And it is those areas that have been forcibly evacuated. The process has created a new class of IDP’s. Not only the IDP’s from the civil wars, but also the IDP’s of privatization. The rampant development of Tbilisi’s city center has meant that not only the refugees, but also many ordinary citizens have been displaced, and with them the unique social structures. The IDP’s can now be found in the new towns from the Chruchov-era, far from the center. The collectivist blocks, and the public spaces between them, have been occupied by refugees of wars and privatization. The conditions in the cramped quarters in which many people live or work often seem not much different from the conditions of Hotel Iveria just after the Civil War. Apart from a concern for the city itself, FAST and One Architecture work on the New Map of Tbilisi because Tbilisi’s experiment with neo-liberalism provides clues about how the world might look like if capitalism goes unchecked. Tbilisi’s experience makes clear that the ‘tent cities’that can be now found in the U.S. ,as the result of foreclosures, are not an anomaly but as much a product of neo-liberalism as privatopia is. And its shows that, in this condition, privacy is for the happy few.
HYATT
Within the framework of UrbanCPRme, a team from the New Map of Tbilisi posted information about the project on the walls outside the building site, giving some necessary background to the glossy real estate images.
BIO Matthijs Bouw is the founder and principal of the Amsterdam-based firm One Architecture. One Architecture works internationally on a broad range of projects, including the transformation of a 1957 listed monastery to a health center, the urban renewal of the Netherlands’ most notorious post-war neighborhood, and the definition of ‘key projects’ for the Dutch government’s Randstad 2040 vision. One Architecture and Matthijs Bouw frequently collaborate on projects with other designers, firms, and artists. Starting with the famous Soest Day Care Center he designed as a student, collaborations include art projects with Berend Strik and the much-discussed project for ‘Les Halles’ in Paris, with O.M.A. and XDGA. One Architecture uses design to engage its economic, social, political and cultural environment. The diversity of projects and collaborations are a testament to its practice where content trumps signature. Matthijs Bouw has published articles and reviews in many architectural publications, such as Wiederhall, de Architect, Archis, Werk, Bauen + Wohnen, Bauwelt and MONU. In 2006, the Korean DD series published a monograph of One Architecture’s work. In addition to his practice and publications, Matthijs Bouw teaches and lectures internationally. He was a guest professor at A.O., TU Delft, Berlage Institue, TU Graz, University of Kentucky College of Design and SciArc, and was professor I.V. of ‘Gebaeudelehre und Grundlagen des Entwerfens’ at the RWTH Aachen.