Architecture
How Should Cities Evolve? 5 Ideas For Architecture & Wellbeing
At the World Architecture Festival 2021, thought leaders shared their creative visions for urban challenges
Many of the talks at the 2021 digital edition of the World Architecture Festival, held from December 1-3, looked at how we can build in a way that is more sustainable, efficient, and contributes to the health of the public and communities. In this story, we focus on five of the approaches discussed by Vicente Guallart, Ben van Berkel and others in their informative and challenging talks.
Render of the urban garden of the Vall d’Hebron market in Barcelona, Spain.
2. We must rethink our eating habits
Much of the food consumed in London, UK, every day comes from as far away as Kenya (green beans) or the Caribbean (pineapples). This is a small example of the impact our eating habits can have on the environment.
In a talk entitled, ‘Growing in the City: Food & Ecology’, Vicente Guallart, Chief Architect of the Barcelona City Council from 2011 to 2015, spoke about designing based on the concept of self-sufficiency. “If we want to make a more ecological world, we must think locally and produce things within the city,” he said.
2. We must rethink our eating habits
Much of the food consumed in London, UK, every day comes from as far away as Kenya (green beans) or the Caribbean (pineapples). This is a small example of the impact our eating habits can have on the environment.
In a talk entitled, ‘Growing in the City: Food & Ecology’, Vicente Guallart, Chief Architect of the Barcelona City Council from 2011 to 2015, spoke about designing based on the concept of self-sufficiency. “If we want to make a more ecological world, we must think locally and produce things within the city,” he said.
The Brooklyn Grange urban garden, founded in 2010, is one of the largest in New York, US.
The architect highlighted the Sociópolis project in Valencia, Spain, which he developed in collaboration with a number of firms. Their ambitious plan was to build social housing with integrated green space and urban farms on an abandoned plot on the outskirts of the city. Unfortunately, the project lost its funding in the 2008 economic crisis and was never completed. Now, the Government of Valencia aims to re-launch it and complete the development.
The idea of working the fields, of the urban garden, forms an integral part of the landscape of this community. It is really understood as a form of social interaction, as well as an opportunity for autonomous management and production. The planned development exemplifies the need to “integrate agriculture as an element of the landscape”, as Guallart put it. For him, the idea of planting, of working a small plot with one’s hands, will always be relevant as a way of spending time together and building communities.
Guallart also talked about how a large urban garden in Brooklyn, New York, served as inspiration for one of his most recent projects, the garden on the roof of the Mercat de la Vall d’Hebron in Barcelona, Spain. This project will help further facilitate urban food production.
The architect highlighted the Sociópolis project in Valencia, Spain, which he developed in collaboration with a number of firms. Their ambitious plan was to build social housing with integrated green space and urban farms on an abandoned plot on the outskirts of the city. Unfortunately, the project lost its funding in the 2008 economic crisis and was never completed. Now, the Government of Valencia aims to re-launch it and complete the development.
The idea of working the fields, of the urban garden, forms an integral part of the landscape of this community. It is really understood as a form of social interaction, as well as an opportunity for autonomous management and production. The planned development exemplifies the need to “integrate agriculture as an element of the landscape”, as Guallart put it. For him, the idea of planting, of working a small plot with one’s hands, will always be relevant as a way of spending time together and building communities.
Guallart also talked about how a large urban garden in Brooklyn, New York, served as inspiration for one of his most recent projects, the garden on the roof of the Mercat de la Vall d’Hebron in Barcelona, Spain. This project will help further facilitate urban food production.
Times Square, New York.
3. We should leverage data and technology to Improve communities
“Technology will soon be the game-changer in the design of more social and healthy communities,” said Dutch architect Ben van Berkel, Co-Founder of UN Studio, during his talk ‘I Am Connected’. Van Berkel said that technology must be used to optimise planning decisions.
In fact, architecture has had a long relationship with data analysis. In the ‘90s, architects already used data from New York City planners on how tourists moved and used some parts of the city to reactivate certain areas and make them safer spaces. “Data can give us insights into the dynamics of a city. The social value of activating some locations by bringing people together is by far more important than any real estate value they may have,” said van Berkel.
Likewise, in his talk ‘Star Wars Cities’, Tim Fendley, Founder and Creative Director of Applied Information Group, presented transportation and navigation in cities as fundamentally a problem of information. He also stressed the importance of organising cities and information in such a way that citizens and visitors can make the best use of them. “How are you organising all of these systems of [information] so that the end user is getting the right information at the right time?” he asked.
3. We should leverage data and technology to Improve communities
“Technology will soon be the game-changer in the design of more social and healthy communities,” said Dutch architect Ben van Berkel, Co-Founder of UN Studio, during his talk ‘I Am Connected’. Van Berkel said that technology must be used to optimise planning decisions.
In fact, architecture has had a long relationship with data analysis. In the ‘90s, architects already used data from New York City planners on how tourists moved and used some parts of the city to reactivate certain areas and make them safer spaces. “Data can give us insights into the dynamics of a city. The social value of activating some locations by bringing people together is by far more important than any real estate value they may have,” said van Berkel.
Likewise, in his talk ‘Star Wars Cities’, Tim Fendley, Founder and Creative Director of Applied Information Group, presented transportation and navigation in cities as fundamentally a problem of information. He also stressed the importance of organising cities and information in such a way that citizens and visitors can make the best use of them. “How are you organising all of these systems of [information] so that the end user is getting the right information at the right time?” he asked.
Singapore University of Technology and Design.
4. Architecture should encourage us to be more active
According to European Union statistics, 56% of adult men in the Netherlands are overweight. “Through architecture we must make people more active,” said van Berkel, who is passionate about cycling and “the feeling of freedom it gives you”.
The architect briefly explained one of his most prominent projects: the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), a campus focused on urban planning, landscaping and product design, “where the landscape guides students around the campus encouraging them to walk through it”. Van Berkel explained that each faculty is linked with the others to stimulate the exchange of ideas and interdisciplinary knowledge. “In this way, you get the feeling that you belong not just to your faculty, but to the rest as well, to a bigger world. Also, we designed the place so that people take many more staircases. Seven minutes of stairs a day halves the possibility of having a heart attack within 10 years.”
4. Architecture should encourage us to be more active
According to European Union statistics, 56% of adult men in the Netherlands are overweight. “Through architecture we must make people more active,” said van Berkel, who is passionate about cycling and “the feeling of freedom it gives you”.
The architect briefly explained one of his most prominent projects: the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), a campus focused on urban planning, landscaping and product design, “where the landscape guides students around the campus encouraging them to walk through it”. Van Berkel explained that each faculty is linked with the others to stimulate the exchange of ideas and interdisciplinary knowledge. “In this way, you get the feeling that you belong not just to your faculty, but to the rest as well, to a bigger world. Also, we designed the place so that people take many more staircases. Seven minutes of stairs a day halves the possibility of having a heart attack within 10 years.”
This year’s Pritzker Prize went to French duo Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal who have exemplified the ‘never demolish’ approach. Pictured is the Grand Parc in Bordeaux, France, which they designed alongside Frédéric Druot and Christophe Hutin in 2017.
5. We must preserve existing buildings to save carbon – and social value
In their session ‘Carbon, Specification, Retrofit and Reuse’, environmental specialist Simon Sturgis of Targeting Zero and Cany Ash and founding partner of Ash Sakula Architects, discussed the value of retrofitting, rather than knocking down and rebuilding, existing housing stock. Aside from the huge load of embodied carbon involved in new construction, Sturgis noted that “knocking down a perfectly useable building means having to dig more resources out of the ground. And that is problematic”.
While he acknowledged that some new builds are necessary, especially in the face of a growing population, he urged architects to “[design] from perspective of durability, flexibility, adaptability”, and consider buildings’ capacity for future reuse.
Ash made the point that retrofitting buildings also preserves and enhances their social and historical value, which would be lost if they were knocked down. She drew on the example of the LCB Depot in Leicester, UK: built in the 1970s to serve as Leicester’s Central Bus Depot, it was once slated for demolition as an eyesore, but now thrives as a studio space and workshop hub in its retrofitted form. In the process, the project preserved the history of this building, which was for decades the first thing many people saw when arriving in Leicester. “How can we keep ignoring embodied energy, especially embodied energy with so much history and social value?” she asked.
Your turn
Which of these urban ideas resonate the most with you? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the conversation.
More
Are you interested in sustainable ideas for your home? Read Going Green: What’s New in Sustainable & Eco-Friendly Homes?
5. We must preserve existing buildings to save carbon – and social value
In their session ‘Carbon, Specification, Retrofit and Reuse’, environmental specialist Simon Sturgis of Targeting Zero and Cany Ash and founding partner of Ash Sakula Architects, discussed the value of retrofitting, rather than knocking down and rebuilding, existing housing stock. Aside from the huge load of embodied carbon involved in new construction, Sturgis noted that “knocking down a perfectly useable building means having to dig more resources out of the ground. And that is problematic”.
While he acknowledged that some new builds are necessary, especially in the face of a growing population, he urged architects to “[design] from perspective of durability, flexibility, adaptability”, and consider buildings’ capacity for future reuse.
Ash made the point that retrofitting buildings also preserves and enhances their social and historical value, which would be lost if they were knocked down. She drew on the example of the LCB Depot in Leicester, UK: built in the 1970s to serve as Leicester’s Central Bus Depot, it was once slated for demolition as an eyesore, but now thrives as a studio space and workshop hub in its retrofitted form. In the process, the project preserved the history of this building, which was for decades the first thing many people saw when arriving in Leicester. “How can we keep ignoring embodied energy, especially embodied energy with so much history and social value?” she asked.
Your turn
Which of these urban ideas resonate the most with you? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the conversation.
More
Are you interested in sustainable ideas for your home? Read Going Green: What’s New in Sustainable & Eco-Friendly Homes?
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1. Nature should take over public space
It’s become clear that we all long for greener and friendlier environments. In his talk, ‘Tomorrow is Today’, Rick Bell, Deputy Director of the Center for Buildings, Infrastructure & Public Space at Columbia University, USA, emphasised the need to focus on green buildings, parks, squares and improved connectivity within the city of New York.
He also spoke about the integration of natural environments in the five boroughs. “New York and other cities around the world are seeing a shift to nature-based public spaces defined by green design principles, concern about resilience and hydrology, and predicated on the need for safety, access and public health,” Bell said. He referred to the 10 Minute Walk initiative, developed by several NGOs and endorsed by several hundred mayors around the United States. The goal is for everyone to have green space within a maximum of 10 minutes’ walk from home. According to Bell, this is “a game changer, because [the resulting green spaces] are smaller, and don’t necessarily purport to be for everyone. They are a little more related to the surrounding residential communities”.
In New York, a contributing factor to the creation of green space has been the reclamation of the city’s edges, which were previously consigned to transportation, commerce and shipping, as green space. Other cities are also exploring these under-used areas. In his lecture ‘Moscow: Today & Tomrorow’, Chief Architect of Moscow, Sergey Kuznetzov, talked about a similar, ongoing revitalisation of Moscow’s embankments, where former roadways are being reclaimed for public recreational use.