ARCHITECTURE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE  

Building on the success of the “Dream – Play – Challenge: The Future of Residential Living” symposium and the associated 2023 publication, this workshop applies the Dream – Play – Challenge methodology to another urgent topic in architecture: Sustainability. The workshop is co-organised by Sarah Riviere, Wiltrud Simbürger and Shivani Chakraborti, assisted by Selen Sönmez.

Why sustainability in architecture? Sustainability is one of the key requirements of architectural practice today, but are our current structures and practices adequate to the task ahead? Architects today frame sustainability mainly through the ecological lens with strategies based on a techno-environmental approach, while socio-political, economic, policy and aesthetic questions remain largely neglected. In this workshop we will explore the range of current thinking on attaining a truly sustainable future for our built environment, and challenge the architectural profession to get on board.

Why the Dream – Play – Challenge method? We are convinced that the ways and tools we use to work on issues impact the outcomes we obtain. So we set up Dream – Play – Challenge as a feminist method of exchange designed to enable the idealism of dreams through the creativity of play. Our events are designed as spaces where we can challenge ourselves and our colleagues to raise our voices for change.

Workshop protagonists

The Economics of Sustainability:

Dani Hill-Hansen, architect and sustainable design engineer, EFFEKT architects, Copenhagen. Dani specialises in facilitating cross-sector research projects to bridge the gap between climate science and building industry action. She is co-editor of the Doughnut for Urban Development: A Manual

The Policy of Sustainability: Katrine Østergaard Bang, architect and consultant at the Danish Association of Architects. Katrine focusses on public planning and management at a municipal level. She is chief editor and co-author of A Guide to Danish Architecture Towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The Poetics of Sustainability: Susanne Schmidt, anthropologist, artist, and facilitator. Susanne creates contact zones between species, disciplines, and institutions. She develops independent art-science projects and is co-head of the STEAM projects at the Museum für Naturkunde in Bavaria with the BIOTOPIA Lab in Munich.

Sustainability through History: Henriette Steiner, Associate Professor and Head of Section for Landscape Architecture, Planning and Society at the University of Copenhagen. Henriette works on diversity and justice in architecture and urban history primarily through feminist writing collectives. She is co-publisher of Untold Stories: Women, Gender and Architecture in Denmark.