A project of relevant scale is rarely a single Man’s work. From the village barn raising events done in the 18th and 19th century to the standard taskforce that a project developer engages nowadays, a build structure requires many hands on-board, bringing forth different inputs and expertise to shape and execute it.
Quite often then none these additional interventions influence the Architect’s design and decisions. A community’s needs or feedback and labor skills can indicate what is most befitting the context. Consultants and engineers of all trades can set the parameters of a certain built work and even come up with new solutions to extend the realm of design possibilities through use of available materials or new technologies.
Through the article, we list just a few examples of Collective, Organization or University led projects. These groups are made of diverse experts and members, besides architects, all relaying the importance that collective work plays in the creation of our built environment and how collaborative handovers can improve the quality of life in our cities.
Lim'uhphile Co-op / Collectif saga
The construction site is open to all, it gathers members of the non-profit and many local and international volunteers. Thanks to a partnership with a local NGO, the construction process becomes part of a training program, involving 5 local and unemployed youth on site.
Science Park Pavilion / LAAR
In 2009, in the southern zone of Yucatán, in México, a group of young students, sons, and daughters of Mayan farmers belonging to the rural community of Dzán, whose economic support consists mainly in the farming of citrus, moved by their “change their world” reckless enthusiasm, took the action into working together through science and culture with the purpose of inspiring the most vulnerable sector of the population: children and young adolescents, whose school dropout, substance abuse rates and lacking vocation were rising.
Manufacturing Utopia - How Assemble is Creating a Model Factory at A/D/O
With ‘A Factory As It Might Be’, we are interested in how utopian ideas can be applied to the very practical reality of construction, and how building elements – and their method of production – can become an expression of social, economic and political aspirations – Lewis Jones, founding member of Assemble.
Haduwa Stage / [applied] Foreign Affairs, Institute of Architecture, University of Applied Arts Vienna
Constructing with bamboo is also meant to foster the reputation of sustainable architecture in Ghana. In this regard, the aim of the project is “to put Ghana on the world map of bamboo” (Jörg Stamm). The project was built by the authors themselves, together with local experts and workers.
ReYard House / Team Bosphorus from Turkey
Team Bosphorus is-the first Turkish team competed in Solar Decathlon-including students and professors from two well-known universities of İstanbul/Turkey; İstanbul Technical University and Yildiz Technical University. The team has been awarded in 3 categories in the competition; Innovation, Engineering and Construction, Communication and Social Awareness.
The Voxel Quarantine Cabin / Valldaura Labs
The Voxel project, produced by a team made up of students, professionals, and experts from the Master in Advanced Ecological Buildings and Biocities (MAEBB) of the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) Valldaura Labs. It is a quarantine cabin designed for the self-confinement of one occupant. The project was designed entirely under quarantine conditions and is an architectural response to the current crisis.
Urbach Tower / ICD/ITKE University of Stuttgart
Augmented Bricklaying / Gramazio Kohler Research
To address these challenges, the project “Augmented Bricklaying” reintroduces craftsmen into a digital fabrication process. By optically instructing masons with tailored digital information through a custom augmented reality user interface, a direct connection to the digital design model can be established.
A Room for Archaeologists and Kids in Pachacámac / ETH Zurich + PUCP
The result was fifteen projects that were presented and discussed as a group. The challenge was how to integrate the best ideas, discoveries and insights produced by the fifteen teams into a single project.
Chamanga Cultural Center / Munich University of Applied Sciences + Portland State University + Atarraya Taller de Arquitectura + Opción Más
The project was organized in two phases within a design/build framework, where students design, plan and build in collaboration with local community, professionals and professors.
BUGA Wood Pavilion / ICD/ITKE University of Stuttgart
AirMesh Pavilion / AIRLAB
AirMesh is the world first architectural structure made of 3D printed components in stainless steel, demonstrating innovative digital design and manufacturing technologies developed by AirLab at Singapore University of Technology and Design in Singapore.
DFAB House / NCCR Digital Fabrication
The project is the result of a nationwide interdisciplinary research initiative in Switzerland, called NCCR Digital Fabrication, aimed at transforming the design and building process by integrating computational design and digital fabrication into architecture.
Timescapes Pavilion / AIRLAB
House of the Big Arch / Frankie Pappas
Note: The quoted texts are excerpts from the archived descriptions of each project, previously sent by the architects. Find more reference projects in this My ArchDaily folder created by the author.
This article is part of the ArchDaily Topic: Collective Design. Every month we explore a topic in-depth through articles, interviews, news, and projects. Learn more about our monthly topics. As always, at ArchDaily we welcome the contributions of our readers; if you want to submit an article or project, contact us.
