Rethinking Abandoned Metropolitan Masterworks

Overview

Society was at an inflection point a decade ago, but action was not taken in accordance with the urgency of the situation: The IPCC’s target of halving global emissions by 2030 has failed. Mass migration and the displacement of people has continually increased due to war, financial crises, and effects of climate change. 

Prices for reinforced concrete and smelted building products such as steel have exponentially increased due to a still ongoing energy and resource crisis.

In this process, Rethinking Abandoned Metropolitan Masterworks participants at Architectural Association will be asked to bestow unique social values to dormant urban megastructures as part of sustainable regeneration. Taking a deep dive from urban-scale exteriors to interiors, we will explore novel solutions for the city's legacy values.

Erected as the epitome of pre-reunification Berlin’s building extravaganza, the 200.000 m² large, defunct “International Congress Center Berlin” (ICC) will serve as our stage and urban resilience as our backdrop in redefining defunct extra-large-scale buildings.

Specific skills include:

• Urban Analysis - Students will be guided to a range of case studies and design tools, from tried and tested techniques of political urbanism and mapping the urban realm, to advanced computational skills and open-source mapping. In this process, each design team will develop their individual urban mapping skillsets.

• Design Skills - On this footing, each team will be guided in developing speculative design proposals at urban, architectural and direct/1:1 scale. Explorations into expanding on the dichotomy of public and private space and distinctively engaging with urban heritage will influence the design development.

• Lectures - The organized talks will drive cutting-edge aspects of urban design that prompt comprehensive cities, such as pushing the boundaries of legislature, renegotiating streetscapes, and propagating non-proprietary systems while involving bottom-up creative approaches for the use of our cityscape.

• Theoretical Backdrop - A selection of texts will be recommended prior to the course as a basis for discussion and the foundation of our design principles and strategies throughout the workshop. Critical thinking outside the usual designer’s framework is encouraged.