Topic
...everything must go WAY...
We are increasingly confronted with climate data and forecasts that describe or predict a drastic change in our environment and therefore also in our living conditions. Initially, we are only talking about a few degrees of average temperature change, but these will have a serious impact and represent a noticeable change for everyone, even in the present. Although the issue is present, it is not yet reflected in a collective change in behaviour.
At the planning level in architecture, urban development and spatial planning, there is already an intensive theoretical debate on this acute problem, but due to systemic capitalist logic (costs and short-term returns), this is only being realised in individual examples. This makes it all the more important for future designers and decision-makers to fundamentally address this topic in order to be able to exert an absolutely necessary influence on our future. We would like to conduct such an intensive discussion this semester. The aim is to analyse and shape a situation in Vienna's 2nd district. Radical and utopian approaches will be analysed in order to develop and present answers to significant changes.
The existing architecture is generally accepted due to its cultural value and the resources already utilised. We start from the in-between space, which led us to the title of the project ‘...everything must go Way...’.Until a few years ago, the ideal in open space design was the European city with aesthetic models such as Italian squares with well-designed surfaces but extensive sealing, but heavy rainfall and heating require a clear and fundamental rethink.In order to be able to break away from the aforementioned ideas and characterisations, we therefore initially assume that there are no longer any artificial surfaces and fixtures in the spaces between the architecture. Traditional functional settings and orders (functionally assigned areas for walking, driving, staying, greenery, etc.) are also ignored.
The scientific data on climate change based on measurements and corresponding models is now clear from a global perspective. However, due to the complexity of climate-influencing parameters, it is not yet clear how global changes will impact regionally and locally, so the aim is to develop concepts that deal with various extremes. This can relate to elements such as extreme cold, humidity or drought, but also to social and societal conditions such as overpopulation due to flight or ageing.A significantly less anthropocentric environmental design through the comprehensive integration of other species from fauna and flora can also be a focal scenario and should be taken into account.
The space in between must be reactivated, designed and presented with these prerequisites. Aspects such as resilience (e.g. shading, cooling, infiltration), mobility, social quality (meeting, helping, creating culture), but also productivity (generating energy, purifying water and obtaining food) should be taken into account.At the same time, an idea of society with a higher resonance (see Hartmut Rosa) must be formulated in a post-growth situation in which more sustainability, more meaning and more community is possible.
Teaching