Albania

The film aims to portrait The New Bazaar: a modern public space; a lively scene with many happenings; inclusive for the people; a space that makes no seggregation between those who visit. But as you look at it, the design itself has no link with the Old Bazaar: the booming point of the whole city of Tirana, that has existed for over 300 years, and was demolished in 1959. As you walk around, the glass structure reflects the old mosque, an element that recalls the fact that before the new buildings composed this space, less than a hundred years ago, other buildings, another bazaar lived there, and they shaped the collective memory of the habitants. But there is no other sign. No translation of the history into the design itself. The film tends to implicate the fact that the new bazaar as a public space has proven to be successful in terms of inclusivity for the people. But it is just as important for the design to represent the history of the old bazaar, which people cared about and remember with nostalgia, but risks to be just a vague memory, and for which new generations 100 years from now will have no idea about.

Azerbaijan

The movie is about nature preservation and how human and animal habitats could co-exist together. In this area where the movie is filmed, people have free access to give a visit and be in touch with animals. The interviewer explains the importance of the preservation of animal species and nature. Baku is a very busy and noisy city. Sometimes people want to escape the chaos of the city, but unfortunately, there are not very well-designed parks or other places where people can be easily in contact with nature. The filmed site is one of the examples where people could visit and be in touch with nature. Although Baku does not have the best nature scene, other regions of Azerbaijan are covered with beautiful nature and green areas. However, another problem is about access to these places. Sometimes they charge unreasonable prices for entrance tickets, or you need to take a seat at a facility (cafe, restaurant, etc) around the place (which charges a lot) in order to have access to nature. Escaping the noise of a big city and finding peace in public natural places is every citizen’s right. Restrictions on access and lousy design (as well as location) of parks in Baku are other urban problems of many.

Denmark

A wall is a significant architectural gesture. There is an indication of an inside and an outside. An indication of power and a historical significance. It is the material consequence of an abstract line that was drawn. In urban contexts historical walls stand in space and time, serving as reminders of what once was and yet still partially is. “In Rome […] people live more in streets than at home” (Pasolini). The Aurelian wall, perforated and surrounded by the streets of Rome, inhabited by humans and time, appears as dynamic and vital, meandering and static all at the same time. But what might be perceived as a seclusive body of mass and a symbol of the remains is in fact, when distinguishing between living on the street and in the street, a body who offers itself as home for those without one. The scenes of the walls exhibit the rejection and invitation, dwelling and deserting. The theater of the street would not be the same without its walls.

Belgium

Third episode of a mini series about Belgian contemporary architecture commissioned by Wallonie-Bruxelles Architecture in the framework of EUMiesAward 2022 . Let’s discover "La Cîme - La Famille" a Brussels based school for children with disabilities designed by Atelier229.

Albania

The booming, architecturally and socially chaotic city of Tirana, Albania, as seen through the eyes of the many stray dogs who, thanks to an ear tags (they are vaccinated and sterilized) live in the streets of downtown, in harmony with the people and their surroundings.

Belgium

Fourth episode of a mini series about Belgian contemporary architecture commissioned by Wallonie-Bruxelles Architecture in the framework of EUMiesAward 2022. Let’s discover the extension of the Ursulinen School based Mechelen and designed by Label Architecture.