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In the aftermath of war, a lot of (re)construction takes place. Can this be done in such a way that it contributes to more peaceful relations among the inhabitants in the future? Is an ‘architecture of peace’ possible? These were central questions at the conference of architects and social scientists at the Netherlands Architecture Institute, Rotterdam last May. The conference was organized by Archis, the University of Amsterdam, Partizan Publik and the NAI and gathered experts from Europe, the Middle East, and South Africa to discuss experiences and potential fields of exploration in order to improve on post-conflict regeneration.
With lectures by Sultan Barakat, Kai Voeckler, Jolyon Leslie, Hilton Judin, Paul van Tongeren and Cees Hamelink, with workshops and additional presentations the two-day program was rich and packed. The overall impression was one of admiration and slight despair; admiration for the perseverance and creativity with which parties involved worked in most of the time entangling circumstances. Despair on the complexity of problematics that leaves one with hardly a clue where to start.
This exactly was one of the goals of the conference: to identity viable strategies for the so called ‘second phase reconstruction’ and showcase successful examples of interventions, because the number of failed projects in aid and reconstruction programs has literally no end.
Examples from Afghanistan, Yemen, Kosovo, South Africa, Cyprus and other countries illustrated vividly some dos and don’ts. In discussion a first, preliminary list of recommendations could be compiled, among them: the importance of a good needs assessment, early involvement of architects, capacity building, the importance of cultural and ethical codes, planning with a long term view, and the ability to hold out. This might not sound revolutionary, but in analyzing past projects it proved quite difficult to avoid mistakes on these and other aspects. Especially to want too much too fast is a common ingredient leading to disappointment.
In general there was agreement that spatial issues are vital in post-conflict reconstruction. This suggests that an architecture of peace as field of knowledge and expertise can be developed and that this might also relate to conflict prevention as field for design and intervention.
This first conference was meant to explore the possible role of architecture in reconstruction after conflict and to bring together experts from the field of social science and architecture. From here new projects will be developed and discussed in a second conference with the participation of global players in the field. A website on the project with a full report of the conference will be available soon.
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