6th BIA Sao Paulo Living in the City

Concept The theme proposed for the 6th BIA, for all its scope and depth, will create the means not only for architects and urban planners, but also for many segments of modern society, to discuss and ponder on the conflicts and difficulties of living in contemporary cities, especially in large metropolises.

Here, living should be understood as an extension to the theme of housing. City living today encompasses not only the house itself but all its extensions and urban complements, which are ultimately made necessary. Moreover, we understand that living is closely connected to the real city – a city which is a byproduct of disorderly growth under pressure from its inhabitants’ most immediate demands, which in turn result from the speed of transformations that society has undergone. The real needs of today’s society are driving and boosting city growth, often in breach of laws that are unable to keep up with its transformations. Acceptance of the real city – which insists on growing in parallel to the legal city – as an undisputed fact will aid in the eventual understanding of the mechanisms underlying the development of large urban conglomerates.

Utopia, on the other hand, is an idealized thinking of the city. This concept is necessary in order that we may find new paths for the city to grow in a sustainable manner and in perfect harmony with the environment – one of humankind’s greatest challenges today. Utopia is still a powerful drive for the progress of humanity. A city which does not have utopias to guide its development can hardly grow harmoniously.

Architecture stands like a bridge between reality and Utopia by offering solutions to resolve the present with an eye on the future. Architecture shows that it is possible to organize urban spaces by harmonizing the chaos and the contradictions in our cities resulting from disorderly growth. Today, this is no easy role to play.

The 20th century was characterized by profound political, cultural, economic, and artistic transformations, which also impacted architecture. As the primary stage on which these events took place, cities grew within an array of conflicts, which have been reflected dramatically in the architectural production. These transformations held out to us overly optimistic promises, especially in the field of technology, giving us the expectation of significant improvements for the welfare of humanity. But as these improvements came they were accompanied by overwhelming disasters which resulted in the frightening and appalling picture that is currently unfolding right before our eyes: large and chaotic urban conglomerates scattered around the globe, permanent deterioration of the environment showing alarming signs of exhaustion, accelerated globalization especially of economic activities – which leads to social exclusion, the concentration of wealth and the displacement of a great number of people – depletion of drinking-water sources caused by river pollution and disorderly deforestation, unplanned and accelerated populational growth in the metropolises, global warming, diminished safety in the big cities, etc. Such a picture poses an unprecedented challenge for architects in their professional practice. We must propose solutions for urban housing that effectively meet the needs of the city’s inhabitants while also contributing, even if minimally, to reduce the negative impact of housing problems. Therefore, while in the act of designing, architects must focus not only on the best solution for the project that is submitted to them but also on the impact that their work will have on the site where it is to be implemented, taking into consideration the level of development of the society around them.

To this end, the theme for the 6th BIA – LIVING IN THE CITY – aims to stimulate architects, urban planners and, most importantly, other segments of society to reflect on and discuss what it means to live in a metropolis today, what we understand as extensions to housing, and which possible urban complements could result in a dignified dwelling. As a follow-up to the 5th BIA, we also aim to showcase – in an accessible, light-hearted and fun way – what architects are producing in Brazil and worldwide. We hope that the 6th BIA can establish an even deeper dialogue with the non-architect citizen who lives and works in the big city, thus enabling this individual to understand the importance of architecture in his or her everyday life.

Architect Pedro Cury Architect Gilberto Belleza 6th BIA Curators

Pressetext

Neue deutsche Architektur Erstmals deutscher Beitrag zur Architektur- und Design-Biennale in São Paulo

Stuttgart, 06.09.2005 - Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland beteiligt sich in diesem Jahr erstmals mit einem eigenen Beitrag an der 6. Internationalen Architektur- und Design-Biennale in São Paulo, die vom 22. Oktober bis zum 11. Dezember stattfindet. Das Thema der Biennale "LEBEN IN DER STADT. Realität - Architektur - Utopie" bietet die Möglichkeit, über die Konflikte und Schwierigkeiten des Lebens in den heutigen Metropolen zu diskutieren und nachzudenken. Mit der Ausstellung des Instituts für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa) "Neue Deutsche Architektur. Eine Reflexive Moderne" stellt sich die Bundesrepublik dem Wettstreit und Qualitätsdialog in Architektur und Städtebau.

Die von der Hamburgischen Architektenkammer konzipierte Ausstellung beleuchtet die aktuelle deutsche Architektur seit der Wiedervereinigung Deutschlands 1990. Zwei Jurys - eine international und eine national besetzt - haben bewusst Bauten jüngerer Architekturbüros ausgewählt. Zusätzlich werden 10 Architekturbüros ("Signaturen") vorgestellt, die die deutsche Architektur seit 1960 entscheidend geprägt haben.

Die neue deutsche Architektur zieht die Konsequenzen aus sozialen und ökologischen Krisen der Stadtentwicklung. Sie orientiert sich nicht mehr an ideologischen Planungskonzepten, sondern bevorzugt anpassungsfähige Strukturen, die flexible Nutzungen im Alltagsleben ermöglichen und sich intelligent in den Stadtraum und die Landschaft integrieren. Ein sparsamer Umgang mit natürlichen Ressourcen ist dabei ein wichtiges Ziel. Die neue deutsche Architektur praktiziert eine selbstkritische, eine reflexive Moderne.

Außer Deutschland werden Argentinien, China, Frankreich, Israel, Italien, Mexiko, die Niederlande, Portugal, Österreich, Singapur, Südafrika und die Vereinigten Staaten mit Länderbeiträgen in São Paulo vertreten sein. Der deutsche Beitrag wird realisiert vom Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen e.V., Stuttgart, gefördert vom Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Bau- und Wohnungswesen und dem Auswärtigen Amt.

Pressetext ifa Institut

6th BIA Sao Paulo "Living in the City"
Reality - Architecture - Utopia
6th São Paulo International Biennial of Architecture and Desigh
6ª BIA - Bienal Internacional de Arquitetura e Design
Kuratoren: Pedro Cury, Gilberto Belleza

Ausstellungen:

"Neue Deutsche Architektur. Eine Reflexive Moderne"
Ort: Ciccillio Matarazzo Pavillon, Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo,
Brasilien (entworfen von Oscar Niemeyer)

Beteiligte Architekturbüros:
Allmann / Sattler / Wappner, Barkow / Leibinger, Bolles & Wilson, Bothe / Richter / Teherani, Ingenhoven,
Overdiek & Partner, Petra & Paul Kahlfeldt, Hans Kollhoff, Helga Timmermann, Jasper Jochimsen, Peter Kulka, Konstantin Pichler, Lederer & Ragnarsdottir & Oei, Leon Wohlhage Wernik, Florian Nagler, Ortner & Ortner, Carsten Roth, Sauerbruch Hutton, Werner Sobek, Wandel / Hoefer / Lorch & Hirsch, Worschech & Partner, Günter
Zamp Kelp, Julius Krauss / Arno Brandlhuber, u.a.

10 "Signaturen": Behnisch & Partner (Günter Behnisch), Heinz Bienefeld, Gottfried Böhm, gmp Architekten von Gerkan, Marg und Partner, Herzog & Partner (Herzog & de Meuron), Josef P. Kleihues, Daniel Libeskind, Karljosef Schattner, Otto Steidle & Partner, Oswald Mathias Ungers