Compromise
In general, compromise is not seen as a necessary evil, but rather as a productive force. This applies to a wide range of areas, from public policy to personal relationships. Architecture, however, seems to be an exception to this rule. Compromise in architecture is perceived as a loss, a weakness, a dilution of a strong architectural manifestation or position. It is a taboo because it compromises architecture. For a discipline that is deeply entangled in politics, material and labor economies and shaped by a multitude of personal and professional relationships, this perception seems surprising to say the least. Based on the positive meaning of "common commitment" implied by the Latin root of the term, the lecture series questions the role compromise can play as a productive force in architectural practice.
Dates and guests:
Guest lecturer Gaspard Geerts is an architect. He joined the Rotor team since 2018 where he works as a project manager for several design, design assistance, exhibition and research projects. Graduating in 2018 from the Faculty of Architecture La Cambre Horta of the Free University of Brussels, he dedicated his final project and thesis to an alternative housing neighborhood in the south of Brussels where he was born and lived.
Since then, XDGA has managed to build up a significant portfolio and obtain worldwide recognition thanks to its radical approach, diversified expertise and international team.
XDGA counts to this day 5 monographs, numerous awards (Mies Van der Rohe Award, Bigmat Award, Flemish Culture Award for Architecture) and 3 traveling solo exhibitions.
Point Supreme was included among the 20 most influential personalities in Greece by popular Greek newspaper LIFO. They regularly publish self-initiated projects for the city of Athens where they are based.Their projects for the city were exhibited at the 13th Venice Architecture Biennale.
'Athens Projects', the first book dedicated to their work was published by Graham Foundation in Chicago. The office has won 1st prizes for a Social Housing in Trondheim, the Faliro Pier in Athens, a sheltered public space in Tel Aviv (built), a Firestation in Belgium (built), the new Architecture school in Marseille (under construction) and an Artists Centre in Genk (construction to start soon). They are teaching internationally at architecture schools including Columbia University in New York and EPFL in Lauzanne.
Born in 1983 and a graduate of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture Paris-Malaquais, Sébastien Martinez Barat is co-founder of the architectural group MBL. He was architect-curator of the Belgian Pavilion at the 14th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2014. S. Martinez Barat approaches architecture as a broad disciplinary field, ranging from curating to construction. His theoretical research and projects focus in particular on the reduction of architectural forms and the notion of 'beyond'.
Né en 1985, Florian Jomain est un artiste d'origine française. In addition to his self-taught photography apprenticeship, his studies at the school of commerce allowed him to travel, particularly to London and Berlin. Recently, he rejoined MBL as administrative and financial director.
AgwA works mainly on large- and medium-scale public and private projects, but is also attentive to smaller-scale projects where other dimensions of the project can be explored. All projects are treated with the same care and involvement.
AgwA's architectural work has been enthusiastically received by critics, and has been the subject of several exhibitions and numerous publications in the Belgian and European specialist press. AgwA is naturally active in teaching and research, mainly at the University of Liège, the Hogeschool voor Kunst en Wetenschap Sint Lucas Brussel, and the Université Libre de Bruxelles.
About the event
The lecture series was conceived by the Chair of Space and Design. The lectures take place on Wednesdays at 7 pm in the Fritz-Haller-Hörsaal, Englerstraße 7, Geb. 20.40 in Karlsruhe.
The lectures of the event series are recognized by the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Architects as further education with the scope of 1 lesson each for members and architects/urban planners in internship for all disciplines.
Live stream:
Zoom link
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Videos
You can find a selection of recorded lectures on our YouTube channel.