Theory of Architecture: How to be Independent - Architectural Techniques of the Non-Aligned

Abstract

This seminar explores resistance to the post-1945 (1957-1980) globalisation of architectural techniques, which can be found in media used to communicate alternatives. Inspired by practices documented in the dispersed grey literature from the “global South” from 1957-1980, we will experiment with the alternative, independent productions of our own manuals about autonomous ways of building.

Objective

During what Okwui Enwezor called “the Short Century” of African independence, building activists published in ways that circumvented the need to use former colonial powers to reproduce knowledge. There were manuals on building in earth, experiments in fibre-based roofing, re-wilding, and bio-energy, amongst others. Given that this research area is distant in time and space, the seminar aims to build empathy in imagining and reacting to the dilemmas faced by activists and architects in the new Non-Aligned nations. Through this process we will realise our own alternative creative agency as an asset that we could bring to other situations where we need to act autonomously. The case studies it will explore, which are not well known beyond local circulation, will support us to devise and communicate ways to create architecture without easy recourse to new materials, exotic technologies, foreign exchange, or the advice of outsiders.

Content

Case studies of architectural experimentation from, amongst others, local agencies in Ghana, Tanzania, Egypt, Zambia, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Cuba, India, and allies in the US Peace Corps, anti-apartheid South Africa, and Europe. Co-designing a platform for sharing interesting content, and printing manuals using an off-grid Mimeograph or Spirit Duplicator process.

Resources