hand, Oliver Christen Architekten is a design studio located in Baden, Switzerland, focusing on creating architecture that takes into account various aspects related to the built environment, social considerations, and compositional concerns. Through a series of five photographs, the architect provides a glimpse into his early work, which revolves around his first five buildings. These images serve as documentation of the fundamental elements that define his architectural style. Accompanied by personal notes and sketches, the architect takes visitors on a guided tour of his designs, offering insights into his thought processes concerning building culture, holistic approaches to sustainability, and his quest for poetic qualities within architectural spaces. The inclusion of models further enhances the understanding of his meticulous approach to construction, tectonics, and conceptual thinking, making his ideas tangible and visually accessible. Last but not least, presenting an alternative vision for urban housing, the exhibition "Reconceptualizing Urban Housing" focuses on the concept of liveable collective housing. This exhibition highlights the work of women-led practices from various parts of the world, who offer unique perspectives on addressing the global housing crisis. " Reconceptualising Housing: Adengo Architecture, Alison Brooks Architects, Dubbeldam Architecture + Design, Eleena Jamil Architect, Fernanda Canales Arquitectura, Manuelle Gautrand Architecture, Mecanoo, Meyer-Grohbruegge, Studio Gang” explores how collective housing in urban areas can be made more liveable, encompassing approaches from Europe and North America but also includes examples from developing nations such as Uganda, Malaysia, and Mexico.
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