Volume magazine is hosting a conference this coming May about what they call “the Architecture of Peace.” Part of this will be assembling “an inventory of inspiring projects for (post-)conflict territories”—and they’re hoping that you will get involved.
Are you an architect, designer, urbanist or community leader? Have you developed a project that aids to channel social relationships in a more peaceful way? Then get in touch with Volume. Send a short description to info@archis.org with the subject “AoP projects call,” and we will endeavour to include it in our conference material, providing a unique overview of projects of this kind.
From post-military landscape remediation projects to transborder community exchange programs, from conflict gardens to films, from anti-gang territorial initiatives to bunker recycling services, from museums of slave history to a cartography of divided cities, I would imagine there is a huge range of ideas and examples out there to explore.
this concept of 'architecture of peace' is a fascinating. The 'bunker architecture' link was particularly good. Think of all these military bunkers that pop up in the event of a war and then what happens to the urban landscape once the war is over and the bunkers are no longer need.
Also, learned something new, read this – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rommelspargel. Rommelspargel ("Rommel's asparagus") were 13-to-16-foot (4 to 5 m) logs that were placed in the fields and meadows of Normandy to cause damage to the expected invasion of Allied military gliders and paratroopers. And look at this image http://www.365sterne.de/admirals_sailing/dokus/guernsey/bi/rommelspargel.jpg. Imagine that, an entire landscape of poles not intended as a type of land formation art (Christo) but to kill people!
Have you considered involing the Belgian based but Nigerian born philospher/architect Ole-Dele Kuku for this conference? He is specifically working around conflict architecture and the role of an architect in war and nature disater zones. Check out his website http://www.ola-delekuku.com/.
Kurt Vanbelleghem