CA²RE - Conference for Artistic and Architectural (Doctoral) Research 29 PROCEEDINGS
ALIVE ARCHITECTURE ACADEMY
Dr. Petra Pferdmenges
My ongoing research on inclusive urban transformation is nurtured on one side by projects of my urban design practice ALIVE ARCHITECTURE on the other side by my teaching practice at KU Leuven (Campus Sint-Lucas Brussels). As such, I am intending to bridge two worlds that are disconnected from each other: the one outside and and the one inside of academia. How is it possible to combine both practices, heading towards a joined model that I refer to as ALIVE ARCHITECTURE ACADEMY?
The current site of investigation is Brussels North. While until the 60’s the district was a very lively neighborhood with cafés and a social life, later the area was transformed into an office district lacking any sense of belonging (Image 1 – 4). Today twenty percent of the buildings in the district are vacant (Image 5-8).
The actors in the surroundings are diverse: There are many office workers moving daily from the north station to the towers, refugees that are spending their days in the next by Park Maximilian to ask for Asylum and the people interested in the topic of urban farming that engage in the farm Maximiliaan (Image 9-12). Currently the neighbourhood is experiencing a second life through multiple universities and practices that are occupying the WTC1. Since September 2017 we are contributing with students from KU Leuven (Campus Sint Lucas Brussels) to activate the World Trade Center 1 on the 24th floor (Image 13). To join the dynamics since January 2018 I moved my office ALIVE ARCHITECTURE in the same tower on the 26th floor (Image 14).
Each semester our students organize 1:1 interventions to generate Lived Space in the public realm of. In the BRU.S.L.XL Studio in the winter semester
2017/2018 the students from the Flemish Master initiated the encounter among actors from multiple backgrounds in the neighbourhood using food (Image 15).
The International Master students in the summer semester 2017/2018 pointed out underused urban spaces in the surroundings (Images 17-20). In both semesters we organized the final presentation of students around the mobile device of ALIVE ARCHITECTURE, exhibiting the findings within the public realm to passers-by and local associations (Image 16, 20, 21 & 22). As such we are initiating collectively the encounter among actors from multiple backgrounds in the area, intending to contribute to an inclusive urban transformation process in the surroundings.
Teaching and practicing within the same building as well as using the mobile device of my practice within the final presentations of the students are first steps to overcome the border condition between academia and practice. Hopefully it is the seed for the emerging model of an academic practice that I am currently researching for: ALIVE ARCHITECTURE ACADEMY.
IMAGE 1
Author: Joris van Arkel
Info: Studio BRU.S.L.XL – Living North – analysis of urban development
Source: Film du Studio BRU.S.L.XL – 0.12min IMAGE 2
Author: Joris van Arkel
Info: Studio BRU.S.L.XL – Living North – analysis of urban development
Source: Film du Studio BRU.S.L.XL – 0.16min IMAGE 3
Author: Joris van Arkel
Info: Studio BRU.S.L.XL – Living North – analysis of urban development
Source: Film du Studio BRU.S.L.XL – 0.20min IMAGE 4
Author: Joris van Arkel
Info: Studio BRU.S.L.XL – Living North – analysis of urban development
Source: Film du Studio BRU.S.L.XL –0.28min IMAGE 5
Author: Joris van Arkel
Info: Studio BRU.S.L.XL – Living North – Façade World Trace Center 1 & 2
Source: Film du Studio BRU.S.L.XL – 1.40min IMAGE 6
Author: Joris van Arkel
Info: Studio BRU.S.L.XL – Living North – Façade World Trace Center 1 & 2
Source: Film du Studio BRU.S.L.XL – 2.20min IMAGE 7
Author: Joris van Arkel
Info: Studio BRU.S.L.XL – Living North – underused Cafeteria inside of vacant World Trace Center 1 Source: Film du Studio BRU.S.L.XL – 2.00min IMAGE 8
Author: Joris van Arkel
Info: Studio BRU.S.L.XL – Living North – Inside of vacant World Trace Center 1
Source: Film du Studio BRU.S.L.XL – 1.53min IMAGE 9
Author: Joris van Arkel
Info: Studio BRU.S.L.XL – Living North – People moving out of Brussels North trainstation Source: Film du Studio BRU.S.L.XL – 1.05min IMAGE 10
Author: Joris van Arkel
Info: Studio BRU.S.L.XL – Living North – Refugees search for Asylum
Source: Film du Studio BRU.S.L.XL – 2:52min IMAGE 11
Author: Joris van Arkel
Info: Studio BRU.S.L.XL – Living North – Maximiliaanfarm
Source: Film du Studio BRU.S.L.XL – 3:30min IMAGE 12
Author: Joris van Arkel
Info: Studio BRU.S.L.XL – Living North – People visiting Farm
Source: Film du Studio BRU.S.L.XL – 3:43min
IMAGE 13
Author: Nele Stragier
Info: Studio BRU.S.L.XL – Living North – Photo during studio in WTC1 – 24
IMAGE 14
Author: Nele Stragier
Info: Picture of Alive Architecture office space in WTC1 – 26
IMAGE 15
Author: Joris van Arkel
Info: Studio BRU.S.L.XL – Living North – intervention in the public space around food
Source: Film du Studio BRU.S.L.XL – 5:25min IMAGE 15
Author: Joris van Arkel
Info: Studio BRU.S.L.XL – Living North – intervention in the public space
Source: Film du Studio BRU.S.L.XL – 5:25min IMAGE 16
Author: Alive Architecture
Info: Intervention in the public realm by the BRU.S.XL – Living North team
IMAGE 17
Author: Manhappen Studio team
Info: Manhappen Studio – communicating the history of the vacant blue house in the neighbourhood IMAGE 18
Author: Manhappen Studio team
Info: Manhappen Studio – drawing a base to engage with passers by to reveal a name for The place IMAGE 19
Author: Manhappen Studio team
Info: Manhappen Studio – proposal to activate a green space that is unaccessible to the public IMAGE 20
Author: Manhappen Studio team
Info: Inclusive Living North Studio – drawing a base to engage with passers by to reveal a name for The place
IMAGE 21
Author: Alive Architecture
Info: Final presentation of the students of the Manhappen Studio through a performance in the public realm
IMAGE 22
Author: Manhappen Studio
Info: Final presentation of the students of the Manhappen Studio through a performance in the public realm
CA²RE - Conference for Artistic and Architectural (Doctoral) Research 52 PROCEEDINGS