BK Talks: BK Africa
A laboratory of the future?
15 June 2023 18:00 till 20:00 - Location: European Cultural Centre in Venice & Online - By: Communication BK | Add to my calendar
BK Talks presents "BK Africa: A laboratory of the future?", an upcoming event that will be streamed live on June 15th from the European Cultural Centre in Venice, in the occasion of the exhibition "BK Africa, A laboratory of the future?", organized by the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment (Delft University of Technology) at Palazzo Mora.
The installation features recent projects, research, and initiatives that address the rapid transformation of the African continent. This work was developed by students, faculty, and partners in Africa of the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment.
Beyond the statistics about urbanization rates and challenges in Africa, there are important conversations to be had about the social, spatial, economic, and environmental changes taking place. Moderated by Javier Arpa Fernández, a panel of experts from both inside and outside the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment will explore the rapid transformation of the African built environment in the context of (amongst other pressing issues) climate emergency and the risks it poses, such as desertification, flooding, and food insecurity.
Each African country's response to urbanization varies, and it is essential to examine and discuss each context while also reviewing the region-wide dynamics in urbanization. The various forms of urbanization taking place in different African cities signal transitions in processes that manifest in changes at a macroeconomic level, as well as in everyday life shifts, choices, and struggles. The aspirations of states, residents, and private actors, and the push and pull among them, mark the dynamics of the changes happening with cities as platforms.
“BK Africa: A laboratory of the future?" does not intend to treat Africa as a uniform block. Instead, the continent is viewed as a collection of differentiated territories, cultures, histories, and societies. The event aims to explore how everyday lives are understood and reimagined in urbanization processes within and around existing cities. It also seeks to consider what "new cities" in the region should be imagined and emerge out of, and how urban growth can be inclusive, resilient, and grounded in both processes and results.
Moderator
Javier Arpa Fernández
Research and Education Coordinator, The Why Factory, TU Delft
Javier Arpa Fernández is the Research and Education Coordinator of the Why Factory, Curator of Public Programs of the Faculty of Architecture at TU Delft and Editor-in-Chief at MVRDV. He is also a lecturer in the Landscape Architecture Department of the University of Pennsylvania. At the University of Pennsylvania, he has conducted a research project titled “Africa: An Atlas of Speculative Urbanization”. He co-curated the exhibition “African Speculations” at the Kuala Lumpur Architecture Festival in July 2017 and at Politecnico di Milano in February 2019.
Panellists
Alessandro Amedeo Frigerio
Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Politecnico Milano, Italy
Alessandro Amadeo Frigerio’s work intertwines profession, research and teaching. He is a research fellow for the Somali National University’s masterplan drafting project and contract professor of architectural and urban design at the Politecnico di Milano, where he is also part of the teaching staff of the Master ‘Design for Development: Architecture, Urban Planning And Heritage In The Global South.’
Dick van Gameren
Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Built Environment, TU Delft
Dick van Gameren has been the dean of the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment since April 2019. He studied Architecture in Delft and graduated cum laude in 1988. For a long time, he ran his own architecture firm and in 2013 became a partner with Mecanoo Architecten in Delft. His design for the Dutch Embassy in Ethiopia won him the prestigious Aga Khan Award in 2007. He manages an international teaching and research network aimed at tackling the problem of affordable housing in rapidly expanding cities in Asia and Africa.
Magda Mostafa
Associate Professor of Design, Department of Architecture, American University in Cairo, Egypt
Magda Mostafa is an associate professor of Design at AUC. She is a design associate at the Cairo-based practice, Progressive Architects where she specializes in autism inclusive design. Separately, she also explores marginalisations in urbanism, particularly with informal settlements. She has co-authored the book "Learning from Cairo"; her juxtopolis pedagogy was featured in Columbia University's book "The Arab City: Architecture and Representation".
Rahel Shawl
Founder – Principal, RAAS Architects, Ethiopia
Rahel Shawl blends her industry know-how with her passion for people and identity, constantly using architecture to bring about positive impact in her community. She has been involved in the design of a wide body of work blending contemporary ideas to local knowledge and contexts. Through her practice and social initiative @abRen, Rahel dedicates her time mentoring and teaching young professionals to promote and share knowledge of architecture; and passionately engaging in the advocacy for equity in design practices in Ethiopia and the rest of Africa.
Practical information
The session will be broadcasted live and will be archived for on-demand viewing.
The event's schedule includes a visit to the "BK Africa: A laboratory of the future?" exhibition and an aperitivo at Palazzo Mora, followed by the BK Talks event at Palazzo Michiel.