“MAKING CITY”

“FENT CIUTAT”

In/formal Architect/s/ures
Arquitect/es/ures In/formals
Second Table: 15/10/10 at 12am
 “…Architects have to be more involved in the changes that actually transform our cities, which usually
have more political and economic roots than architectural. We have to take responsibility for certain decisions
that are transcendent to others, which are things we know, and sometimes we forget with this concentration of
our work in the design and construction of buildings more or less isolated. It would be very positive that
architects get involved more visible in the collective concerns, because there is an interesting situation today:
almost everyone agrees on a few things, like sustainability, equality, integration and diversity ... If architecture
make an effort to show it can contribute to solve that problems, it would be rediscovered, that is our challenge,
to make visible or disclose the value of the implications of architecture for civilian life, a little of what we do, to
build a strong civil society...”
conversation with Juan Herreros, 26/05/2010

We don’t say this is wrong, but we feel that 80’s and 90’s architecture became too personal, local and
partial: necessary in terms of social improve, innovative for the construction systems or concept, interesting
due it’s sustainable strategies, but each one(s) with it’s own objectives and affinities. Sometimes, we’re
nostalgic of that times when architecture had a collective main objective. If, like Juan Herreros says adobe, it
seams that last years are disclosing a think path in which almost everyone agrees on a few important things for
future of humanity, between crisis and collapses must be the time for architects (all architects) to try to think
and communicate a main rules we all agree, and of which we’re won a be conscious, responsible and
consequents.

Among all the theories, researches and experiences exposed day by day on debates and articles, the
second table of "Making city” try to bring together four architects with very different approaches to architecture
just to start to talk and consensuate with them about Informal architecture and Informal architects:
architecture without architects (not being there or being doing wrong), and architects without architecture
(not constructing or constructing other realities).

Communicate the work and strategies of architectural organisations or individuals doing research,
practise and communication on major challenges and opportunities facing cities around the world, aims to
show this new path for architects, not as usual designers or project managers of the buildings, streets or urban
plans, but as collaborators in the activation and dinamization of the cities, and as participants in the necessary
changes and resistance in front the global conflicts and exclusions. The debate will merge local and global
aspects, and touch various areas and topics on contemporary cities, but showing new ways to initiate projects
and new attitudes necessaries for a redefinition of the role of the architect.
INFORMAL ARCHITECT URES (Architecture without architects): mainstream of the people
against urbanism of the power…

Informal city seems a urban transition towards progress, but it could be a possible collapse of post industrial
cities. Urban planning doesn’t allow informality and freedom, and usually just serves the economic interests,
through the control and subversion of citizens. With 50% of world population living in cities, the division
between planned (10%) and unplanned (90%) habitats is gaining ground. If the history of architecture just
highlights “cult architecture” and continuously forget “popular architecture”, why we are just so worried about
spectacle architecture…

-Are the architects really involved in the construction of the cities?

-What are the main habitats without architects which we should pay attention?

-How can society have access to urban decisions in front economic interests?

-Can formal city learn something about informal city? Some examples?

-How can we help to solve some of the problems in informal cities? Some examples?

Bibliography: Post It City

INFORMAL ARCHITECTS (Architects without architecture): not constructing against

endogamic architectural culture...

We have to think how contemporary architecture is approaching opportunities and facing responsibilities of
global crisis. The Informal attitudes could become a possible form of innovation and change for the redefinition
of the role of architects today, but we have to be careful with the apologia of informality, like illegal activities or
self-constructions habitats, ‘because all around the world it’s synonymous of exclusion, conflict and an
unavoidable representation of marginality…

-What are main responsibilities in global crisis which architects should make self-critic?

-What are new fields where architects can be useful or must get involved?

-Which would be the main professional changes towards the city global challenges?

-Which authors or projects are representing this new path in architecture today?

-How should be the actual education of an architect, including this new professional roles?

Bibliography: Did someone say participate

GUESTS ARCHITECTS

1 _ Fredy Massad _ Barcelona _Spain_ Btbw architecture_ www.btbwarch.blogspot.com

Fredy Massad (1966), architect and photographer, founded with Alicia Guerrero Yeste ¿btbW/Architecture
in 1996, devoting their joint work to the critical research on contemporary architecture. They carry the section
ESPACIOS on cultura/s supplement of the ABC newspaper, and are regularly published in The Architectural
Review, China Times, ICON, Architextos, Experimenta, Il progetto… Fredy Massad made several lectures all
around the world, and are authors and book publishers such as Notes on cities (mutant), or a + a
arquitecturanimación . His interests have focused on the impact of new technologies in architecture, and
recently have developed synthetic research on the current state of Spanish and international architecture.

2 _ Pablo de Soto _ Sevilla_Spain_ Hackitectura_ mcs.hackitectura.net

Pablo de Soto is a researcher and practioner in fields of media-architecture and social cybernetics. With Sergio
Moreno and José Pérez de Lama, he forms the core of hackitectura.net, a collaborative network that
undertakes practical and theoretical research into the emerging territories of information and communication
technologies, new social networks and the traditional physical space. hackitectura.net has produced such
events as La multitud conectada and Fadaiat (Tarifa - Tangiers). He promotes the Technology Observatory the
Straits and has edited a collaborative book about Fadaiat: freedom of movement, freedom of knowledge. He
has crated "Emergent Geographies", second edition of Technology, Creativity and Society in Extremadura and
is currently working on Situation Room at La Laboral Centro de Arte, Gijón. He has recently finished his
Master's degree of Architecture at KTH Stockholm.

3 _ Silvia Forlati _Vienna_Austria_ wonderland_ www.share-arch.com.

Board and founding member of Wonderland, Silvia Forlati graduated cum laude from the Istituto Universitario
di Architettura (IUAV), Venice, in 1996 and from the Berlage Institute Amsterdam in1998. She first worked in
the Netherlands and then joined Zaha Hadid Architects in 1999, for the Car Park and Terminus Hoenheim
North in Strasbourg, France (Mies van der Rohe Prize 2002). From June 2001 to April 2002, Silvia represented
Zaha Hadid Architects within the Jurong Town Corporation (JTC) in Singapore for the development of the “one-
north” masterplan. Since September 2002, she has been assistant professor at the Institute for Housing and
Design, Vienna University of Technology, where she both tutors students and develops research on innovation
in housing.

4 _ Michel Jacques_Bordeaux_France_ arc en rêve_ www.arcenreve.com

Michel Jacques (architect dplg) is artistic director of arc en rêve centre d’architecture. This centre, was
founded in Bordeaux in 1981 and its mission is to stimulate cultural awareness in the fields of architecture,
urban planning, landscaping and design, while also playing the role of interface working to improve the quality
of the spaces we live in.
arc en rêve’s pursuits have both a widely international and a strongly local dimension, structured around
exhibitions, conferences, debates, publications, workshops for children, courses for adults, trips to visit
buildings or explore towns and experimental activities in urban design. Such ventures promote contemporary
architectural innovation in and around Bordeaux, the region and across the globe. The constant aim of arc en
rêve, is to foster a desire for architecture, to encourage creative work, and to open people’s eyes to a changing
world.

ARCHITECTURAL CRITICS

Ethel Baraona / Josep Bohigas / Marti Peran