Open Form is a concept that Zofia and Oskar Hansen have placed at the heart of their architectural, artistic and didactic work. According to this theory, architectural substance is the background for social relations, rather that the designer’s goal and an end in itself. The Hansens’ built projects were ahead of their time, in terms of thinking about participatory design, accessible housing, and public spaces. The expression of the Open Form is found in three different projects that will be visited by participants of summer school: osiedle Słowackiego in Lublin, Przyczółek Grochowski in Warsaw, and the architects’ home in Szumin. For ten days, these three locations will become a laboratory of experience and reflection.
Outline of the program, and the school’s principles
Participants in the Urban Summer School will be able to look at the architecture which is currently used by the third generation of inhabitants. From a historical perspective, the position of the Open Form Theory and the Linear Continuous System will be outlined against the background of the ideas of the Modern Movement related to the architecture of housing estates and open areas. The school program is designed as a set of short courses, lectures, workshops and field-work in three theme-based studios. The structure of the school will be determined by the scales, which the designers themselves have used: micro, meso and macroscale. They will be translated into the perspective of a flat, a housing estate, and a housing cooperative. Working language is English.
Eligibility Criteria
We welcome students, researchers and young professionals operating in the fields of architecture, urban planning, art and design, as well as representatives of other areas of humanities (history, sociology, fine arts, anthropology, and more). Participation in the school is free of charge. Organizers will cover travel expenses (up to 200 eur), accommodation and catering for the participants. Source and images Courtesy of National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning.
- Urban Summer School: Open Form
- When: 26 August – 08 September 2018
- Where: Lublin, Warsaw, Szumin
- Application deadline: May 7, 2018