Urban Living seeks to discuss future forms of urban residential construction, while considering their design qualities and social influences.

How can residential building strengthen urban structures and provide new opportunities through densification? How can mono-structures be broken up and open spaces upgraded? How can architecture meet the requirements of new cohabitation forms, addressing a broader social mix or the combination of living and working? 

The exhibition and publication present exemplary designs that were generated in the Urban Living Workshop, with thirty international architecture offices, over a period of a year.

Kristien Ring, AA PROJECTS, was commissioned by the Berlin Senate for Urban Development to document the results of the workshops in the form of a publication. Additionally, an exhibition that included built projects from SELF MADE CITY, as well as accompanying discussions.

The exhibition was also shown in Madrid.  

Kristien Ring AA PROJECTS (ed.) in cooperation with the Senate Department for Urban Development and the Environment, Berlin ENGLISH/GERMAN 256 Pages, 2015, Jovis, ISBN 978-3-86859-331-0.

Cities such as Berlin are faced with new architectural and urban planning challenges, not only on account of their constant growth, but also because of changing ways of life. Urban Living seeks to discuss future forms of urban living and to consider their design and social influences. How can residential building strengthen urban structures and provide new opportunities through densification? How can monostructures be broken up and open spaces be upgraded? And how can architecture meet the requirements of new forms of cohabitation, either owing to a broader social mix or to the combination of living and working? This book presents convincing concepts which show that affordable residential space can also have a high structural quality. Exemplary designs and solutions from the international Urban Living Workshop, which more than thirty international architecture offices took part in, provide excellent examples of the potential qualities of future residential construction.

On the occasion of the International Architecture Festival, the URBAN LIVING exhibition was shown at the CAOM (Center For Architecture Madrid) in Madrid. The exhibition was designed specifically for the space, using components of the original exhibition.

Produced in cooperation with the Senate Department for Urban Development and the Environment Berlin, together with the Deutsche Botschaft Madrid. 2015

Exhibition Design: Kristien Ring, AA PROJECTS

Concept for the Program accompanying the URBAN LIVING exhibition / Moderation of the discussions:

15.06.15, 7pm Y-Table Talk #1: Affordable Housing? (Bezahlbares Wohnen?) Which strategies enable affordable living? What are acceptable minimal standards and what can we do without? Rather self-build or a fully finished flat? How can new floor plan and circulation configurations help? A discussion with Berlin housing associations and architects from the URBAN LIVING workshop as well as SELF-MADE CITY projects. The discussion was held in German. Greeting: Matthias Böttger, curator DAZ, Dirk Böttcher, Senate Department for Urban Development and the Environment Keynote: Joachim Schultz-Granberg, münster school of architecture / Städtebau + Architektur Berlin Moderation By: Kristien Ring, AA PROJECTS – curator of the Urban Living exhibition Impulse lectures by architects of the URBAN LIVING-Workshop an the built SELF-MADE CITY projects: Martina Bauer, Barkow Leibinger; Jesko Fezer and Christoph Schmidt, Ifau and Jesko Fezer; Christian Schöningh, Die Zusammenarbeiter; Georg Poduschka, PPAG Further experts at the Y-Table: Carolin Franke, Talli + Architekturbüro R. Schnitzler; Matthias Rottman, De Zwarte Hond; Klaus Overmeyer and Philipp Misselwitz, Urban Catalyst Studio; Florian Koehl, fatkoehl; Matthias Schütte, GPSarchitectrue + Canals Moneo; Matthias Winkler, UmweltBank and representatives of Berlin municipal housing associations: Stefanie Frensch, CEO of the Berlin municipal housing association HOWOGE; Snezana Michaelis, CEO of the Berlin municipal housing association Gewobag ***

22.06.2015, 7pm Y-Table Talk #2: New Forms of Living? (Wie Wohnen Wir Wohnen?) Do communal spaces have a future? What is the housing associations’ position towards new forms of living? What is the connection of living concepts with new forms of mobility? Extreme or radical forms of living are often ignored in new building projects. However, those are the forms of living that have the potential for both cost-saving and future developments. URBAN LIVING projects as well as best practice SELF MADE CITY projects reinterpret the connections between living units, develop special forms of living and ask themselves a couple of questions: by bike to the door? Working spaces directly in the flat or next to it? A guest house or a party space in the house? Ready to move in or self-built? A higher standard or a lower standard with a lower rent? Greetings by: Matthias Böttger, curator DAZ, Regula Lüscher, Senate Building Director of Berlin Keynote: Arndt Pechstein, Biomimicry Germany & phi360 Moderation By: Kristien Ring, AA PROJECTS – curator of the Urban Living exhibition Impulse lectures by architects of the URBAN LIVING-Workshop an the built SELF-MADE CITY projects: Johanna Meyer-Grohbrügge, June 14 Meyer-Grobrügge & Chermayeff; Susanne Hofmann, Baupiloten; Sascha Zander, zanderroth; Almut Grüntuch-Ernst, Grüntuch-Ernst-Architekten; Matthias Winkler, UmweltBank Further experts at the Y-Table: Matthew Griffin, deadline; Anne Kaestle, Duplex; Vanessa Miriam Carlow, COBE; Verena von Beckerath, Heide & von Beckerath; Jürgen Patzak-Poor, BARarchitekten; Jörg Leeser, BeL – Soziätet für Architektur; Anne Niehüser, Cityförster architecture + urbanism; Gudrun Sack, NÄGELIARCHITEKTEN; Imke Woelk, Imke Woelk und Partner; Christoph Heinemann, Ifau und Jesko Fezer and representatives of Berlin municipal housing associations: Kristina Jahn, degewo; Ingo Malter, Stadt und Land and Georg Unger, Gesobau AG

URBAN LIVING Strategies for the Future
The massive need for living space in many big cities today is a chance to forge a new era of housing by creating new qualities. The URBAN LIVING exhibition presents ideas and best practice examples for new, affordable living typologies, vibrant neighborhoods and a resilient urban development. The exhibition shows strategies that improve urban life while strengthening specific characteristics of individual neighborhoods.

Projects from the international URBAN LIVING workshop and from the SELF-MADE CITY publication are presented.

DAZ Deutsches Architecture Zentrum, Berlin

Curated by Kristien Ring
Exhibition Design and Architecture: AA PROJECTS, Berlin – Ellen Ashenden, Lisa Kreft (Research), Kristien Ring
With contributions by: Trudy Bittner Rosser, Marcos L. Rosa, ifau und Jesko Fezer
Exhibition graphic design: Panatom
Photographs of Exhibition by: schnepp • renou
Featuring Projects by:
03 Architekten, augustinundfrank, Barkow Leibinger, BARarchitekten, Beckmann N’Thépé, Bel – Sozietät für Architektur, Bruno Fioretti Marquez, Canals Moneo + GPS, Carpaneto, CITYFÖRSTER + Mark Niehüser, COBE Berlin, Deadline, De Zwarte Hond, Die Baupiloten, Die Zusammenarbeiter, Duplex, fatkoehl, fatkoehl + Urban Catalyst Studio, Fink & Jocher, ifau und Jesko Fezer, ifau und Jesko Fezer | HEIDE & VON BECKERATH, Herault Arnod, Imke Woelk, Jan Wiese, JUNE 14 Meyer-Grohbrügger & Chermayeff, Kaden & Partner, NÄGELIARCHITEKTEN, OFFSEA, PPAG, realities:united, Talli + Schnitzler, Temperaturas Extremas, VUKOJA GOLDINGER, wiewiorra hopp schwark, zanderrotharchitekten as well as all from the Urban Quarter Friesenstraße Exhibition in cooperation with the Senate Department for Urban Planning and the Environment, Berlin.

With the kind support of:
WBM Wohnungsbaugesellschaft Berlin-Mitte mbH
GEWOBAG Wohnungsbau-Aktiengesellschaft Berlin
STADT UND LAND Wohnbauten-Gesellschaft mbH
GESOBAU AG
degewo AG
HOWOGE Wohnungsbaugesellschaft mbH
Umweltbank