FOCUS ON THE ARCHITECTURE OF OPTIMISM
Photo: Hertha Hurnaus
Transforming today’s challenges into a brighter future
IN CHARGED TIMES OF ONGOING GLOBAL TURMOIL AND A CLIMATE CRISIS, ARCHITECTS OFTEN FIND THEMSELVES CAUGHT BETWEEN URGENCY AND LIMITATION. BUT RATHER THAN STEPPING BACK, MANY RESPOND WITH OPTIMISM. NOT WITH THE HEROIC MASTERPLANS OF THE MODERNIST AGE, BUT THROUGH JOYFUL AND POSITIVE INTERVENTIONS THAT CHANGE PEOPLES’ LIVES ONE STEP AT A TIME.
Architecture as a vessel for positive change
The architectural profession is inherently driven by optimism. At its core lies a general belief that design can be a vessel for positive change. The age of Modernism carried this belief to extremes; reorganising the city through large-scale, utopian plans. Le Corbusier’s Ville Radieuse, conceived in the 1920s, is perhaps the clearest example. The architect believed that a city designed according to functional principles, built from the ground up, would lead to a more harmonious, peaceful society.
Limits to Modernism’s bold brushstrokes
Yet history has shown that these well-intentioned, slightly ostentatious plans with their grandiose ideals have in practice proved hard to implement. It turns out that cities cannot simply be engineered into equality with the big, bold brushstrokes of Modernism; places actually appeared to thrive on the very irregularities it aimed to erase. Nor did these sweeping plans account for the realities of day-to-day life or involve the community.
Solutions that matter here and now
Today, the architecture of optimism takes on a different shape. Instead of solving the world’s problems with grand visions that require years of effort and a blank slate, architects come up with solutions that matter here and now. Rooted in reality, and designed to blend into the existing urban fabric. Some solutions focus on the physical side of things, using innovative materials through unexpected applications. Others are socially oriented, involving residents throughout the process or integrating community values into the design.
Architecture to delight, enliven and inspire
Above all, the present-day architecture of optimism never loses sight of its playful side. It understands that in times of conflict and skepticism towards the future, architecture has the unique capability to delight, enliven and inspire. Colours and shapes can be tools to shift our perspective. Architecture might not solve everything, but it can make us see that the future is here, and that it can be bright and optimistic if we want it to be.
HAK Housing Vienna, Austria
No city in the world is more famous for its social housing policies than Vienna, in which almost half of the population lives in apartments subsidised by the municipality. HAK Housing shows that greenery, colours and views can be applied to create a positive and affordable living experience for each resident.
Vienna as a renters’ utopia
From all over the globe, public officials flock to Vienna to see what the future of social housing looks like. The New York Times calls it a ‘renters utopia’, praising the city’s housing for its quality and affordability. The Viennese model found its roots pre-World War I, when urban living conditions were poor. In response, the municipality invested in the construction of ‘Gemeindebauten’: housing blocks in which residents could live for roughly 3.5% of the average worker’s income. The model evolved over time, but kept its core principles: affordable but high-quality housing, open to low-income and middle-class families. And once you’re in, you can stay for life, even as your income grows. This results in a housing market in which about 80% of families are eligible for social housing.
'And once you’re in, you can stay for life, even as your income grows'
Generous views for everyone
But beyond these specific market conditions, there’s more to learn from the Austrian capital’s approach. HAK Housing by querkraft shows social housing’s full potential. The architects’ starting point: each resident should enjoy a panoramic view of the Danube, Vienna’s blue backbone. All apartments therefore benefit from a cantilevered loggia directed towards the river, made out of prefabricated concrete. But the generosity in views has been extended to the adjacent, existing social housing blocks; the top floor of a garage block was removed to bring in more light and better views for HAK Housing’s ‘neighbours’.
Bright yellow facades and green outdoor spaces
In addition, the design team approached the outdoor spaces as a network of leisure areas. Large staircases provide access to a garden deck designed for playing, meeting and relaxing. The surprising yellow facades on some of the walls brighten up the surroundings and underscore the architects’ positive view on urban living.
ARCHITEARCHITECT: QUERKRAFT
PHOTOS: HERTHA HURNAUS
A bright approach to social housing
Design District Canteen London, UK
What if a food market instantly puts a smile on your face? The Design District Canteen by Spanish architects SelgasCano stands out with its bubble-like structure and bright colours. And underneath the joyfulness there’s more than meets the eye; it makes maximum use of an innovative, sustainable material.
District with a creative identity
The London Design District opened in 2021 on the city’s Greenwich Peninsula. It consists of 16 workspace buildings aimed at the creative industries - a sector that accounts for almost one in seven jobs in London. Each building is designed by a different architect. During the design process, each architect was shielded from the other firms’ designs, which has resulted in an eclectic mix of buildings, emphasising the district’s creative identity and emulating the variety of building styles that appear in a city over time.
'The ETFE membrane is cost-effective to produce and has a low-energy manufacturing and transportation process thanks to its light weight.'
A wandering caterpillar
At the heart of the district lies the Design District Canteen, a food court that looks like a bulbous caterpillar wandering between the buildings. The building consists of a solid ‘spine’ in a bright yellow hue. It contains the food stalls on the ground floor, and a seating area on top. The spine is covered by a light metal, flowering structure over which a transparent membrane skin is stretched. At night, the building’s use of backlit materials turn the structure into a lantern that illuminates the surrounding square.
Light-hearted and forward-looking material
The project makes the case to explore a less popular building material in new ways. The ETFE membrane - a signature choice of materials for SelgasCano - is cost-effective to produce and has a low-energy manufacturing and transportation process thanks to its light weight. Its low friction surface prevents dirt from sticking to its surface, ensuring manageable maintenance. In both spirit and substance, it reflects the idea that architecture can be as light-hearted as it is forward-looking.
ARCHITECT: SELGASCANO
PHOTOS: IWAN BAAN
A caterpillar-like building at the heart of a design district
La Nube STEAM Discovery Center El Paso, USA
El Paso is a city in Texas, divided from its Mexican sister Juarez by the US government’s border wall. In the heart of the city, a children’s museum aims to connect its bilingual community through a playful, cloud-like design.
A building to connect communities
In 2012, the residents of El Paso voted to invest in a ‘quality-of-life bond’; a generous package of investment in community projects such as the upgrade of parks, pools and playgrounds, as well as three larger projects. One of these was the construction of a children’s museum, complementing the existing children’s museum across the border in Juarez. The local residents suggested to name it ‘La Nube’, Spanish for ‘the cloud’. It not only refers to the region’s 300+ days of blue sky per year; it also references the shared sky as a connector of the cross-border community on both sides of the wall.
Inside, the building is all about having your ‘head in the clouds’.
Designed like a cloud
The museum’s design, by global architecture firm Snøhetta, refers to a cloud as well. It is set on a straightforward, rectilinear base, but topped out by a rippling succession of barrel vaults which rise to form a cloud-like crown. The architects used storefront glass for the base and aluminium paneling for the façade. Large, vertically shaped windows across the exterior provide views and let daylight in.
Focus on STEAM subjects
Inside, the building is all about having your ‘head in the clouds’, focused on creativity. The museum maximises imaginative play and exploration around STEAM subjects: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. Throughout the exhibition floors, colourful installations invite climbing. In the lobby, a live feed shows the visitors at the museum across the border, connecting the children of both communities.
ARCHITECT: SNØHETTA
PHOTOS: CASEY DUNN