Archiphoenix
[One of the rendering of the Architecture Faculty of Delft by Van den Broek & Bakema before it got constructed in the early 70s]
Archis collaborates with NAI at the Biennale di Venezia in generating concepts and staging a debate around the question of how the next generation of architects should engage architecture. In other words drafting a curriculum of the architecture school of the future!
ARCHIPHOENIX – Faculties for Architecture turns the Dutch Pavilion, at this year Architecture Biennial in Venice, into a week long stage for international research and exploration and a debate centre focussing on the capacities and capabilities of architecture – beyond building. While on the one hand, global pressures – massive population growth, economic instabilities, limits of the resources available, just to name a few – urge architects to radically reconsider their tools, products and models of working, a growing number of unconventional practices already showcase possible directions. How could they be made to work – on a scale that answers the challenges ahead?
In times of unrestrained building, the Dutch pavilion takes the recent burning-down of the Faculty of Architecture in Delft as starting point for an exploration of what values to defend, what territories to explore and what practices to develop as an architect. In short: the faculties for architecture, in the sense of its multiple capacities, powers, capabilities. A question mark rather than an exclamation mark.
The project focuses on five questions each architect encounters: Why we make – beyond the profitable simplicity into the social sustainability, What we make – beyond the artifact, How we work – beyond the singular into the collaborative, For whom we make – beyond power to empowerment, and finally What it takes to make (and un-make) – beyond the sustainable: challenging the flow of resources, materials and people. These five seemingly simple questions, if put to face the future challenges ahead might turn to become serious issues for discussion!
From 9-14 September, during the Biennial opening days, the project takes the opportunity to engage the vast network of architects and other professionals present in a direct exchange either as speakers, interviewers, editors. The pavilion itself will change on a daily basis to accommodate round tables, speed dates, lectures, dinner, workshop, and an on-site instantly edited video and book production unit. While the pavilion will act as a temporary ‘school’, the book produced will become an imaginary curriculum for architecture beyond division on education and practice. The results of this dense process will be on show during the rest of the Biennial, until 23 November 2008.
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ARCHIPHOENIX – Faculties for Architecture, takes place from 9 September to 23 November 2008, at the Dutch Pavilion, Giardini, as a part of the 11th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice.
The project is commissioned by Ole Bouman, director of the Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAi), Rotterdam.
Curated by Saskia van Stein and STEALTH.unlimited (Ana Dzokic/Marc Neelen).
The program and the on-site content production is made in collaboration with the editorial group comprising Lilet Breddel, Christian Ernsten, Jeanne van Heeswijk, Dennis Kaspori, Peter Lang, Billy Nolan, Arjen Oosterman, Miguel Robles-Duran and Piet Vollaard.
Click here for full program in the Dutch Pavilion [PDF]
The Dutch submission to the Architecture Biennial has been organized by the Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAI) at the invitation of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science
(OC&W).