Author: Cristian Blidariu

The conference hosted as part of the FAST events calendar, is part of the Bright Cityscapes program, organized by the Polytechnic University of Timișoara and FABER, with funding from Timișoara City Hall through the Project Center, the Romanian Order of Architects, the Flex Foundation and the Alber Foundation. 

Bright Cityscapes is a multidisciplinary program within the Timișoara 2023 European Capital of Culture initiative. Its purpose is to create a design laboratory for the city — one interested in observing, responding and acting on the contemporary urgencies within both Timișoara and the discipline of design, architecture and digital culture. Starting from situated research in Timișoara’s productive and academic ecosystem, the program brings together international thinkers, designers, sociologists, creative networks, academia, institutions and companies, in a series of exhibitions, conferences, workshops and other events.

Within FAST, the Bright Cityscapes lecture series highlighted architects and pedagogues who’s research methodology and design output captures alternative modes of operation with our most pressing urgencies in relation to rural, industrial and fringe city  landscapes .

The presentations were opened by Flavia Matei and Nadine Dajanovic of Linz University’s Base Habitat studio. Their presentation focused on some of their studios work, dealing with sustainability from the lens of  material and construction methods embracing advanced timberwork techniques as well as rammed earth applications.

This first presentation was followed by a lecture from Studio Muoto’s  Gilles Delalex and Georgi Stanishev. Studio Muoto was present in FAST curtesy of the Timisoara French Cultural Institute.  Entitled Practices of Freedom the lecture given by the two Parisian architects, gradually build up an argument for a situationist approach towards building, culminating with their radical French Pavilion at 2023 Venice Biennale.

The conference was be closed by 2022’s Swiss Architecture Award laureate, and Academy of Mendrisio professor  Xu Tiantian, of DNA Architecture. Mrs Tiantian’s lecture dealt with the radical social, cultural and economic transformations of the rural Chinese landscapes, and architecture’s power to heal these landscapes through acupuncture interventions.

Our last TALK segment was entirely dedicated tour our keynote speakers from  the Architecture Academy in Mendrisio. This very special  Swiss night was opened, through a commencement speach,  by his excellency, Massimo Baggi, ambassador of the Swiss Confederacy to Romania. Our first speaker of the evening Professor Walter Angonese, Dean of Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio was introduced by UAUIM’s Faculty of Architecture Dean, Associate Professor Horia Moldovan. Professor Angonese’s speech introduced the audience to the Academy, its staff, students, and teaching philosophy. Furthermore, profesor Angonese delved deeper into the conceptual and theoretical framework steering his design studio through concrete examples of student outputs as well through as his own body of work.

Our second and final keynote speaker, Mendrisio professor Quintus Miller was introduced by GM Cantacuzino Faculty of Architecture in Iasi, Professor Tania Hapurne. Professor Miller’s speech showcased his credo though a series of selected works spanning two decades of research through design.

The two lectures were followed by a short panel discussion and Q&A moderated by FAUT Dean Cristian Blidariu and ROA Vice-president and Mendrisio alumus, Dan Felix Paraschiv. This final moment further strengthened the positions of our two speakers in regard to architecture and its fundamentals, mixing both theory and practice.

The second day of our TALKs section,  delved deeper into our main festival theme, Sustainable Future, benefiting from the presence of several keynote speakers. For this evening, the welcoming speeches were held by the two rectors present in the hall of the National Theater:  Associate Profesor Florin Dragan Rector of the host University- UPT, and Professor Marian Moiceanu Rector of the, Architecture and Urban Planning University in Bucharest.

After a brief introduction and laudatio from FAU Dean Serban Tiganas the first keynote speech by Professor Natalie Mossin, Head of the Institute at the Royal Danish Academy and the President of Congress for the UIA World Congress of Architects, 2023, “Sustainable Futures – Leave no one Behind”, introduced the sensible ways through which architects can tend to the main Sustainable Development Goals.  This introductory lecture was followed by a conversation between Madame Mossin and Deans por vice-deans representing from all the architecture school in Romania. This panel  focused the debate of the evening towards on the intersection between the sustainability goals set by UIA and the pedagogical methodologies needed in countering the speculative growth patterns visible in our part of Europe.

After a mid-break, and a laudatio by ROA president Ștefan Bâlici, Mass Design Group’s  Senior Principal Christian Benimana presented several of his projects in Rwanda, but not only, highlighting building practices and design thinking that is tailored along the core philosophy of the SDG’s. This lecture was followed by the captivating and mercurial Lyndon Nery, of Nery and Hu, introduced on stage by FAU Dean Cristian Blidariu. Mr. Neri’s  presentation of his office latest projects and their narative and conceptual framing  sparked an imense interest among fellow architects and students.

For the first night of talks all delegates and the general public met in the sumptuous hall of the National Theater. Welcoming remarks were given by ROA president Stefan Balici and the evening main host, FAUT Dean Cristian Blidariu.

The first day of the talks section  highlighted prestigious alumni from the five Romanian schools, such as Eliza Yokina (Cumulus Architecture/ Bucharest), Berlin based, FAUT alumna Oana Stănescu, London based, Iasi alumnus Radu Axinte (Heatherwick Studio), Cluj Napoca alumnus Adrian Pop (ADP), or Oradea alumnus Gabriel Chis Bulea (Vertical Studio). Presentations  focused on the festival theme, by showcasing each speaker’s sustainable transition from their school years towards excellence within the professional practice. The presentation concluded with a panel discussion and a brief Q&A moderated by Cristian Blidariu.

OMA/AMO’s Reinier de Graaf,  was this first evening’s  keynote speaker.

Mr. De Graff  launched his latest book, Architect, Verb with an engaging and though provoking one hour lecture that articulated some of the key ideas form the critical text. The lecture concluded with a discussion with our audience, moderated again by Cristian Blidariu, followed by a book signing session.

RO: Nu poți vorbi de o școală de arhitectură a viitorului, nu o poți concepe, fără a te întreba: care va fi rolul ei, care vor fi activitățile care se vor desfășura în cadrul ei, care vor fi valorile pe care le va transmite studenților ei, care vor fi competențele (cunoștințele, abilitățile și atitudinile) absolvenților ei ?

Dată fiind complexitatea în creștere exponențială a domeniului construcțiilor (dată deopotrivă de dezvoltarea tehnologică și de înțelegerea mai profundă a complexității ființei umane) și răspunsul, aproape inevitabil, tendința tot mai mare de specializare, rămâne întrebarea: cine va gestiona ansamblul și ce competențe ar trebui să dețină pentru a reuși să îmbine toate specialitățile într-un întreg coerent, care să reprezinte cu adevărat mai mult decât suma părților ? Pe ce ar trebui să se concentreze educația de arhitectură astfel încât să nu piardă contactul cu realitatea ?

Pornind de la întrebările ridicate de studenții facultății de arhitectură din Timișoara în cadrul studiului de fundamentare realizat la atelierele de proiectare din anul V, cu scopul obținerii informațiilor necesare pentru formularea temei strategice, funcționale și tehnice care ar trebui să stea la baza proiectului unei școli de arhitectură, s-a născut ideea unui dialog dezbatere pe tema educației în arhitectură. 

Dezbaterea organizată de colectivul de îndrumători ai atelierului anului 5 FAUT: Marius Hârța, Marius Miclăuș, Bogdan Demetrescu, a adus în fața unui număr de peste 50 de studenți și profesori din toate cele cinci școli prezente în FAST, un panel de formatori și conducători de școli printre care-i amintim pe rectorul UAUIM, prof Marian Moiceanu, decanul Facultății de Arhitectura din UAUIM, conf. Horia Moldovan, Denaul FAUT conf. Cristian Blidariu,  Prof.univ. UAUIM Iulia Stanciu, Conf. FAU Cluj-Napoca Paul Moldovan precum si pe arhitectul și autorul volumului 2,14 Școli de Arhitectură, Alexandru Belenyi.

Concluziile dezbaterii vor fi sintetizate de studenții anului 5 ai Facultății de Arhitectură din Timișoara în tema de proiectare aferentă unitului de proiectare complexă, dedicat proiectului  unei noi școli de arhitectura în vecinătatea spațiului ARChA, dar și a unitului de regenerare patrimonială, ce studiază aceeași tematică însă prin la reconversia Facultății de Chimie.

EN: You cannot talk about an architecture school of the future, you cannot conceive it, without asking yourself: what will its role be, what of be the activities that will be carried out within it, what of the values that it will transmit to its students , what will the competencies (knowledge, skills and attitudes) of its graduates be?

Given the exponentially increasing complexity of the construction field (given both by technological development and a deeper understanding of the complexity of the human being) and the almost inevitable answer, the increasing trend towards specialization, the question remains: who will manage these aspects through a holistic understanding of their impact on the project, and what skills should one to possess in order to succeed in combining all the specialties into a coherent whole, one which truly represents more than the sum of the parts? What should architectural education focus on so as not to lose touch with reality?

Starting from the questions raised by the students of the Faculty of Architecture in Timișoara during the substantiation study carried out at the V-year design workshops, with the aim of obtaining the necessary information for the formulation of the strategic, functional and technical brief that should be the basis of the project of a school of architecture, the idea of a dialogue debate on the topic of education in architecture was born.

The debate organized by the group of tutors of the 5th FAUT workshop: Marius Hârța, Marius Miclăuș, Bogdan Demetrescu, brought before a number of more than 50 students and teachers from all five schools present in FAST, a panel of trainers and leaders of schools among which we mention the rector of UAUIM, Prof. Marian Moiceanu, the dean of the Faculty of Architecture from UAUIM, Prof. Horia Moldovan, Denaul FAUT Prof. Cristian Blidariu, Prof. Univ. UAUIM Iulia Stanciu, Conf. FAU Cluj-Napoca Paul Moldovan as well as the architect and author of the volume 2.14 Schools of Architecture, Alexandru Belenyi.

The conclusions of the debate will be synthesized by the 5th year students of the Faculty of Architecture from Timișoara in the subject of design related to the complex design unit, dedicated to the project of a new school of architecture in the vicinity of the ARChA space, but also of the heritage regeneration unit, which studies the same subject but through the reconversion of the Faculty of Chemistry.

Text: Marius Hârța

Photo: FAST

RO: Cea de-a treia ediție a Conferinței Internaționale COHESION 2023, axată pe multi-, inter- și transdisciplinaritatea arhitecturii și coeziunea acesteia cu alte profesii, a avut loc în zilele de 2 și 3 noiembrie, la Timișoara. Această ediție a făcut parte din Festivalul Școlilor de Arhitectură din România (FAST), o inițiativă a Ordinului Arhitecților din România, prin Departamentul de Educație și Formare Continuă, în parteneriat cu UPT Campus Creativ.

Aceasta s-a dedicat procesului educațional formal și informal din cadrul facultăților de arhitectură, pe tendințele actuale și răspunsurile la provocările contemporane, precum și pe modul în care programele de educație în domeniul arhitecturii și al mediului construit pot sensibiliza și contura strategii de proiectare incluzivă.

Temele conferinței au inclus: 

• Abordări contemporane în educația arhitecturală
• Metode de predare experimentale/inovative
• Coeziunea între profesii / Depășirea granițelor disciplinare
• Educația arhitecturală și practica arhitecturală
• Provocările globale și educația în arhitectură
• Teorii și metodologii de evaluare
• Legături între cercetare și educația în domeniul arhitecturii
• Educația inter-, multi- și transdisciplinară
• Proiectarea și dezvoltarea programelor de studii
• Managementul școlilor de arhitectură

Cu scopul de a crea un forum mai interactiv pentru discuții privind cele mai recente descoperiri în diferite domenii și contribuții originale privind educația în facultățile de arhitectură, Conferința COHESION 2023 a fost organizată sub forma unei dezbateri moderate în cadrul unei expoziții de postere. După scurte prezentări, discuțiile de grup moderate au asigurat o audiență mai mare și mai concentrată și au fost mai bine coordonate cu specificul profesiei de arhitect, realizând astfel coeziunea dorită între mediul academic și cel practic.

Ambele zile de conferință au început cu discursuri interesante din partea lectorilor invitați din Italia și Republica Dominicană. Prelegerile au fost susținute de Marina Fumo, arhitect italian, doctor în științe, profesor la Departamentul de Inginerie Civilă, Arhitectură și Mediu al Universității Federico II din Napoli, Antonella Violano, arhitect italian, doctor în științe europene, profesor asociat în tehnologia arhitecturii la Departamentul de Arhitectură și Design Industrial al Universității din Campania “L. Vanvitelli” și Alex Martínez-Suárez, arhitect, cercetător și curator dominican.

Conferința a oferit celor 52 de participanți, arhitecți, ingineri, cercetători și alți specialiști, din România, Serbia, Italia, Ungaria, Austria, Republica Dominicană și Marea Britanie, o platformă utilă unde pot împărtăși experiența lor de predare și învățare în facultățile de arhitectură pe teme legate de arhitectură, urbanism, managementul patrimoniului și design interior. 

Făcând parte din Festivalul Școlilor de Arhitectură din România, conferința a reunit cadre didactice de la Facultatea de Arhitectură și Urbanism a Universității Politehnica Timișoara; Universitatea de Arhitectură și Urbanism “Ion Mincu”; Facultatea de Arhitectură „G.M. Cantacuzino” din cadrul Universității Tehnice ”Gheorghe Asachi„ din Iași și Facultatea de Construcții, Cadastru și Arhitectură din cadrul Universității din Oradea, implicând în același timp și cadre didactice de la facultățile de arhitectură din țările vecine – Universitatea din Debrecen, Universitatea de Tehnologie și Economie din Budapesta, Universitatea din Belgrad, Universitatea de Arte din Linz.

Articolele prezentate în COHESION 2023 au fost publicate online în Journal of Architecture, Urbanism and Heritage, un jurnal științific care publică lucrări de cercetare și promovează teorii, cercetări originale și practica în domeniile arhitecturii și urbanismului (http://www.jauh.ro).

text: Ana Branea, Alexandra Keller

EN: The third International Conference  COHESION 2023, focused on the multi-, inter- and transdisciplinarity of architecture and its cohesion with other professions and took place on the 2nd and 3rd of November, in Timișoara. This edition was part of the Romanian Schools of Architecture Festival (FAST), an initiative of The Romanian Order of Architects, through its Education and Continuous Learning Department, in partnership with UPT Creative Campus.

It focused on the formal and informal educational process in Architecture faculties, current trends and responses to contemporary challenges, and how architecture and built environment education programs can raise awareness and shape strategies for inclusive design.

The conference topics included: 

• Contemporary approaches in architectural education
• Experimental / Innovative teaching methods
• Cohesion between professions / Overcoming disciplinary boundaries
• Architectural education and architectural practice
• Global challenges and architectural education
• Evaluation theories and methodologies
• Links between research and architectural education
• Inter-, Multi-, and Transdisciplinary education
• Curriculum design and development
• Management of Architectural Schools

Aiming to create a more interactive forum for discussions concerning the latest findings in different fields and contributions related to education in architecture faculties, the 2023 COHESION Conference was organised as a moderated debate within a poster exhibition. Following short presentations, the moderated group discussions ensured a larger and more focused audience and were better aligned with the customs of the architecture and urban planning fields, achieving the desired cohesion between academia and practice.

Both conference days started with interesting speeches from invited keynote lecturers from Italy and the Dominican Republic. Lectures were held by Marina Fumo is an Italian architect, PhD, Professor at the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering of the University of Naples Federico II, Antonella Violano, an Italian architect, PhD Europeus, Associate Professor in Technology of Architecture at the Department of Architecture and Industrial Design of the Università della Campania “L. Vanvitelli” and Alex Martínez-Suárez a Dominican architect, researcher, and curator. 

The conference offered its 52 participants, from Romania, Serbia, Italy, Hungary, Austria, the Dominican Republic, the United Kingdom, architects, engineers, researchers, and other specialists, a platform to exchange and share their teaching and learning experience in architecture faculties on topics related to architecture, urban planning, heritage management and interior design. 

Being part of the Romanian Schools of Architecture Festival the conference brought together educators from the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning of the Politehnica University Timisoara; Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism; Faculty of Architecture „G.M. Cantacuzino” of the ”Gheorghe Asachi„ Technical University of Iași and the Faculty of Construction, Cadastre and Architecture of the University of Oradea, while also engaging educators from architecture-related faculties from neighbouring countries – University of Debrecen, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, University of Belgrade, University of Arts Linz. 

Articles presented in COHESION 2023 have been published online in the Journal of Architecture, Urbanism and Heritage, a peer-review academic journal which publishes research papers and advances theory, research, and practice in the fields of architecture and urban planning (http://www.jauh.ro)

text: Ana Branea, Alexandra Keller