01 Picnic
2021
02 Get Lost
2021
03 Vie D'Ange
2022
FAUMED3_2021/2022: We live in uncertain times. We are told daily that we are on the verge of environmental collapse and mass extinction due to climate change, pollution and overpopulation. Liberal democracies are under siege and authoritarianism is on the rise. Migrations of whole populations and refugee crises are threatening the delicate social balance necessary for multiculturalism. Religious relativism spawns both militant secularism and religious extremism. Technology advances exponentially. New financial algorithms outpace human perception. Grotesque and accelerating social inequality creates envy, which in turn fuels consumption. Now COVID-19 has threatened the “normalcy” of the modern way of life (e.g. -- freedom of movement & association, supply chains, human values and priorities, etc.). The pandemic, which is our most immediate crisis, has isolated people from one another and caused loneliness, anger, and economic uncertainty. There is no guarantee of when, or if, the pandemic will be called off. What the pandemic has shown is, so far, that, as terrible as the deaths and sufferings of millions of people are – and we still don’t know the long-term consequences of this disease – there are a few silver linings. Consumption of fossil fuels used by cars and aircraft has dropped considerably. People are starting to appreciate the beauty of the regions closest to them. Neighbours are helping one another, and a new appreciation for essential workers and goods is being celebrated. Yet no matter how bad the COVID crisis meddles with our economies and everyday lives, the real crises we face are the consequences of climate change and environmental destruction. We are reminded daily that we face imminent environmental collapse if we do not act soon. It is imperative that we mitigate the use of fossil fuels and profligate consumption of goods and land. In this context, architecture and urban land use play a HUGE role in the use of energy and products: between 40% and 60% for carbon emissions alone. It is imperative that architects get a grip on the way that we advocate for buildings and how to (re)use them. As leaders in this field, our role is inestimable. The solutions are partly technical but really cultural. It is our way of life that needs reordering, and architects must be there as guides.