2014 in London and Prishtina

ECOWEEK 2014 Projects in London, UK

On September 14-21, 2014 ECOWEEK took place for the first time in London, UK, hosted by the global consulting firm ARUP at their headquarters on Fitzroy Street and coordinated by ECOWEEK Associate architect Magdalena Malska. The event included 10 workshops of diverse themes addressing challenges within historic buildings, the city and the urban space, and enhanced by keynote lectures and headed by workshop leaders among them chris doray (Canada), thomas Kauertz and Anja Markwart (Germany), oliver Schneider (UK), Braha Kunda (Israel), raffaella colombo (Italy), and Martijn Schildkamp (Holland). The week opened with a sketching session in the city guided by ECOWEEK Chairman architect Elias Messinas.

W1: Urban Street Furniture Made of Newspapers

WorKSHoP Leaders: thomas Kauertz (Germany), Anja Markwart (Germany), and Magdalena Malska (Poland).

WorKSHoP team: Magdalena Bajolek, Antonina Bukowska, Karolina Czekaj, Ece Fettahoglu, Katarzyna Galcak, Katarzyna Misiarz, Katharina Rolfs, Elisa Santinelli, Nazli Sozer, and Marta Szpunar.

W1: urban Street Furniture Made of Newspapers The workshop focused on the design and construction of a small architectural object make of used newspapers. The students explored the possibilities and the limits of using paper for construction, with minimal joints yet with durable characteristics. The workshop proposed and built a street furniture – a street bench - in the public urban space. Workshop leaders Thomas Kauertz and Anja Markwart have extensive experience in similar constructions, having already completed paper bridges and a paper boat competition. The street furniture was built and installed successfully in situ in London, despite heavy rain that make the endeavor even more challenging.

W8: Eco Pop-Up

WorKSHoP Leaders: Braha Kunda (Israel), and M. Leyla turanalp (Turkey).

WorKSHoP team: Benjamin Brakspear, Fortuna D’Angelo, Despoina Kouinoglou, Doga Gizem Memis, Vick Carrillo Mullo, Federica Sodano, and Eren Eylul Yapici.

W8: Eco Pop-up This workshop focused on developing a community-based, contextual, human-centered design in Fitzovia Square which was titled ‘eco pop-up’. The group made a mapping of urban conditions and identified the lack of basic amenities in the urban space – such as seating for lunchtime, lack of green spaces, lack of playground areas for children, and traffic in certain areas. The workshop proposed a new structure to support greening the rooftops and creating places for social interaction, pop-up gardens within the city fabric, and living gardens in building corners, that allow for protected seating area and social interaction.

W3: International Lutheran Students Center

WorKSHoP Leaders: oliver Schneider (Architect, UK), Maria tsemani (Architect, UK), and olga Koumaditou (Architect, UK).

WorKSHoP team: REDEVELOPMENT: Ifigeneia Dilaveraki, Nadezda Leonova, and Karolina Rachwal. REFERBUSHMENT: Lena Bardusch, Jacqueline Prescher, Katharina Sack, and Simona Tannino. IMPROVEMENT: Yagmur Kaptan, Isabela Meiwa, Berk Ozata, and Bengisu Uygur.

W3: International Lutheran Students center The workshop group split into three sub-groups and worked closely with the International Lutheran Student Center – which also offered hospitality to the groups – and envisioned interventions that would be integrated in the planned renovation of the center.

The group envisioned a way to generate income for the center by proposing to open up some rooms, redesign and relocate some existing functions, and make certain areas of the building accessible to the public. The team addressed all floors of the building, including basement, ground floor and first floor, where the dormitories are located, and the open courtyard in the heart of the building.

ECOWEEK 2014 Projects in Prishtina, Kosovo

On October 12-19, 2014 ECOWEEK took place for the first time in Pristhina, Kosovo hosted at the Modelarium of the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Prishtina ‘Hasan Prishtina’. It was initiated and organized by architect Argjira Krasniqi (ECOCIETY). With keynote speakers Architect Hélène-Françoise Jourda (France) and rusty Smith of the Rural Studio (USA), speakers and workshop leaders included Maciej Siuda (Poland), Michiel Smits and Gie Steenput (Holland), thomas doxiadis (Greece), Marialuisa Palumbo (Italy) and Gezim Pacarizi (Kosovo). The workshop included work on the relationship between cars and pedestrians, installations in public sites, and experimentation in bamboo. The week opened with a sketching session in the city guided by ECOWEEK Chairman architect Elias Messinas.

W3: Woodstuck at the National Library Campus

WorKSHoP Leaders: Ardita Byci-Jakupi (Kosovo), Maša cvetko (Kosovo), Zala Velkavrh (Kosovo), and Besnik dervishi (Kosovo).

WorKSHoP team: Tipp Bongers, Denis Dalladaku, Nina van Geffen, Arta Ibrahimi, Bora Kelmendi, Rina Merovci, Mirjeta Morina, Rina Rama, Mirjeta Simitciu, Albesa Vrellaku, and Art Zymberi.

W3: Woodstuck at the National Library campus The workshop group focused on the site of the National Library, located at the University of Prishtina campus in the heart of Prishtina. As one of the most frequently visited areas in the city, this public space serves as the main communication point between several parts of the city. Even though the site is planned according to the city plan, as a public space it is still not utilized to its full potential. The goal of the workshop was to discover the issues experienced on a daily basis by the visitors in the area and how they can be addressed and fixed. The group studied the movement patterns on the site, the informal paths, seating, lightning, trash bins and - more specifically - the lack of those elements, the buildings

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on the site. The group identified a ‘void’ in the area, as the National Library divides the campus into two areas. There, in an abandoned paved area the group suggested a small spatial intervention for ‘placemaking’ – an hexagonal bench built of wood and rope - to engage passers-by, break their daily routine and add an element of curiosity and fun.

W5: Dream Chasers

WorKSHoP Leaders: Michiel Smits (Architect, Avans University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands) and Gie Steenput (Architect, Avans University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands). WorKSHoP team: Shqipdon Arifi, Agon Elezi, Liridona Gashi, Mirlinda Maliqi, Trina Metushi, Yllka Paçarrizi, Arianisa Shehu, and Arbëri Tasholli. W5: dream chasers: the Plato of ‘Kurriz’ The workshop investigated the possibilities of lightweight bamboo structures, based on a course on ‘building with bamboo’ at Avans University of Applied Sciences. The group learned the basics on forming geometric designs using bamboo sticks, and then engaged in full scale construction of bamboo forms for the plateau of Kurriz. During the workshop, the team was joined by students and the local community, who were very excited to be part of the process of constructing something new in their neighborhood. The construction enlivened the existing context, broke its monotony, and – more important - exposed the local residents to potential of re-claiming public domain and how they can develop the skills and capacity to do so on their own.

W7: The Building of Thermokos

WorKSHoP Leaders: Ideal Vejsa, Albulena robelli (Italy), Besjan Kryeziu, drin dushi, Genc Buca and rrezon Sopi (Kosovo).

WorKSHoP team: Lorenc Basho, Egzon Desku, Fiona Driza, Senad Jamini, Elina Manushi, Bernard Nushi, Lisiena Shazivari, and Rina Zogjani.

W7: the Building of thermokos The workshop focused on the Termokos building, an abandoned pre-fabricated concrete building, located in the outskirts of Prishtina, in a developing area, on the intersection between the Dardania neighborhood, Emshir, the bus station and Dardania primary school. The form of the building is almost triangular, next to a highway and a very busy pedestrian path. The adaptation and reuse of the Thermokos building - lacking windows and a roof – required careful evaluation of what the neighborhood needs and what the building can offer. The group decided to propose a temporary – and immediate – use for the building, until a more permanent use has been decided.

The proposal consisted of the following solutions: (a) ‘A bird’s nest’ – to provide housing in inhabitable wooden capsules. (b) ‘The Spirit of Solidarity’ – to create a place to enable religious life, with a mosque, church and a meeting place under the same roof. (c) Skate Park – to convert the building into a sports complex, to connect to sports fields nearby, to serve the Dardania school. (d) ‘The Temple of Dardania’ – to use the building as a ‘temple’ and botanic garden that provides a green ‘breathing lung’ for the inhabitants of the neighborhood.

The proposals were presented in the form of an exhibition inside the building, to share the ideas with the local community.