22.05.07 TALK: INFORMAL DESIGN

Title: Informal Design

Introduction: Katie Hepworth(AUS)

Speakers: Hugo Moline(AUS), Ben Milbourne(AUS)

Location: Deutsches Architektur Zentrum, Köpenicker Straße 48/49 Aufgang A, 10179 Berlin-Mitte

Time: 19H, 22.05.07

Are infrastructures of informality possible? Can the informalism of the 3rd world mega-city be applied to the 1st world city?

Ben Milbourne and Hugo Moline are young, up and coming Australian architects, working in a global context. While their approach to architecture differs significantly, dealing with First world desires and Third world needs respectively, they share an approach to urbanism which embraces the informal and the chaotic in order to create and maintain dynamic, vibrant and changing communities and urbanisms. This focus marks a dramatic shift from that traditionally associated with Australian architecture and urban design, as represented in the DAZ exhibition in September. Ben and Hugo will discuss their own work in the context of contemporary Australian architecture and a wider global context.

INFORMALISM: ARCHITECTURE LEARNING FROM AND WORKING WITH THE SPONTANEOUS CITY

By Hugo Moline

Informalism is the online presence of an international research project, 'working with the informal, learning from the informal', which seeks to explore the way architects and other urban practioners engage with the the informal city, the city as built by people themselves
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According to recent international estimates more than 900 million people are living in informal settlements (slums, shantytowns, favelas, poblaciones etc.) worldwide . That translates to almost 1 in 3 city dwellers who are housing themselves without access to basic services or secure ownership of land. These informal settlements are a massive and growing urban phenomenon that architects must come to terms with if we hope to be of relevance to the city and its inhabitants. We must acknowledge and seek to ameliorate the hardship and exclusion faced by people living in these conditions. We must also recognise and learn from the ingenuity, resourcefulness and cooperation manifested in the building of such environments.
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Through the project I will seek both to contribute to the practices and communities with which I will work and to gain skills and knowledge to be incorporated in my practice as an architect and shared with others. I will use the techniques learned in all my work as an architect, especially in the service of marginalized communities, both abroad and particularly at home in Australia. I will share my experience at the 2008 Global Studio in the People Building Better Cities forum. I will work with universities and professional organisations to organize talks and workshops which seek to encourage others, particularly students, to become interested in the global urban condition and active in exploring the social potential of architecture and its practice.

Throughout the duration of my research I will be continuously documenting and displaying my experiences (primarily through text and photographs) on this blog. The contents of which will be the raw material from which the final report will be drawn. I hope that the blog will significantly broaden the numbers of people who have access to the research and will allow mentors, advisors and colleagues to comment and contribute throughout the process.

http://www.informalism.blogspot.com/