2050 – CULTURES OF LIVING – future models of living spaces for europe and india “by 2050, india, with 1.6 billion inhabitants, will be the world’s most populous country.” (united nation, world population prospects: the 2006 revision) subject matter given the rapid social changes taking place globally, most conventional models of living spaces seem outmoded. until the 20th century, building proceeded on the assumption that inhabitants, structured in families, would often live and work in one and the same place for an entire lifetime. yet current upheavals in the demographic structure (birth rate, life expectancy, migration etc.), in the working world, and in social relations (especially the changing role of women) create new ways of habitation, which result in changing housing needs and require new forms and cultures of living. it is still unclear, however, what future living cultures in a globalised 21st century will look like, and how they will operate. how can architecture, design, the applied arts and urbanism contribute to contemporary and humane living? and in what ways do new cultures of living influence the city and regionally specific city cultures? these core questions are the point of departure for the planned interdisciplinary project (architecture, interior design, town planning), which seeks to provide first answers to and visions for this global challenge through transcultural analysis and reflection on european and indian living styles. deliberately, therefore, experts and artists from europe as well as the (culturally and socio-economically equally heterogeneous) indian subcontinent are earmarked for the project; especially as by now the significant parameters of the subject matter have global relevance: poverty can today (albeit on a different level) also be found in (eastern) europe, and suburbanisation has become an issue also in india. specifically, the following topics (among others) are to be covered: -to what extent can the traditional living cultures of europe and india be transformed to satisfy contemporary needs? -which future-proof forms of living do european and indian cities, with their often centuries-old character, allow? -what demands do new, especially ‘mobile’ living cultures make on interior design? -through which architectural and economical approaches can new forms of dwelling be developed for the most deprived sections of society? through which architectural and economical approaches can new forms of dwelling be developed for the most deprived sections of society? -to what extent can ecological architecture and eco-design provide solutions to today’s requirements (environmentalism, air conditioning etc.)? -which attributes (naturalness, neighbourliness, affordability) will be indicatory for future models of living spaces? project structure participants / international network: several european and indian institutions from the fields of architecture, art, design, urbanism etc. are to focus for six months on the above topics and communicate amongst each other through a shared internet platform. the resulting network is to exist beyond the completion of the project and to cooperate further. multimedia exhibition: as part of the project, the results of these six months of debate are to be presented to a wide audience in india in a (multimedia) exhibition – films, models, drawings, slides etc. seminar / workshops: parallel to the project module ‘multimedia exhibition’, and in order to further deepen and personalise communication and interaction, a collective seminar for all participants, with workshops led jointly by european and indian architects and artists, is planned for an indian project city. documentation / publication: the project will be extensively documented on dvd, which will contain all lectures and discussions occurring during the seminar and an account of the work and exchange processes taking place in the workshops in india. travelling exhibition: selected works and produc ts of the workshops will be presented in the participating countries in exhibitions. project timeframe: the project is scheduled to start in autumn 2008; seminar and workshops to take place in india in spring 2009.
2050-Cultures of Living
FREDIANI, Gianluca
2009
Abstract
2050 – CULTURES OF LIVING – future models of living spaces for europe and india “by 2050, india, with 1.6 billion inhabitants, will be the world’s most populous country.” (united nation, world population prospects: the 2006 revision) subject matter given the rapid social changes taking place globally, most conventional models of living spaces seem outmoded. until the 20th century, building proceeded on the assumption that inhabitants, structured in families, would often live and work in one and the same place for an entire lifetime. yet current upheavals in the demographic structure (birth rate, life expectancy, migration etc.), in the working world, and in social relations (especially the changing role of women) create new ways of habitation, which result in changing housing needs and require new forms and cultures of living. it is still unclear, however, what future living cultures in a globalised 21st century will look like, and how they will operate. how can architecture, design, the applied arts and urbanism contribute to contemporary and humane living? and in what ways do new cultures of living influence the city and regionally specific city cultures? these core questions are the point of departure for the planned interdisciplinary project (architecture, interior design, town planning), which seeks to provide first answers to and visions for this global challenge through transcultural analysis and reflection on european and indian living styles. deliberately, therefore, experts and artists from europe as well as the (culturally and socio-economically equally heterogeneous) indian subcontinent are earmarked for the project; especially as by now the significant parameters of the subject matter have global relevance: poverty can today (albeit on a different level) also be found in (eastern) europe, and suburbanisation has become an issue also in india. specifically, the following topics (among others) are to be covered: -to what extent can the traditional living cultures of europe and india be transformed to satisfy contemporary needs? -which future-proof forms of living do european and indian cities, with their often centuries-old character, allow? -what demands do new, especially ‘mobile’ living cultures make on interior design? -through which architectural and economical approaches can new forms of dwelling be developed for the most deprived sections of society? through which architectural and economical approaches can new forms of dwelling be developed for the most deprived sections of society? -to what extent can ecological architecture and eco-design provide solutions to today’s requirements (environmentalism, air conditioning etc.)? -which attributes (naturalness, neighbourliness, affordability) will be indicatory for future models of living spaces? project structure participants / international network: several european and indian institutions from the fields of architecture, art, design, urbanism etc. are to focus for six months on the above topics and communicate amongst each other through a shared internet platform. the resulting network is to exist beyond the completion of the project and to cooperate further. multimedia exhibition: as part of the project, the results of these six months of debate are to be presented to a wide audience in india in a (multimedia) exhibition – films, models, drawings, slides etc. seminar / workshops: parallel to the project module ‘multimedia exhibition’, and in order to further deepen and personalise communication and interaction, a collective seminar for all participants, with workshops led jointly by european and indian architects and artists, is planned for an indian project city. documentation / publication: the project will be extensively documented on dvd, which will contain all lectures and discussions occurring during the seminar and an account of the work and exchange processes taking place in the workshops in india. travelling exhibition: selected works and produc ts of the workshops will be presented in the participating countries in exhibitions. project timeframe: the project is scheduled to start in autumn 2008; seminar and workshops to take place in india in spring 2009.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
