My current research turns increasingly toward soil, ecological systems, and spatial transformation—examining how the built environment can reconnect with living processes, and how design can support more regenerative, resilient forms of urban life. These perspectives inform my lectures, which bridge architecture, urbanism, and ecology.

I offer public lectures for universities, cultural institutions, conferences, and professional audiences.

Recent and popular topics include:

Permaculture in Architecture
Exploring the spatial typologies of architecture and urban development that creates synergies with ecological principles.

The Garden as Ethical Infrastructure
Rethinking green spaces as active systems of care, responsibility, and shared cultural value.

The Self-Made City
Lessons from participatory housing and citizen-driven development, and their role in shaping more diverse, adaptable cities.

If you would like to request a lecture or discuss a collaboration, please contact me directly at: studio@kristienring.com.

BAUEN UND WOHNEN IN GEMEINSCHAFT / BUILDING AND LIVING IN COMMUNITIES_ Ideen, Prozesse, Architektur / Ideas, Processes, Architecture

Annette Becker, Laura Kienbaum, Kristien Ring, Peter Cachola Schmal Eds., BIRKHÄUSER ©2015, 240 Pages, German/English, ISBN 978-3-0356-0564-8

Wie und warum bauen und wohnen immer mehr Menschen in Gemeinschaft? Welche Ausprägungen dieses Phänomens existieren und was können Architektur und Baukultur in diesem Zusammenhang leisten? Das Buch zeigt 26 in Deutschland und überwiegend im europäischen Ausland realisierte Bauten, die als Baugruppenprojekte, von Genossenschaften oder Wohnungsbaugesellschaften errichtet wurden und Antwort auf diese Fragen geben. Sie reagieren mit unterschiedlichen Konzepten auf veränderte Lebensentwürfe und vielfältige Standorte. Mithilfe von innovativen Planungs- und Bauprozessen werden Lösungen entwickelt, die unmittelbar auf die Wünsche und Anforderungen der Bewohner ausgerichtet sind. Dabei steht die Idee im Zentrum, in individuellen Wohnungen und zugleich gemeinschaftlich unter einem Dach zu leben, Nachbarschaft und Freundschaft zu pflegen sowie Raum und soziale Verantwortung zu teilen. Klassische und moderne Lebensmodelle lassen sich somit verbinden. In vertiefenden Essays werden Hintergrundinformationen zum gemeinschaftlichen Bauen und Wohnen gegeben: vom volkswirtschaftlichen Nutzen dieser Wohnformen, über Fragen der Grundstücksvergabe bis hin zu sozialen Anliegen und rechtlichem Reglungsbedarf.

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.

Berlin is thought of as the city of Urban Pioniers, a place where everything is possible and where space can be taken over and transformed in self-initiative. Voids and unused spaces are occupied, old buildings engaged with new program. The self-determined design of space, building, living and working, be it in the form of builder collectives or co-housing, co-op’s, co-working spaces, or other project forms, has produced an architectural diversity and quality in Berlin between 2000 – 2013 that is exemplary. SELFMADE CITY presents the evolving condition in Berlin, including a survey of over 120 projects, an analysis of the qualities and potentials of these projects as well as 50 best-practice case studies. Which contributions are being made in private initiative for the development of the city and what can be achieved in the future? Which methods and strategies are generating added value? Kristien Ring, AA PROJECTS und Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung und Umwelt, Berlin (eds.) Softcover with flaps, 21 x 27 cm, 224 pages with num. col. JovisVerlag ISBN 978-3-86859-167-5 2013

SELFMADE CITY_download

Background:

SELFMADE CITY is an initiative of the curator Kristien Ring (AA Projects). SMC is based on the exhibition and publication project „auf.einander.bauen –BAUGRUPPEN IN DER STADT“ (Builder Collectives in the City) that Kristien Ring presented at the German Center for Architecture DAZ in 2007.

The focus of SELFMADE CITY is not only builder collectives and self-initiated living projects, but includs projects that have helped to define the spirit of the city by transforming the berliner city-scape. For Example: the Prinzessinengärtenin in Kreuzberg or the ExRotaprint-Area in Wedding.

The goal of SELFMADE CITY is to present the qualities of these projects, with particular attention given to the design. Preserving the specific potential of Berlin is at stake. The project see for the presentation of an exhibition in Berlin that is accompanied by discourse events, excursions and a prblication that will reach a wide public and, at the same time, further discussion and political decision making. Which qualities have really been materialised through the self-initiative of architects, owners, and other space pioneers? What is the subsistence of future potential concerning Berlin’s urban planning? What are future-oriented fields of work and strategies, or even requirements and conditions that are need for self-initiated spatial design with an aspiration for high quality to continue? Project partner: Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung, Berlin.

Article for „Future West“ and Interview with Geoffrey London, following Fellowship at the University of Western Australia.

FUTURE-WEST-DENSE-CITY-Ring

Ring, K. 2016. SELF MADE CITY. English, pp. 20-29, published in Future West, Australian Urbanism. Volume 2:

Desire for Density. University of Western Australia. Print and online at http://www.alva.uwa.edu.au/community/futurewest

http://www.lulu.com/shop/timothy-moore/future-west-02-desire-for-density/paperback/product-

22924825.html

Online Publishing of Above article and commentary: on “The Conversation”

https://theconversation.com/reinventing-density-how-baugruppen-are-pioneering-the-self-made-city-66488

14th International Architecture Exhibition of la Biennale di Venezia – contributor

SELF MADE CITY 2014 (Arsenale, Venice)

3 Workshop Sessions focus on the architectural und urban qualities of the Self-Made City, based on the best-practice examples from Berlin, Germany of the last ten years. –Which qualities, how these are essential for sustainable urban development, as well as how they can be transferred as principles to new projects in the conditions of other cities. An installation, presentations and discussions:

Saturday, 25.10.2014
Session 1: 11:00 – 13:30 “SELF MADE CITY_Berlin: PIONEERS”

PIONEERS –Typological and architectural manifestations: new solutions for the mixed and lively urban core. Flexibility, Construction, Typology, Shared Green and Open Spaces, Common Spaces, Private-Public Spaces, Cost Effectiveness, Land-Use and Financial Models, Ecological Building Solutions, Mixed-Use, Urban Interaction
SELF MADE CITY_Berlin Intorduction: (10 min.)
Kristien Ring, AAPROJECTS Studio, author of SELF MADE CITY

Best-Practice Examples From Berlin: (10 Min. each)
Julia Dahlaus, dmsw Partnership of Architects
Laura Fogarasi-Ludloff and Jens Ludloff, Ludloff+Ludloff Architects
Almut Gruentuch-Ernst, Gruentuch-Ernst Architects
Verena von Beckerath, HEIDE & VON BECKERATH Architects
Sven Froehlich and Ulrike Dix, AFF Architects
Gunnar Ring, ZOOMARCHITEKTEN
Florian Koehl, fatkoehl architects

Followed by an open discussion with questions from the audience, moderated by Kristien Ring.

Saturday, 25.10.2014
Session 2: 16:30 – 18:00 “SELF MADE CITY_International Forum”

PROGRAMS – New development models, negotiation of spaces and inclusion, affordability and the resulting impulses for the city.
International Forum_ How can our cities grow in a way that what we add brings benefits for everyone? How are alternative models working?

Impulse Talks: (10 min each)
Kristien Ring, AA PROJECTS, ‘SELF MADE CITY_International’ Introduction
Association Poveglia for All, „Post-crisis community: scandal of Poveglia“
Poveglia video (5 Min.) „L’Isola: Visual note by Francesca Balbo and Ignazio Lambertini“
Riccardo Bermani, Association About-Venice, „Creating a Community Garden in Venice“
Armina Pilav, Association for Culture and Art CRVENA – Sarajevo, „Sarajevo and Self-Made Solutions in the Context of War Emergency“
Igor Kovacevic, CCEA, Prag
Philipp Misselwitz, Urban Catalyst Studio and Chair of International Urbanism and Design Institute, TU-Berlin

Followed by an open discussion with questions from the audience, with expert: Christian Burkhard, Editor Architectuul Unfinished/ moderated by Kristien Ring and Florian Koehl.

Sunday, 26.10.2014
Session 3: 13:00 – 14:30 “SELF MADE CITY_of the FUTURE”

PROCESSES –On new processes, the expanded role of the architect and the resulting impulses for the city. What are the different organizational models and how do these affect the project and resulting architecture.
Impulse Talks: (10 min each)
Florian Koehl, Introduction
Matthew Griffin and Britta Juergens, Deadline Architects
Verena von Beckerath, HEIDE & VON BECKERATH Architects
Jan Edler, REALITIES:UNITED Studio for Art and Architecture
Martin Froehlich, AFF Architects
Nikolai von Rosen, Artist, Berlin/Zurich
Marco Clausen, Prinzessinnengarten, Berlin
Mario Husten, Juval Dieziger, Uta Mühleis, HOLZMARKT, Berlin
Followed by an open discussion with questions from the audience, moderated by Kristien Ring and Florian Koehl.

„auf.einander. bauen – BAUGRUPPEN IN DER STADT“, Edited by Kristien Ring, German, 96 Pages, 4/4 color ©2007 jovis Publishers ISBN: 978 – 3 – 939 633-33-4 (out of print)

PUBLIKATION_Auf.einander.bauen

Der Zusammenschluss privater Bauherren zu Baugruppen ermöglicht neue Formen des architektonisch und ökologisch anspruchsvollen und gleichzeitig kostengünstigen Bauens.  Die Publikation stellt das Format Baugruppe als Zukunftsmodell urbanen Wohnens vor und Präsentiert eine Auswahl von aktuellen Projekten aus Berlin.

Exhibition und Program: Curated by Kristien Ring. 30.03 – 25.05.2007 at the DAZ_Scharoun Hall. architects, owners und experts talk about their experiences.