Comments
How Should Cities Evolve? 5 Ideas Bridge Architecture & Wellbeing
At the World Architecture Festival 2021, thought leaders shared their creative visions for urban challenges
Rafael F. Bermejo
13 December 2021
Many of the talks at the 2021 digital edition of the World Architecture Festival, held from December 1–3, looked at how we can build in a way that is more sustainable, efficient, and contributes to the health of the public and communities. In this article, we focus on five of the approaches discussed by Vicente Guallart, Ben van Berkel and others in their informative and challenging talks.
View of Brooklyn Bridge Park from the Manhattan Bridge
1. Nature Should Take Over Public Space
It’s become clear that we all long for greener and friendlier environments. In his talk, ‘Tomorrow is Today’, Rick Bell, deputy director of the Center for Buildings, Infrastructure & Public Space at Columbia University, emphasised the need to focus on green buildings, parks, squares and improved connectivity within the city of New York.
He also spoke about the integration of natural environments in the five boroughs. “New York and other cities around the world are seeing a shift to nature-based public spaces defined by green design principles, concern about resilience and hydrology, and predicated on the need for safety, access and public health,” Bell said. He referred to the 10 Minute Walk initiative, developed by several NGOs and endorsed by several hundred mayors around the United States. The goal is for everyone to have green space within a maximum of 10 minutes’ walk from home. According to Bell, this is “a game changer, because [the resulting green spaces] are smaller, and don’t necessarily purport to be for everyone. They are a little more related to the surrounding residential communities.”
In New York, a contributing factor to the creation of green space has been the reclamation of the city’s edges, which were previously consigned to transportation, commerce and shipping, as green space. Other cities are also exploring these under-used areas. In his lecture ‘Moscow: Today & Tomrorow’, Chief Architect of Moscow Sergey Kuznetzov talked about a similar, ongoing revitalisation of Moscow’s embankments, where former roadways are being reclaimed for public recreational use.
1. Nature Should Take Over Public Space
It’s become clear that we all long for greener and friendlier environments. In his talk, ‘Tomorrow is Today’, Rick Bell, deputy director of the Center for Buildings, Infrastructure & Public Space at Columbia University, emphasised the need to focus on green buildings, parks, squares and improved connectivity within the city of New York.
He also spoke about the integration of natural environments in the five boroughs. “New York and other cities around the world are seeing a shift to nature-based public spaces defined by green design principles, concern about resilience and hydrology, and predicated on the need for safety, access and public health,” Bell said. He referred to the 10 Minute Walk initiative, developed by several NGOs and endorsed by several hundred mayors around the United States. The goal is for everyone to have green space within a maximum of 10 minutes’ walk from home. According to Bell, this is “a game changer, because [the resulting green spaces] are smaller, and don’t necessarily purport to be for everyone. They are a little more related to the surrounding residential communities.”
In New York, a contributing factor to the creation of green space has been the reclamation of the city’s edges, which were previously consigned to transportation, commerce and shipping, as green space. Other cities are also exploring these under-used areas. In his lecture ‘Moscow: Today & Tomrorow’, Chief Architect of Moscow Sergey Kuznetzov talked about a similar, ongoing revitalisation of Moscow’s embankments, where former roadways are being reclaimed for public recreational use.
Render of the urban garden of the Vall d’Hebron market in Barcelona
2. We Must Rethink Our Eating Habits
Much of the food consumed in London every day comes from as far away as Kenya (green beans) or the Caribbean (pineapples). This is a small example of the impact our eating habits can have on the environment.
In a talk entitled, ‘Growing in the City: Food & Ecology’, Vicente Guallart, chief architect of the Barcelona City Council from 2011 to 2015, spoke about designing based on the concept of self-sufficiency. “If we want to make a more ecological world, we must think locally and produce things within the city,” he said.
2. We Must Rethink Our Eating Habits
Much of the food consumed in London every day comes from as far away as Kenya (green beans) or the Caribbean (pineapples). This is a small example of the impact our eating habits can have on the environment.
In a talk entitled, ‘Growing in the City: Food & Ecology’, Vicente Guallart, chief architect of the Barcelona City Council from 2011 to 2015, spoke about designing based on the concept of self-sufficiency. “If we want to make a more ecological world, we must think locally and produce things within the city,” he said.
The Brooklyn Grange urban garden, founded in 2010, is one of the largest in New York
The architect highlighted the Sociópolis project in Valencia, Spain, which he developed in collaboration with a number of other firms. Their ambitious plan was to build social housing with integrated green space and urban farms on an abandoned plot on the outskirts of the city. Unfortunately, the project lost its funding in the 2008 economic crisis and was never completed. Now, the Government of Valencia aims to re-launch it and complete the development.
The idea of working the fields, of the urban garden, forms an integral part of the landscape of this community. It is really understood as a form of social interaction, as well as an opportunity for autonomous management and production. The planned development exemplifies the need to “integrate agriculture as an element of the landscape,” as Guallart put it. For him, the idea of planting, of working a small plot with one’s hands, will always be relevant as a way of spending time together and building communities.
Guallart also talked about how a large urban garden in Brooklyn, New York, served as inspiration for one of his most recent projects, the garden on the roof of the Mercat de la Vall d’Hebron in Barcelona, Spain. This project will help further facilitate urban food production.
Find a design professional from the Houzz directory to design your home
The architect highlighted the Sociópolis project in Valencia, Spain, which he developed in collaboration with a number of other firms. Their ambitious plan was to build social housing with integrated green space and urban farms on an abandoned plot on the outskirts of the city. Unfortunately, the project lost its funding in the 2008 economic crisis and was never completed. Now, the Government of Valencia aims to re-launch it and complete the development.
The idea of working the fields, of the urban garden, forms an integral part of the landscape of this community. It is really understood as a form of social interaction, as well as an opportunity for autonomous management and production. The planned development exemplifies the need to “integrate agriculture as an element of the landscape,” as Guallart put it. For him, the idea of planting, of working a small plot with one’s hands, will always be relevant as a way of spending time together and building communities.
Guallart also talked about how a large urban garden in Brooklyn, New York, served as inspiration for one of his most recent projects, the garden on the roof of the Mercat de la Vall d’Hebron in Barcelona, Spain. This project will help further facilitate urban food production.
Find a design professional from the Houzz directory to design your home
Times Square, New York
3. We Should Leverage Data and Technology to Improve Communities
“Technology will soon be the game-changer in the design of more social and healthy communities,” said Dutch architect Ben van Berkel, co-founder of UN Studio, during his talk ‘I Am Connected’. Van Berkel said that technology must be used to optimise planning decisions.
In fact, architecture has had a long relationship with data analysis. In the 90s, architects already used data from New York city planners on how tourists moved and used some parts of the city to reactivate certain areas and make them safer spaces. “Data can give us insights of the dynamics a city. The social value of activating some locations by bringing people together is by far more important than any real estate value they may have,” Van Berkel says.
Likewise, in his talk ‘Star Wars Cities’, Tim Fendley, Founder and Creative Director of Applied Information Group, presented transportation and navigation in cities as fundamentally a problem of information. He also stressed the importance of organising cities and information in such a way that citizens and visitors can make the best use of them. “How are you organising all of these systems of [information] so that the end user is getting the right information at the right time?” he asks.
3. We Should Leverage Data and Technology to Improve Communities
“Technology will soon be the game-changer in the design of more social and healthy communities,” said Dutch architect Ben van Berkel, co-founder of UN Studio, during his talk ‘I Am Connected’. Van Berkel said that technology must be used to optimise planning decisions.
In fact, architecture has had a long relationship with data analysis. In the 90s, architects already used data from New York city planners on how tourists moved and used some parts of the city to reactivate certain areas and make them safer spaces. “Data can give us insights of the dynamics a city. The social value of activating some locations by bringing people together is by far more important than any real estate value they may have,” Van Berkel says.
Likewise, in his talk ‘Star Wars Cities’, Tim Fendley, Founder and Creative Director of Applied Information Group, presented transportation and navigation in cities as fundamentally a problem of information. He also stressed the importance of organising cities and information in such a way that citizens and visitors can make the best use of them. “How are you organising all of these systems of [information] so that the end user is getting the right information at the right time?” he asks.
Singapore University of Technology and Design
4. Architecture Should Encourage Us To Be More Active
According to European Union statistics, 56% of adult men in the Netherlands are overweight. “Through architecture we must make people more active,” said Van Berkel, who is passionate about cycling and “the feeling of freedom it gives you.”
The architect briefly explained one of his most prominent projects: the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), a campus focused on urban planning, landscaping and product design, “where the landscape guides students around the campus encouraging them to walk through it.” Van Berkel explained that each faculty is linked with the others to stimulate the exchange of ideas and interdisciplinary knowledge. “In this way, you get the feeling that you belong not just to your Faculty, but to the rest as well, to a bigger world. Also, we designed the place so that people take many more staircases. 7 minutes of stairs a day halves the possibility of having a heart attack within 10 years.”
4. Architecture Should Encourage Us To Be More Active
According to European Union statistics, 56% of adult men in the Netherlands are overweight. “Through architecture we must make people more active,” said Van Berkel, who is passionate about cycling and “the feeling of freedom it gives you.”
The architect briefly explained one of his most prominent projects: the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), a campus focused on urban planning, landscaping and product design, “where the landscape guides students around the campus encouraging them to walk through it.” Van Berkel explained that each faculty is linked with the others to stimulate the exchange of ideas and interdisciplinary knowledge. “In this way, you get the feeling that you belong not just to your Faculty, but to the rest as well, to a bigger world. Also, we designed the place so that people take many more staircases. 7 minutes of stairs a day halves the possibility of having a heart attack within 10 years.”
This year’s Pritzker Prize went to French duo Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal who have exemplified the ‘never demolish’ approach. Pictured is the Grand Parc in Bordeaux, France, which they designed alongside Frédéric Druot and Christophe Hutin in 2017.
5. We Must Preserve Existing Buildings to Save Carbon – and Social Value
In their session “Carbon, Specification, Retrofit and Reuse”, environmental specialist Simon Sturgis of Targeting Zero and Cany Ash, founding partner of Ash Sakula Architects, discussed the value of retrofitting, rather than knocking down and rebuilding, existing housing stock. Apart from the huge load of embodied carbon involved in new construction, Sturgis noted that “knocking down a perfectly useable building means having to dig more resources out of the ground. And that is problematic.”
While he acknowledges that some new builds are necessary, especially in the face of a growing population, he urges architects to “[design] from perspective of durability, flexibility, adaptability,” and consider buildings’ capacity for future reuse.
Ash made the point that retrofitting buildings also preserves and enhances their social and historic value, which would be lost if they were knocked down. She drew on the example of the LCB Depot in Leicester, UK: Built in the 1970s to serve as Leicester’s Central Bus Depot, it was once slated for demolition as an eyesore, but now thrives as a studio space and workshop hub in its retrofitted form. In the process, the project preserved the history of this building, which was for decades the first thing many people saw when arriving in Leicester. “How can we keep ignoring embodied energy, especially embodied energy with so much history and social value?” she asks.
Read more:
What Is a Green Building in India?
Global Snapshot: Challenges to Building a Sustainable Future
Tell us:
Share your thoughts about how you think cities should evolve.
5. We Must Preserve Existing Buildings to Save Carbon – and Social Value
In their session “Carbon, Specification, Retrofit and Reuse”, environmental specialist Simon Sturgis of Targeting Zero and Cany Ash, founding partner of Ash Sakula Architects, discussed the value of retrofitting, rather than knocking down and rebuilding, existing housing stock. Apart from the huge load of embodied carbon involved in new construction, Sturgis noted that “knocking down a perfectly useable building means having to dig more resources out of the ground. And that is problematic.”
While he acknowledges that some new builds are necessary, especially in the face of a growing population, he urges architects to “[design] from perspective of durability, flexibility, adaptability,” and consider buildings’ capacity for future reuse.
Ash made the point that retrofitting buildings also preserves and enhances their social and historic value, which would be lost if they were knocked down. She drew on the example of the LCB Depot in Leicester, UK: Built in the 1970s to serve as Leicester’s Central Bus Depot, it was once slated for demolition as an eyesore, but now thrives as a studio space and workshop hub in its retrofitted form. In the process, the project preserved the history of this building, which was for decades the first thing many people saw when arriving in Leicester. “How can we keep ignoring embodied energy, especially embodied energy with so much history and social value?” she asks.
Read more:
What Is a Green Building in India?
Global Snapshot: Challenges to Building a Sustainable Future
Tell us:
Share your thoughts about how you think cities should evolve.
Related Stories
Working with professionals
How to Find an Architect That's Right for You
Make the construction and renovation of your home a pleasant and memorable journey by selecting the right architect
Full Story
Indian Homes
11 Indian Homes That Revolve Around Courtyards
Take inspiration from these homes that make a solid case for courtyards in urban life
Full Story
Decorating Guides
Building Secrets to a Cool, Breezy Home for Hot Indian Summers
Get updated on climate-responsive design strategies for a home that stays naturally cool all year round
Full Story
Working with professionals
What's the Difference Between an Architect and a Civil Engineer?
We clear up the confusion between the professional roles and scope of work of an architect and a civil engineer
Full Story
Architecture
These Indian Homes Know How To Combat Harsh Climate
See how these homes by SPASM, Kumar Moorthy & Associates and JPLUSDARCHITECTS mitigate the ramifications of harsh climate ahead of time
Full Story
Decorating Guides
What Are the Biggest Challenges in Renovating an Old House?
Here are some common problems which may arise during the renovation of an old property
Full Story
Indian Homes
How to Beat the Summer Heat by Keeping the Roof Cool
Here are ways to cope with the high summer temperatures that heat the roof and the top floors of residential buildings
Full Story
Decorating Guides
How to Design a Home That is Not a Burden on the Environment
Incorporate smart details with simple lifestyle changes to create a home that is kind to the planet
Full Story
Architecture
What Is Kerala Architecture?
Let's explore what design elements constitute traditional Kerala house architecture
Full Story
Architecture
Expert Speak: What Are the Best Materials for Home Elevations?
Houzz checks in with an expert about the the most sturdy and adaptable materials for home facades
Full Story