Participation processes as a catalyst for change in cities

On Monday 20 March, German architect Markus Bader, whose work at the helm of the Raumlabor collective focuses on the co-production of spaces to inhabit, to create relationships, to enjoy, and to learn; will deliver a lecture as part of the Foros series organised by the UIC Barcelona ESARQ-School of Architecture, which this year hinges on the title "The Agency of Architecture". An invitation to discuss the relationship that should be established between those who design and plan cities, the urban users and the voice of the city and its surroundings..

Next Monday 20 March, the UIC Barcelona ESARQ-School of Architecture will host the third lecture in Foros 2017 “The Agency of Architecture”. The conference, which is open to the general public and scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. in the Aula Magna on the University's Barcelona Campus, will be given by Markus Bader, member and co-founder of Raumlabor, an architectural collective renowned for its cross-cutting work which incorporates architecture, urban planning, art and urban interventions, such as the transformation and revitalisation of the Tempelhof Airport as a public space in Berlin.

Under the title “Co-Producing Some Spaces”, the guest speaker will reflect on how we all, through our private and collective actions, generate space, and how the synchronisation of these activities in one single space creates a city. According to Bader, "architecture is a tool in the search for the city of tomorrow, and as architects we are activists, because we operate within the city." By analysing Raumlabor's work, projects which explore the limits of architecture and are deeply rooted in the local context, Markus Bader will invite attendees to change their opinion of the city and reformulate contemporary concepts such as "participation", "collaboration" and "site-specific".

Markus Bader combines his work as an architect with education, and not just in academia as Professor of Projects at the University of the Arts in Berlin, but also at the Urban School Ruhr, an open university developed by Raumlabor in cooperation with Urbane Künste Ruhr, a learning platform and pedagogical experiment that investigates participative and artistic practices in urban space. With projects such as the Göteborg Sauna, Bader has been nominated for the Kasper Salin Prize, the 2015 National Swedish Architecture Award.

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