Addressing sustainability is unavoidable, but what does it mean for architecture and the everyday lives of communities, people, and their shared places? Arguably, architects should ideally think beyond technological sustainability and design places for sustainable well-being that are artistically appealing and meaningful for people’s identity and sense of belonging. For this discussion, the studio uses the initial framework of cultural sustainability, encompassing both technological solutions and artistic approaches.

We hypothesise that cultural sustainability is four-tiered:

> Cultural heritage conservation

> Cultural diversity and identity

> Community engagement and participation

> Adaptive reuse and revitalisation

The students will consider what this means for their approaches and theses. Fredrik Skåtar’s lectures will explain the framework, give insightful lectures and provide students with a solid thesis structure.

The site is around Afrikalaan, Old Dockyards in Ghent, Belgium. The students will explore the area and pick a smaller site to work on. The specific type of architecture is open but should align with the students' take on cultural sustainability, which will very likely enable shared places and public space activation. The students are expected to think freely, be critical, and be innovative.

The Old Dockyards have undergone an immense revitalisation based on a master plan by OMA and carried out by SoGent.be. The area around Afrikalaan is the next big project.

The studio includes a workshop in Ghent between November 4th and 8th. The workshop is called “Industries of Hope” and is a cooperation between DIA, KU Leuven, and Politecnico di Torino. It aims to map the area and design sketches of spatial interventions that foster communities and social interaction. We will also get conceptual support and material from the project developer SoGent.

So, the workshop is the perfect occasion to gather material for the thesis projects, and each student is expected to join. Erasmus+ will finance the trip for each student.

www.skatar.com/master

www.cultural-sustainability.net