Masterpieces in Africa: Open Call for Digital Fellowships
In collaboration with Docomomo Architectuul announces an open call for 6 Digital Fellowships to be awarded to students and young professionals in architecture based in Ghana, Uganda or Nigeria. Deadline for Applications is February 15, 2022 on the following application form here.
Shared Heritage Africa: Rediscovering Masterpieces is an opportunity to investigate and document buildings to understand how politics works and about the nature of the relationship between state and society. The project focuses on the rediscovery of post-war modern buildings from the 1950-1970s in Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda.
The 6 month long digital fellowship program involves participants working on documentation, investigation and representation of post-war modernist buildings where fellows will be involved in online tutoring and in-person activities undertaken over the period.
They will contribute to the online platform Architectuul and the new digest/Blog Shared Heritage Africa, allowing for exchange with the professional actors and society, locally and globally. The results shall be presented and discussed at the 17th International DOCOMOMO Conference in Valencia (Spain) in September 2022. Each fellow will receive a travel grant for joining the conference.
Find more about coordinators, members, sponsors and partners of the project on new Architectuul site and check your eligibility here.
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Jose Luis Sert : Former US Embassy in Baghdad 1955-1959
· Today abandoned ·
This is how a masterpiece of avant-garde architecture with Spanish signature has been abandoned due to political disagreements since late 1960s till now.
Although the pictures above were taken in 2011, the complex was bombed in 2003 by US army, now is closed, abandoned and surrounded by tall cement walls, withouth a legal owner.
The late years it has been recognized by DOCOMOMO as a modern architectural building complex in danger.
Architects: Pedro Azara from UPC (Barcelona) and Ghada Siliq from (Bahgdad) have informed this situation through a range of research articles on the web, thanks to them and all you people interested on architectural heritage and building preservation.
Let's go to the facts known:
70s. After US Embassy left the headquarters in 1968 due to political disagreements, Iraqi government decided to move there the headquarters of Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
80′s. Later, in eighties the Building complex changed owners and happens to be the Headquarters of Intelligence Services for Saddam Hussein Government.
Fortunately, the architects which assesored the president achieved the managment and the work of Sert haven’t suffer important modifications, it remained in good condition and well preserved until 2003,
2003. Time that US army bombed the former embassy of their own country, crazy.. After that, the building began its decay. After the zone was bombed, the location has become a restricted area (called 'green area') in Baghdad. Meanwhile US embassy continued using the building as a secondary dwelling while they raised their new embassy headquarters.
2010. The US embassy finally returned the headquarters to the Iraqi government which transferred the property to the Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq, later accused of terrorism. He fled to Iraqi Kurdistan. Since then, the property remains in a legal limbo.
2017. HOPE. Although there were signs of an attempt to preserve one of the best works of Spanish Architect, Jose Luis Sert, today we have any news about, waiting hopefully can be solved soon.
Certainly, there are lot of buildings and architectures around the world that have never been given the recognition it deserves, also it’s worrying how buildings are sometimes wrongly judged by population as a mere [overrated or underestimated] Symbol instead to value them as an architectural work, its contribution through history and how affects to people's lives.
The articles below worth to read.
2008 Recinto de la embajada americana en Bagdad (1955-1959). José Luis Sert EN - ES +
2011. ‘Former American Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq designed by Jose Luis Sert 1957-59: A ruin that nobody wants’. An article written by Pedro Azara (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. BarcelonaTech [UPC]. EN +
2011. Josép Lluis Sert: Antigua embajada norteamericana en Bagdad (1957),hoy ES +
2013. Una historia de la antigua sede de la embajada norteamericana en Bagdad (Iraq), de José-Luis Sert (1955-1957) ES +
images: Taken by Ghada Siliq. Baghdad. (2011)
plans: +
Jose Luis Sert was the first architect of Spanish avant-garde, Apostle of rationalism in Spain, dean of architecture at Harvard for almost two decades. Sert was a man full of contradictions, a free verse in a world dominated by serial production.
Modern Architecture, Infrastructure And Supply Technology
The 18. Docomomo Germany Conference under the topic Modern Architecture, Infrastructure and Supply Technology will present examples of conservation concepts.
New developments for infrastructure and supply significantly shaped the Modernist architecture. Supplying the growing cities with buildings for electrification, for employment offices, for health care or for culture such as theatres or cinemas required another architectural approach. Technical developments in building technology influenced architecture to a great extent, for example with the equipment with modern heating, air conditioning, elevators or telephone.
Preserving this architecture with its special features is a challenge today. The technical equipment of individual buildings can also significantly determine the architecture.
These elements, which correspond to the ideas and regulations of the time, should be retained as essential components of the architecture, but they don’t meet today's requirements and regulations. For the preservation of the architecture the infrastructure and the supply technology of the modern age, the exact documentation and the identification of the essential characteristics of modern architecture is a basis for correct preservation.
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Modern Architecture, Infrastructure And Supply Technology
18th Docomomo Germany conference
online conference on Friday, February 26, 2021
Program of the conference
The conference is a joint event by Docomomo Germany, the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation and the Technical University of Ostwestfalen-Lippe ( TH OWL) - Detmold School for Architecture and Interior Design
to watch how our built environment’s heritage is being demolished by the politics for the goals of the neoliberal intentions and not be able to do anything?
This rationalist building was one of the first constructed Italian architectural works in Albania. | Photo up Ajhan Bajmaku, below via Balcanicaucaso
The National Theatre of Albania was exposed as an Architecture in Danger where Docomomo International opened a worldwide alert regarding threatened Modern Movement heritage in Tirana, Albania. In our Forgotten Masterpieces - FOMA number 35 Saimir Kristo discussed how the municipality of Tirana and socialist governments tried to demolish and replace the theatre with new high rise profitable developments.
The Albanian authorities have announced the demolition and the construction of a new complex already in 2018 as the government and the municipality of Tirana claim the building is degraded, of poor quality and cannot be properly maintained. There were also open plans how a new building will be constructed on the design of global design firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG).
Is this becoming another case on non transparent city development, where plans for the public spaces and public buildings are not in favor of the public interest and demolishing of city’s cultural heritage and identity is a common daily routine?
After more than two years of active protests and protection from the Alliance for the Protection of the National Theater a citizens independent group in a dramatic way the National Theater building has fallen.
“This is not just the fall of a building designed by Giulio Berte in 1939, part of the architectural and Cultural heritage of Albania but the repeated act of the fall of democracy in Albania after the destruction of the historic houses of Tirana, the destruction of the National Stadium, and the collective memory and history of Albania,” said Saimir Kristo.
We call for solidarity from the international art world with the citizens, activists, and artists of Albania in condemning the actions of the government of Edi Rama and signing An Open Letter to the International Art Community: Stop Artwashing Edi Rama’s Politics
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Modern Movement and Digital Challenges was the title of the 17th Docomomo Germany conference, which was set in the building of the Akademie der Künste (ADK) organized by Docomomo Deutschland and Detmold School of Architecture and Interior Architecture (TH OWL).
Unfortunately, it cannot be said that modernism is highly valued, therefore DoCoMoMo, an association for the Documentation and Conservation of Buildings of the Modern Movement was founded in 1988. In current, very dynamic times, Docomomo needs to adapt as much as possible to reach new audiences. Therefore the topics of the conference were bringing into the forefront different aspects of digitization related to archives, museums, social media, planning as well as design tools with the focus on the technical digitals aspects and how digital tools can help to involve different users to communicate and disseminate visions emanating from modern movement.
The international conference presented a new format, a combination of invited keynote speeches and selected scientific lectures in three thematic blocks: From Archives to the City, From Files to Media and Research to Practice.
In the first thematic block From Archives to the City three European cities, Kaunas, Skopje and Antwerp presented their experiences with the digitization of archive materials on buildings.
Afterwards, three examples From Files to Media discussed the accessibility or difficulties in making the information accessible to the public. The last, Research to Practice presented research projects on user tools that aim to support work in urban planning and architectural practice.
In the evening architectural photographer Jean Molitor presented his movie Wettlauf gegen die Zeit and explained his photography as a mean to raise awareness about the role of architecture for community-building. Molitor travels all over the world and photographs buildings from the modernity. His photos often document outstanding works of modern art one last time before demolition.
Due to the outbreak of the Covid-19, some of the speaker had to be activated via Skype. Of all things, the two keynote speakers Donatella Fioretti and José Gutierrez Marquez were excused at short notice.
...is the main theme of the 15th International Docomomo Conference held from 28 to 31 August 2018 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It is organized by Docomomo International and Docomomo Slovenia under the chair of Nataša Koselj.
The exhibition World In-between chronicles the Republic Square in Ljubljana at different stages of construction. | Photo by Janez Kališnik
Docomomo, the international committee for documentation and conservation of buildings, sites and neighbourhoods of the Modern movement, brings together its members and friends from its 72 national working parties.
Ljubljana’s unique architectural atmosphere will welcome the conference at the Cankarjev dom by Edvard Ravnikar. | Photo Damjan Gale
As human and social values are undergoing fundamental changes the social and aesthetic values of the Modern Movement, as well as its status as heritage and element of identity, are very much under attack. Docomomo is helping to work on the preservation of the rapidly changing context.
Ana Tostões, the chair of Docomomo international, states that the concept of metamorphosis have influenced the development of ideas of evolution. Within the reapplication of this concept to architectonic knowledge the idea is to reflect on the transformative capacity of the Modern Movement to adapt and update. Keynote speakers of the conference are Alexander Tzonis, Claes Caldenby, Damjan Prelovšek, Ana Tostões, Hubert-Jan Henket, Liane Lefaivre, Vladimir Šlapeta, Špela Videčnik and Rok Oman (OFIS).
Ferantov vrt (1975) by Edvard Ravnikar, Section of the housing.
Education to Everybody / Structures in Ljubljana workshop will focus on the use of generic structures as a design tool, by analysing and elaborating standardised corridor-free school buildings.
Student teams will be challenged to propose sustainable interventions and extensions for the Majda Vrhovnik Primary School. | Photo via Dessa gallery
Primary School Pinko Tomažič (1967) with its pavilion construction in Koper was demolished. | Photo by Dušan Grča
The architectural Docotours will present the modernist heritage in Slovenian cities. Discover more architecture constructed by Edvard Ravnikar, Edo Mihevc, Max Fabiani, Jože Plečnik and others.
TOMOS Skyscraper, is empty in the city centre of Koper and represent a most recognizable building by Edo Mihevc in Koper. | Photo by Boštjan Bugarič
Edo Mihevc’s drawing for Slovenian Theatre in Trieste. | Photo archive M.R.
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Metamorphosis. The Continuity of Change
15th International Docomomo Conference from 28 to 31 August 2018; Cankarjev Dom, Prešernova cesta 10, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Organization board: Ana Tostões (Chair Docomomo international), Nataša Koselj (Docomomo Slovenia), Wessel de Jonge and Hubert-Jan Henket.
international student workshop Education to Everybody / Structures in Ljubljana (from 24 to 28 August 2018)
an international conference Metamorphosis. The Continuity for Change (from 28 to 31 August 2018)
pre- and post-conference docotours (from 26 to 27 August and 1 to 3 September 2018)
an exhibition The World In-between (Cankarjev Dom, opening 28 August 2018 at 20:00)
