All architectural work is accompanied by questions about what is desirable and what is possible. Today, however, the continuous optimisation of building costs, paired with increasing regulation and standardisation, threatens to determine architectural design to a very major extent. At the same time the urgent need for more affordable, high quality living space for different ways of life has rarely been as pressing as it is now. In this context the challenge lies in enabling the design architect to remain capable of taking action.
RE-DEFINING AFFORDABLE describes a strategy that sees the theme of restriction as an opportunity in which it actively participates from the very start. The art of building and construction is, above all, also a master in the economic use of the available means ¿ both financial and design-based. We firmly believe that the examination of this theme does not automatically restrict architecture but in fact offers an opportunity to expand the architectural repertoire.
Human life is directly expressed in our day-to-day life and our way of living so that determining standards in this area always involves the question of our cultural and social identity. What are we willing to afford, what must we afford and which standard should be questioned? This affects all areas of planning and building, extending from the concept of the building to its construction and to the building services. We forget all too quickly that we have a kind of trustee function which makes us responsible for ensuring that the culture of building is not excessively restricted or made senselessly expensive. In our view a critical questioning of building standards has become a social necessity.
In this year¿s summer workshop we want to deal with this group of themes using visits to buildings, guided tours and lectures by experts as well as discussions in the form of ¿round tables¿ with committed guests and critics. Parallel to this in workshop studios international teams of students together with their teachers and research assistants from our institute will use a design project to develop and test strategies that expand the aspect of affordability by unexpected added values in terms of quality. Through international dialogue and the different experiences we hope for particular gains in terms of knowledge.
