History as Catalyst

8 projects to re-think our cities through architecture and craftsmanship: the Aarhus School of Architecture takes history as a point of departure. #MDW2016

The Danish Aarhus School of Architecture took history as point of departure for the exhibition “History as Catalyst”, presented at Ventura Lambrate 2016, in an attempt to re-think the architecture practice and show how designers and architects can contribute to improving people’s everyday lives in a society of constant change.

To spark off a discussion embracing the numerous challenges architects are facing today, the exhibition presented experimental and transdisciplinary collaborations and inventions rather than finished products. The Aarhus School of Architecture tries to push the boundaries and go a step further to demonstrate our knowledge of design, fabrication, use of materials, and to discuss the relevance of design in society.

Around the world, towns and cities are undergoing massive changes which make the re-think practice necessary, with the proposal of radical and sustainable solutions. This is why students focused on transformation, habitation and sustainability. In the exhibition, structures in straw, brick, clay and wood, together with robotic thatching, casting and CNC milling, address a reflective knowledge and interest in both materials and digital production methods. “History as Catalyst” is a guide to action in the present, using the resources of the past to imagine alternative possibilities and thereby qualify and inform future practice.

 

Martin Waltersdorph Nielsen, Mathias Waldersdorff Bugge, Sara Strandby Braae and Niklas Søndermølle Frandsen, Le Cool, "History as Catalyst"

 

Master Students of Studio Tectonic Culture, The Milan Pavillion. The project is the precursor for a 100 sqm building that is to be built in the center of Aarhus K, that explores the potentials of ’the regional’ and ’the vernacular’ in future architectural practice and innovation within sustainable construction

 

Master Students from Digital Transformation Studio, The Spine. The piece explores the material qualities of artificial straw and the potential of the historic building techniques of thatching, a craft which has been passed on from generation to generation

 

Elizabeth Donovan, One Hundred Years. One hundred hanging acrylic squares represent the historical narrative of one hundred years of sustainable architecture: each transparent square is an ink-transfer of the abstract representation of sustainable history.

 

Asbjørn Staunstrup Lund, The Fairy Tale Of Mærsk. A tool to discover unknown necessity that is the core potential of using the narrative as a catalyst for creating an architectural program