PRISHTINA ARCHITECTURE TOUR

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Prishtina Architecture Tour

Time and Place: 5th of July 2023 from 3PM at Brotherhood & Unity Monument

Join us for the insightful Prishtina Architecture Tour and learn more about Prishtina’s landmarks from the Sultans Mosque to the National Library. Prishtina has a vast architecture history spanning from the Ottoman period presented in the most unique form through some of the oldest Mosques in Europe, up to the Socialist Era and its world unique Brutalist marvels such as the Youth and Sports Center. The architecture tour starts from the Brotherhood & Unity Monument and ends at the National Library.

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Turneu Arkitektonik i Prishtinës

Koha dhe Vendi: 5 Korrik 2023 nga ora 15:00, nisja nga monumenti i Bashkim Vllaznimit

Bashkohuni me ne për turneun e vecant të arkitekturës në Prishtinë dhe mësoni më shumë për monumentet e Prishtinës nga Xhamia e Sulltanëve deri tek Biblioteka Kombëtare. Prishtina ka një histori të gjerë arkitekturore që shtrihet nga periudha osmane e paraqitur në formën më unike përmes disa prej xhamive më të vjetra në kontinentin tonë e deri tek epoka socialiste dhe mrekullitë e saj brutaliste të vecanta në botë sikurse Qendra Rinore dhe Sportive. Turi i arkitekturës fillon nga monumenti i Bashkim Vllaznimit dhe përfundon në Bibliotekën Kombëtare.

NOMMA OPEN STUDIO

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Nomma Open Studio Visit

Time and Place: 7th of July 2023 from 3PM Nomma Studio

Welcome to NOMMA studio, the vibrant architectural powerhouse rewriting the rules of design from the heart of Pristina. We’re more than architects – we’re audacious innovators, fearlessly redefining the balance between style and substance. Our work cuts a swath across the interior design, blending functionality and aesthetics into breath-taking residential, commercial, and institutional projects.

Our influence isn’t confined by borders – our award-winning creations echo from Southeast and Western Europe, making waves on the global stage. Packed with accolades and spotlighted in top-tier publications, nomma Studio is a creative hub where avant-garde design collides with daring innovation.

Every line we draw, every space we craft, emanates from a team of maverick designers committed to pushing boundaries. At NOMMA studio, we’re not just designing buildings; we’re sparking dialogues, challenging norms, and leaving indelible footprints on the sands of architectural time.

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Nomma Open Studio Vizita

Koha dhe Vendi: 7 Korrik 2023 nga 15:00 tek Nomma Studio

Mirë se vini në studio NOMMA, qendra energjike arkitekturore që rishkruan rregullat e dizajnit nga zemra e Prishtinës. Ne jemi më shumë se arkitektë – ne jemi inovatorë të guximshëm, duke ripërcaktuar pa frikë ekuilibrin midis stilit dhe substancës. Puna jonë ndan një brez në dizajnin e brendshëm, duke përfshirë funksionalitetin dhe estetikën në projekte rezidenciale, tregtare dhe institucionale marramendëse.

Ndikimi ynë nuk kufizohet nga kufijtë – krijimet tona të vlerësuara me çmime jehojnë nga Evropa Juglindore dhe Perëndimore, duke bërë valë në skenën globale. I mbushur me vlerësime dhe i vënë në qendër të vëmendjes në botimet e nivelit të lartë, nomma Studio është një qendër krijuese ku dizajni avangardë përplaset me inovacionin e guximshëm.

Çdo linjë që vizatojmë, çdo hapësirë që krijojmë, buron nga një ekip projektuesish të jokonformistë të përkushtuar për të shtyrë kufijtë. Në studion NOMMA, ne nuk jemi vetëm duke projektuar ndërtesa; ne po ndezim dialogë, po sfidojmë normat dhe po lëmë gjurmë të pashlyeshme në rërën e kohës arkitekturore.

DIEFORM OPEN STUDIO

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Dieform Open Studio Visit

Time and Place: 6th of July 2023, 3PM at Dieform Studio

Dieform is an interdisciplinary research center for experimental architecture, design and contemporary art. It is an experimental space for interdisciplinary collaboration, study and research of [in]formative design solutions: their transient nature, and the ways they relate to everyday functions. It aims to change physical and cultural landscapes of Kosovo cities and beyond by creating socially and environmentally aware solution – from inception to application. We design with people for people- this includes proposing and creating content together with them, as a fully combination between personal desires and professionalism/expertise.

TRINOM Philosophy: RESEARCH-EDUCATION-DESIGN

Dieform education aims to provide a range of educational programs covering the fields of Architecture, Design and Arts, with a particular focus on master programs. Its vision is to provide next generations with study experiences which are based on critical thinking, creativity and place-based solutions.

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Dieform Open Studio Vizita

Koha dhe Vendi: 6 Korrik 2023 nga ora 15:00 tek Dieform Studio

Dieform studio është një qendër kërkimore ndërdisiplinore për arkitekturën eksperimentale, dizajnin dhe artin bashkëkohor.

Është një hapësirë eksperimentale për bashkëpunim ndërdisiplinor, studim dhe hulumtim të zgjidhjeve të projektimit [in]formativ: natyrës së tyre kalimtare dhe mënyrat se si ato lidhen me funksionet e përditshme.

Synimi është të ndryshohen peizazhet fizike dhe kulturore të qyteteve të Kosovës dhe më gjerë duke krijuar zgjidhje të vetëdijshme shoqërore dhe mjedisore – nga fillimi deri në aplikim.

Ne projektojmë me njerëz për njerëzit – kjo përfshin propozimin dhe krijimin e përmbajtjes së bashku me ta, si një kombinim i plotë midis dëshirave personale dhe profesionalizmit/ekspertizës.

TRINOM Filozofia: KËRKIM-ARSIM-DIZAJNIM

Edukimi Dieform synon të ofrojë një sërë programesh arsimore që mbulojnë fushat e Arkitekturës, Dizajnit dhe Arteve, me fokus të veçantë në programet master. Vizioni i saj është t’u sigurojë gjeneratave të ardhshme përvoja studimore të cilat bazohen në të menduarit kritik, kreativitetin dhe zgjidhjet e bazuara në vend.

RKS² | TRANSCENDENT LOCALITY

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This year the Kosovo National Pavilion at the Venice Biennale will be curated by the duo Poliksen Qorri Dragaj & Hamdi Qorri.

Up to the present day, migration plays a significant role in the social development of Kosovo. It manifests itself in different forms, which differ in motives, manner and duration. The exhibition deals with a special form of migration, which illustrates that the migratory process is not completed with the simple move to another country. It often takes place in different phases, some of which end in a return to the home country. This return can be temporary, seasonal or permanent, but what they all have in common is that they ensure that connections and networks of different kinds are created between the homeland and the hostland. This form of migration can be described with the concept of translocality, a model of life that is becoming more and more prevalent – people living in multiple places at the same time, maintaining connections between hostland and homeland through communication, transfer of knowledge, information, material and immaterial goods.

In the course of the tense political situation and an ever-worsening marginalization of the Albanian population during the breakdown of the Yugoslavian Republic, hundreds of thousands of people sought refuge and protection abroad. In some cases, this flight would often last for decades without return.

During this conflict- and war-related migration wave in the late 1980s to the late 1990s, people fleeing found temporary arrival mostly in OECD countries, regulated in the form of a residence permit as politically persecuted persons. This legal status did not provide for a return to the homeland as long as the reason for flight had not been resolved and lifted. For many refugees, this represented a state of waiting and lingering, because the reason for migration was not a self-determined one – on the contrary, it was violently imposed from the outside.

The perceived locality of this migration group is the starting point for a spatial-philosophical narrative: transcendent locality. The concept of transcendence is variously described and defined from ancient to contemporary philosophy. Common to all meanings is that transcendence implies the process of crossing a boundary that separates two fundamentally different spheres.

For the individuals living in migration, the circumstance of not being able to return to their homeland for an indefinite period represented a deep caesura in their lives. On the one hand, the migrated individuals were physically present in the hostlands. superficially managing their everyday life and functioning in their new environment. But on the other hand, the emotional presence was a different matter: due to the conflict, attention and thoughts revolved around the abandoned homeland, fears and insecurities often did not allow the individuals to arrive in the hostland. They were located in an intermediate state between the physical present and the abandoned before. In this state, boundaries between the immanent being in the present and the transcendent being in the mind blur – the migrated individual is in a transcendent locality.

This project explores the impact of transcendent locality on immanent space in the short and long term: how the return of migrants after the war has affected Kosovar cities and how the social migration networks, which developed in the hostlands, impact on urban space in the form of translocal urbanism. It opens discussions on how urban planning can respond to these specific conditions in order to create urban resilience and liveable cities.

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The installation serves as a metaphor for the idea of transcendence – the physical representation of a subjective state. It consists of an outer and an inner frame made of aluminium, in the middle of which a further frame made of neon tubes is located. All of these are multiplied horizontally.

Fragments  

The installation is modularly assembled from individual parts. In the context of the project, this is how the transcendent locality is also composed. Individual fragments of memories and stories from the homeland are complemented by new impressions and experiences in the hostland and embed the transcendent locality in it. Memories and new impressions mean that this place is subject to a constant dynamic and never reaches a final state.

In between 

Through migration, the center of life is left behind and, with increasing time, is supplemented by a second home in the hostland – this can be seen as a gain. Translocality, however, also strengthens the state of being in between.

The exterior and interior frames pick up on this motif as fixed constructions, in which the feeling of being in between is picked up by the neon.

Multiplication 

The subjective confrontation and reflection with one’s own transcendent and immanent location in the context of migration is repeated again and again and becomes a constant companion.

The installation as a physical construct and as a metaphor depends very much on the individual perspective. Viewed from a distance, fragments, layers and spaces in between result in a coherent picture and, conversely, dissolve into their individual parts with increasing proximity – similar to the transcendent locality, which transforms into translocality and no longer lets people leave the intermediate state of proximity and distance between two places of being at home.

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Këtë vit paviljoni i Republikës së Kosovës në Bienalën e Venecias do kurohet nga ekipi i arkitektëve dhe kuratorve Poliksen Qorri Dragaj & Hamdi Qorri.

Deri më sot, migrimi ka pasur rol të rëndësishëm në zhvillimin social të Kosovës. Manifestohet në forma të ndryshme, të cilat dallojnë për kah motivet, mënyra dhe kohëzgjatja. Ekspozita trajton një formë të veçantë të migrimit, e cila ilustron se procesi i migrimit nuk përfundon me shpërnguljen e thjeshtë në një vend tjetër. Shpesh zhvillohet në faza të ndryshme, disa prej të cilave përfundojnë me kthimin në vendlindje. Ky kthim mund të jetë i përkohshëm, sezonal ose i përhershëm, por e përbashkëta e tyre është se ato bëjnë të mundur krijimin e lidhjeve dhe rrjeteve të llojeve të ndryshme midis vendlindjes dhe vendit emigrues. Kjo formë migrimi mund të përshkruhet me konceptin e translokalitetit, një model jete që po bëhet gjithnjë e më i përhapur – njerëzit që jetojnë në shumë vende në të njëjtën kohë, duke ruajtur lidhjet midis vendlindjes dhe vendit emigrues përmes komunikimit, transferimit të njohurive, informacionit, të mirave materiale dhe jomateriale.

Në rrjedhën e situatës së tensionuar politike dhe një margjinalizimi të përkeqësuar të popullsisë shqiptare gjatë shpërbërjes së Republikës Jugosllave, qindra mijëra njerëz kërkuan strehim dhe mbrojtje jashtë vendit. Në disa raste, kjo ikje shpesh do të zgjaste për dekada pa kthim.

Gjatë kësaj vale të migrimit për shkak të konfliktit dhe luftës në fund të viteve ‘80 deri në fund të viteve ‘90, njerëzit që iknin gjetën strehim të përkoshëm kryesisht në vendet e OBZE-së, të rregulluar në formën e një leje qëndrimi si persona të përndjekur politikë. Ky status ligjor nuk parashihte kthim në vendlindje për sa kohë nuk i ishte dhënë zgjdihje dhe fund arsyes së ikjes. Për shumë refugjatë, kjo përfaqësonte një gjendje pritjeje dhe ngecjeje, sepse arsyeja e migrimit nuk ishte nga vetëdëshira– përkundrazi, ajo ishte e imponuar me dhunë nga jashtë.

Lokaliteti i perceptuar i këtij grupi migrues është pikënisja për një narrativë hapësinore-filozofike: lokalitet transcendent. Koncepti i transcendencës përshkruhet dhe përkufizohet në mënyra të ndryshme që nga filozofia e lashtë e deri në atë bashkëkohore. E përbashkët për të gjitha kuptimet është se transcendenca nënkupton procesin e kapërcimit të një kufiri që ndan dy sfera thelbësisht të ndryshme.

Për individët që jetonin në migrim, rrethana e moskthimit në vendlindje për një periudhë të pacaktuar përfaqësonte një cezurë të thellë në jetën e tyre. Nga njëra anë, individët e që migronin ishin fizikisht të pranishëm në vendet emigruese, duke menaxhuar në mënyrë sipërfaqësore jetën e tyre të përditshme dhe funksionimin në mjedisin e tyre të ri. Por nga ana tjetër, prania emocionale ishte një çështje tjetër: për shkak të konfliktit, vëmendjes dhe mendimeve që silleshin rreth vendlindjes së braktisur, frika dhe pasiguritë shpesh nuk i lejonin individët të arrinin në vendet e huaja. Ata ndodheshin në një gjendje të ndërmjetme midis të tashmes fizike dhe asaj të braktisur më parë. Në këtë gjendje, kufijtë midis qenies imanente në të tashmen dhe qenies transcendente në mendje mjegullohen – individi migrues e gjenë veten në një lokalitet transcendent.

Ky projekt hulumton ndikimin e lokalitetit transcendent në hapësirën imanente në periudhën afatshkurtër dhe afatgjatë: si ka ndikuar kthimi i migrantëve pas luftës në qytetet kosovare dhe si rrjetet sociale të migrimit, të cilat u zhvilluan në vendet emigruese, ndikojnë në hapësirën urbane në formën e urbanizmit translokal. Ai hap diskutime se si planifikimi urban mund t’i përgjigjet këtyre kushteve specifike në mënyrë që të krijojë qëndrueshmëri urbane dhe qytete të jetueshme.

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Instalacioni shërben si një metaforë për idenë transcendente – paraqitjen fizike të një gjendjeje subjektive. Ai përbëhet nga një kornizë e jashtme dhe e brendshme prej alumini, në mes të së cilës ndodhet një kornizë e mëtejshme e bërë nga tuba neoni. Të gjitha këto shumëzohen horizontalisht.

Fragmente

Instalacioni është montuar në mënyrë modulare nga pjesë të veçanta. Në kuadër të projektit, kështu është i përbërë edhe lokaliteti transcendent. Fragmente të veçanta kujtimesh dhe tregimesh nga vendlindja plotësohen me përshtypje dhe përjetime të reja në vendet emigruese dhe ngulitin lokalitetin transcendent në të. Kujtimet dhe përshtypjet e reja nënkuptojnë se ky vend i nënshtrohet një dinamike të vazhdueshme dhe nuk arrin kurrë një gjendje përfundimtare.

Në mes

Nëpërmjet migrimit, pjesa qëndrore e jetës lihet pas dhe, me kalimin e kohës, ajo plotësohet nga një shtëpi e dytë në vendin emigrues – kjo mund të shihet si gjë e dobishme. Translokaliteti, megjithatë, forcon njëtrajtshëm gjendjen e të qenit në mes. Kornizat e jashtme dhe të brendshme i trajtojnë këto motive si konstruksione të fiksuara, në të cilat ndjesia e të qenit në mes vërehet nga neoni.

Shumëzimi

Përballja dhe reflektimi subjektiv me vendndodhjen e vet transcendente dhe imanente në kontekstin e migrimit përsëritet dhe bëhet një bashkëudhëtar i vazhdueshëm. Instalacioni si konstrukt fizik dhe si metaforë varet shumë nga këndvështrimi individual. Shikuar nga larg, fragmentet, shtresat dhe hapësirat në mes rezultojnë në një pamje koherente dhe, në mënyrë të kundërt, shkrihen në pjesët e tyre individuale duke rritur afërsinë – e ngjashme me lokalitetin transcendent, i cili shndërrohet në translokalitet dhe nuk i lë më njerëzit të largohen nga gjendja e ndërmjetme e afërsisë dhe distancës midis dy vendeve të të qenit në shtëpi.

CCP SHARED LIVING SPACES EXHIBITION

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Ekspozita e CCP-së do jetë e hapur nga 5 Korriku deri me 13 Korriku në hapësirat e Lapidariumit te Muzeut të Kosovës, nga ora 11 deri ne 16:00. Hapja e ekspozitës dhe e festivalit te sivjetëm do bëhet me 4 Korrik nga ora 18.00.

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The CCP exhibition will stay open from the 5th till the 13th of July at Museum of Kosovo Lapidarium, daily from 11am to 4pm. the opening of the exhibition and the festival will be on the 4th of July starting from 6PM.

NEGOTIATING STORYTELLING: HERITAGE CONSTRUCTS AS CONTESTED NARRATIVE DEVICES

“Negotiating storytelling: Heritage constructs as contested narrative devices” Manifesta 14 x Research training group DFG 277 Identity and Heritage 5.9.2022, 19-21h, Kino ARMATA. In which ways do heritage constructs operate as collective practices of storytelling? Which narratives do they behold or erase? How do narrative methodologies mold the collective memory?The Research Training group Identity and heritage from the TU Berlin, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and the Technical Universities of Dessau and Erfurt have been engaging with the critical analysis of heritage constructions since 2016 through the research of specific case studies. During their visit to Pristhina, this panel discussion will bring into dialogue their experience within academic contexts with the on-going work by Manifesta on the resignification of Pristhina’s heritage and the role contemporary art has on contesting hegemonic narratives. If, following the words of Catherine Nichols, the writing of history should no longer be left to the historical sciences, What new role should academia play and which lessons are to be drawn from activism and contemporary art in producing better narratives?The panel will introduce the work of the research group from germany through 5 inputs that will be discussed as framed in the dialogue already started by Manifesta 15. Topics such as counteracting historical sources, acknowledging the biased emplotment of historiography, delegating interpretive authority, the destabilization of knowledge, the preservation of narratives and narrators, the institutional response to social changes, the understanding of heritage as social construction or the relevance of an expanded interdisciplinarity in the actualization of academic work will be addressed. How do we challenge historiography? How to tell stories otherwise?Research training group DFG 277 “Identity and Heritage” with Bekim Ramku, Director of Kosovo Architecture Foundation,Paul Domela, Head of Business, Manifesta Biennale and Alush Gashi, Kino Armata

THE WORLD AROUND YOUNG CLIMATE PRIZE

The World Around Young Climate Prize is a project that will provide mentorship and support for the self-started projects of 25 under-25s whose practice is deeply invested in addressing climate change in their communities. We are open to applicants from a range of fields including architecture, engineering, agriculture, activism, digital design as well as other creative industries.
The idea of the prize is to support the generation born into the climate crisis in the most impactful way we can. After a global open call, The World Around will provide a bespoke academy and mentorship program led by some of the best designers. and thinkers of our time (our “Design Champions”) for a cohort of 25. Ultimately three finalists will be selected to present their work and ideas at our next major event at the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 2023. 

I’m excited to share that the prize is now open for applications and you can also nominate someone directly. We have already received some inspiring submissions from all over the world, and I would love your help in connecting us to your networks to drive further nominations, applications and visibility for the project before the deadline on October 31st 2022.

AGA KHAN AWARD FOR ARCHITECTURE ANNOUNCES 2022 SHORTLIST

20 projects in 16 countries, from Indonesia to Cape Verde

Geneva, Switzerland, 2 June 2022 – The Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) today announced 20 shortlisted projects for the 2022 Award cycle.  The projects will compete for a share of the US$ 1 million prize, one of the largest in architecture.

The 20 shortlisted projects were selected by an independent Master Jury from a pool of 463 projects nominated for the 15th Award Cycle (2020-2022).

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture was established by His Highness the Aga Khan in 1977 to identify and encourage building concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of communities in which Muslims have a significant presence.  Since it was launched 45 years ago, 121 projects have received the award and nearly 10,000 building projects have been documented.  The AKAA’s selection process emphasises architecture that not only provides for people’s physical, social and economic needs, but that also stimulates and responds to their cultural aspirations.

Photographic representations of the 20 shortlisted entries will go on display in an exhibition in King’s Cross, London from 2 June to 30 June, as part of the King’s Cross Outdoor Art Project, coinciding with the London Architecture Festival.

Bahrain

  • Rehabilitation of Manama Post Office, Manama, Bahrain, by Studio Anne Holtrop: Built in 1937, the Post Office was rehabilitated to its original form and role as a functioning post office, and added a new wing to the existing building. 

Bangladesh

  • Community Spaces in Rohingya Refugee ResponseTeknaf, Bangladesh, by Rizvi Hassan, Khwaja Fatmi, Saad Ben Mostafa: Sustainably built structures in the world’s largest refugee camps, which occurred collaboratively in the field without drawings or models.
  • Urban River Spaces, Jhenaidah, Bangladesh, by Co.Creation.Architects / Khondaker Hasibul Kabir, Suhailey Farzana: A community-driven project providing public spaces in a riverine city with 250,000 residents, offering walkways, gardens and cultural facilities, as well as environmental efforts to increase biodiversity along the river.

Cape Verde

  • Outros Bairros Rehabilitation ProgrammeMindelo, Cape Verde, by OUTROS BAIRROS / Nuno Flores: An urban rehabilitation and redesign of a public space allowed residents to execute works in their own neighbourhoods and enhance their sense of belonging.

India

  • Lilavati Lalbhai Library at CEPT University, in Ahmedabad, India, by RMA architects / Rahul Mehrotra: The library, a living case study of passive climate mitigation strategies, integrates seamlessly into the existing campus while forging its own distinct identity.

Indonesia

  • Blimbingsari Airport, Banyuwangi, Indonesia, by andramatin: Serving more than 1,100 domestic passengers per day, the airport’s roofs indicate a clear division between departure and arrival halls.
  • Expandable House, Batam, Indonesia, by ETH Zurich / Stephen Cairns with Miya Irawati, Azwan Aziz, Dioguna Putra and Sumiadi Rahman: This new sustainable dwelling prototype is designed to be flexibly configured around its residents’ (often) precarious resources over time.

Iran

  • Aban House, Isfahan, Iran, by USE Studio / Mohammad Arab, Mina Moeineddini: On a narrow rectangular site in Isfahan’s historic centre, the three-storey house is arranged around three open courtyards.
  • Argo Contemporary Art Museum & Cultural Centre, Tehran, Iran, by ASA North / Ahmadreza Schricker: Distinct materials differentiate new additions from the brick-built historic fabric in this contemporary art museum housed in an abandoned 100-year-old brewery.
  • Jadgal Elementary School, Seyyed Bar, Iran, by DAAZ Office / Arash Aliabadi: An elementary school, managed by villagers and teachers and funded by tourism and needlework from local women, is a sustainable development centre for surrounding areas.

Lebanon

  • Renovation of Niemeyer Guest House, Tripoli, Lebanon, by East Architecture Studio: Designed by Oscar Niemeyer but abandoned when civil war erupted in 1975, the guest house has been transformed into a design platform and production facility for the local wood industry.

Kuwait

  • Wafra Wind Tower, Kuwait City, Kuwait, by AGi Architects: The 13-storey building conceived as a wind tower features a central, vertical courtyard that provides natural ventilation to each apartment unit.

Morocco

  • Issy Valley Improvement, Ait Mansour, Morocco, by Salima Naji: While improving the palm orchards and water reservoirs, trails and facilities for tourists were also upgraded in the first phase of a larger project for the valley.

Niger

  • Niamey 2000, Niamey, Niger, by united4design / Yasaman Esmaili, Elizabeth Golden, Mariam Kamara, Philip Straeter: As a response to a housing shortage amid rapid urban expansion, this prototype housing of six family units seeks to increase density while remaining culturally appropriate.

Palestine

  • Tulkarm Courthouse, Tulkarm, Palestine, by AAU Anastas: Featuring two buildings, one for administration and the other containing 10 courtrooms, the Courthouse is anchored to its urban context by a public space.

Senegal

  • CEM Kamanar Secondary School, Thionck Essyl, Senegal, by Dawoffice / David Garcia, Aina Tugores: For this secondary school, volunteers, using local techniques, produced vault modules from clay which (with lattices) act as evaporating coolers.

Sri Lanka

  • Lanka Learning Centre, Parangiyamadu, Sri Lanka, by feat.collective / Noemi Thiele, Felix Lupatsch, Valentin Ott and Felix Yaparsidi: A multifunctional cultural centre and adult school where locals learn craftsmanship creates a multi-ethnic meeting point.

Tunisia

  • Le Jardin d’Afrique, Zarzis, Tunisia, by Rachid Koraïchi: An ecumenical cemetery provides a sanctuary and dignified place of final repose for the hundreds of unburied bodies that had been washing ashore.

Turkey

  • Rehabilitation of Tarsus Old Ginnery, Tarsus, Turkey, by Sayka Construction Architecture Engineering Consultancy: Adaptive reuse of an abandoned 19th century ginnery allows the operation of a contemporary centre for archaeological research and public engagement.

United Arab Emirates

  • Flying Saucer Rehabilitation, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, by SpaceContinuum Design Studio / Mona El Mousfy: The Flying Saucer, a 1978 Brutalist-style building that was fully restored as a community art space, contributes to Sharjah’s collective cultural memory.

The shortlisted projects have undergone rigorous reviews, at the site of each project, by independent experts, including architects, conservation specialists, planners and structural engineers. The Master Jury meets again this summer to examine the on-site reviews and determine the final recipients of the Award.

The nine members of the independent Master Jury who selected the 20 shortlisted projects are: Nada Al Hassan, an architect specialising in the conservation of architectural and urban heritage; Amale Andraos,Professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation; Kader Attia, an artist who explores the wide-ranging effects of western cultural hegemony and colonialism; Kazi Khaleed Ashraf, director-general of Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements, in Dhaka, Bangladesh; Sibel Bozdoğan, a Visiting Professor of Modern Architecture and Urbanism at the Department of the History of Art and Architecture, Boston University; Lina Ghotmeh, a French-Lebanese architect who leads a practice where every project learns from a vernacular past to build a new “déjà-là”; Francis Kéré, an AKAA laureate and internationally renowned Burkinabè architect who received the Award in 2004 for his first project, an elementary school in Gando, Burkina Faso; Anne Lacaton, founder of Lacaton & Vassal in Bordeaux in 1989, who focuses on the generosity of space and economy of means;Nader Tehrani, founding principal of NADAAA, a practice dedicated to design innovation, collaboration and a dialogue with the construction industry. For more information, please see the biographies of the Master Jury.

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is governed by a Steering Committee chaired by His Highness the Aga Khan. The other members of the Steering Committee are Sheikha Mai Bint Mohammed Al Khalifa,President, Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, Manama; Emre Arolat, Founder, EAA – Emre Arolat Architecture, Istanbul; Meisa Batayneh, Principal Architect, Founder, maisam architects and engineers, Amman; Sir David Chipperfield, Principal, David Chipperfield Architects, London; Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Director, Institute of African Studies, Columbia University, New York; Nasser Rabbat, Aga Khan Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge; Marina Tabassum, Principal, Marina Tabassum Architects, Dhaka; and Sarah M. Whiting, Dean, Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, Cambridge. Farrokh Derakhshani is the Director of the Award.

For the full AKAA press announcement & links to all the project go to the Aga Khan Award for Architecture Link.

MANIFESTA 14 PROJECT SUPPORTED BY CREATIVE EUROPE

Kosovo Architecture Foundation is pleased to be a partner in the Manifesta 14 Western Balkans Project: Co-Producing Common Space and Shaping Formations of Solidarity in the Western Balkans and Beyond, co-funded by the European Union.

The International Foundation Manifesta, the initiator of Europe’s only nomadic cultural biennial and initiator of the Manifesta 14 Western Balkans Project, is collaborating with the City of Prishtina, Kosovo to develop Manifesta 14 Prishtina which will open its doors from the 22nd of July to the 30th of October 2022. 

Organised for the occasion of the biennial, the International Foundation Manifesta has set up the Manifesta 14 Western Balkans Project which aims to enlarge the outreach and duration of the European Nomadic Biennial by developing a cross-regional collaborative platform including a vast array of cultural and civic activities across the region. An integral objective of the project is to open up the Western Balkan to create a project that breaks the confines of isolated cultural infrastructures and networks. 

Liking architecture, urban planning, human rights, arts and culture, the Manifesta 14 Western Balkans Project proposes a plethora of diverse activities in 2021 and 2022 ranging from in-depth cultural research, expert talks and conferences to exhibitions and events across the region. 

The partner network of the Manifesta Western Balkans Project promotes a politics of care between different communities in the Western Balkans and aims to stimulate broader cross-border network structures, where knowledge production and local expertise can thrive. 

The activities in the development process will be the result of close collaborations between the International Foundation Manifesta, The Netherlands and nine partners from the Western Balkans: Kosovo Architecture Foundation (KAF); Post-Conflict Research Center Sarajevo (PCRC); RRITU (Termokiss) Prishtina; Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) Skopje; Quendra Harabel Tirana; APSS Institute Podgorica; NGO Aktiv Kosovo; Meydan D.O.O. (Hestia) Belgrade; Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) Sofia; European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) Berlin.

The Manifesta 14 Western Balkans Project has been awarded a Creative Europe Western Balkans grant by the European Union. 

More information on the project and activities will follow.

See: 

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS / THIRRJE PËR VULLNETAR KAF 2021

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Fondacioni Kosovar i Arkitekturës fton studentët dhe gjithë ata të interesuar në arkitekturës nga Kosova dhe jashtë saj për të kontribuar në organizimin e Festivalit të Arkitekturës në Kosovë që këtë vit do mbahet nga 13 Shtatori deri me 03 Tetor 2021.

Gjithë të interesuarit duhet dërguar një email të shkurtër me kontaktet e tyre në events.kaf@gmail.com deri me daten 3 Shtator. 

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Kosovo Architecture Foundation calls all students and interested in architecture 

from Kosovo and beyond to contribute in organizing the Kosovo Architecture Festival, which will be held from the 13th of September till the 3rd of October 2021.

All interested should send a short email with their contact details by the 3rd of September on events.kaf@gmail.com.