2024
Detours
However, the informal path does not exist in the city’s blueprint. Utopian plans for the future have tried to smooth and broaden the path throughout history, to create clear horizons through simple models. Yet, the informal path persists. Its logic is linked to topography, history, social connections and the landscape itself. Those on the paths can never be sure where they will end up, or what lies hidden behind the next bend or branch-off. Paths may have been worn into a mountainside for centuries, but as conditions change, they change just as quickly. No matter how old they are, they remain flexible. The explorer may never be able to fully map a trail, but makes a new discovery at every turn.
With this thought in mind, in 2024 we will look for voices that examine and question the foundations of architecture and urbanism from the margins. We want to explore detours that teach us to listen, make us observe, experience and marvel. Each month, we pair an architectural practice to a different view around a variety of themes, ranging from participation to urban ecology, from young people to birds and from inclusive public spaces to living building materials grown from fungi. We look for added value: what can we learn from connecting two insights? What new perspectives become visible when different experiences are juxtaposed? We hope to inspire and, above all, spark curiosity to go off the beaten track. We celebrate the the diversity of voices within our field. A journey along the margins, frayed edges and other twists and turns that keep leading us into new, possible spaces. We look forward to meeting you along the way!
We’ll take the detour.