Amend walls with recycled wine bottles and homemade bio-cement, cultivate community garden and terraces, clean and decorate domestic spaces… This project is rooted in an anonymous building in Mexico City, and seeks an alternative to redefine the beginning and the end of architectural design. It is an attempt to learn from people, from the quotidian, and to provide an alternative literacy for architectural authorship that lives in the acts of otherwise unnoticed, 'everyday' care. This design agency is then captured and transcribed with a series of tools such as photogrammetry, data processing, 3d printing and plotting, etc.

Ga opi: Natural springs are the lifeline of water security in most of the Himalayan region. People depend on this spring for domestic and irrigation purposes. Nowadays due to climate change and changes in land use, most of the springs are drying up. So, the preservation of such natural springs is crucial for future generations. The video demonstrates a case of how a natural spring had been functioning and how the community came together to save such a natural spring named Ga Opi at Lubhoo, Mahalaxmi municipality, Nepal.

In an increasingly digitised age, how can we bring inclusivity into spatial designs and how can individuals represent themselves in such spaces? This exhibit is showcasing the co-creations by citizens and architects - the "Volumetric Cinema" workshop openly invited more than 30 participants from all walks of life to co-learn Artificial Intelligence (AI) and 3D Extended Reality (XR) technologies, and generated five microcinema of urban landscapes in three weeks. Taught by seven international and interdisciplinary instructors, who toured participants around old districts of Hong Kong, interacted with residents, and studied urban redevelopment from the perspectives of inhabitants to jointly reflect on the multiplicity of our urban future(s). At the Mid-Autumn Festival, the workshop held a premiere event and community review, inviting residents to participate in interactive games and discuss the results of the workshop, and spent a warm and meaningful holiday together.

Baku hosts almost 5 million citizens and there are 2 million cars on the roads. The expansion of roads and the construction of new bridges almost paralyzed traffic for the past decade and even now, after the constructions, things are not better. Mass tourist waves and the large number of people moving to Baku every year for better opportunities worsen the situation. Thus, overpopulation and bad city infrastructure leave many citizens of Baku going through a hell of traffic and congestion during rush hours. Public transport is also very packed and not so safe for many to use. The situation proves that there is a significant need for more alternative and green forms of transportation. Cycling is proven to be one of the most sustainable ways of transport and the city’s road infrastructure exclusively leaves cyclists behind. There are no bike lanes in most parts of the city, and only a few parks have them that have no point or connection points. Also, the drivers are very aggressive and impatient with the cyclists. Many drivers create very precarious situations for cyclists and the aggression is the same for those who ride motorcycles as well. Driving on big roads with no bike lane and around the sidewalks with many underground paths make things really worse for cyclists. Also, the lack of community and cycling culture kills its potential for the future. Baku needs sustainable and innovative solutions to its major urban problems and leaving the cyclists behind only challenges the situation further.

It took more than a decade of community-led advocacy (1985-1998) to convince leaders to transform the defunct Port Authority terminal into a park. Through their dedicated participation and many years of public engagement, Brooklynites inspired the idea that the park should feel democratic and reconnect people with the riverfront. After opening in late 2021, rather than speaking about the design himself, Michael Van Valkenburgh wanted to know what people think about the park and how they use it. The user experience is what makes the design, and so Spirit of Space spent a week observing the many experiences and chatted, completely at random, with people at various places within the park. Through these many observations and insights with the public, the design intention was revealed. “I was taking care of this elderly gentleman who lives up on Columbia Heights, and I was describing to him what was happening on the piers. He had a big picture of the piers with all the warehouses on it from when he first moved here…and he was in his 80’s, he was blind and sort of housebound. And, once they opened I said I really want to bring you out of the house, take you to the park, and take your shoes off and let you walk on the grass. That was a really special moment, to be able to give that to him…You think, this is probably the only opportunity this man is gonna have to come put his bare feet in the grass after living in Brooklyn all these years.”

The Milk Float was conceived by Global Generation, Jan Kattein Architects and young people from Somers Town. The left side of the vehicle is equipped with a kitchen featuring a gas stove, lighting, storage and running water. The right side is equipped with hand tools for gardening. The rear has a micro gallery displaying projects and artefacts made during community workshops. The electric float is being deployed in the ‘Knowledge Quarter’ across Somers Town, West Euston and Kings Cross. It unfolds on arrival, embraces its location and calls for attention with its brightly coloured canopies and electric lights. Global Generation run community programmes out of the float including ‘Lunch and Learning,’ ‘Twilight Gardening’ and various making programmes. Working in schools and housing estates and with community groups, the float can service allotments, gardens and neighbourhood parks and support the planting of tree saplings pre-grown in a local community nursery. At the end of each day, the tools go back in to the float, the canopy is folded up and the float moves on to its next destination leaving behind the legacy of a communal meal, a joint building effort or seeds for a new season. The activities inaugurated around the float eventually take root. Adopted by neighbours, citizens, residents, workers, constituents and playgroups they develop a permanent presence, becoming centrepieces of truly public spaces.

Siddhipur is small traditional settlement in Mahalaxmi municipality. People from Siddhipur always have to go to major city center for emergency health services. Mainly during the major crisis like earthquake and covid, the community realized a need of affordable health care center in case of emergency. To address the need, community member came together with the idea of building their own community health center. As a result, with the support from various agencies, community of Siddhipur was able to have their very own community health center where everyone has access to the health services they need, without suffering financial hardship. Now, no one needs to be deprived of the health services in Siddhipur.

‘Terrain Vague’ is a term for spaces that have been unintentionally transformed as the result of design and planning action. The short film reveals the qualities of a Terrain Vague and its users in Versailles in an urgent but poetic tone, inspired by the work of Jem Cohen. ‘Terrain Vague’ is an ode to urban margins everywhere that highlights the shelter these places offer to people that find themselves, either through choice or misfortune, outside of the norms society. The explored terrain in the film is the indirect consequence of planning regulations related to the nearby Palace and Gardens of Versailles. Large parts of the urban fabric of the relatively small town of Versailles cannot be significantly altered due to the UNESCO heritage status of the Palace and Gardens. The development and use of these heritage sites are under strict control as a way to manage, preserve and propagate narratives in the collective memory. The static character of the heritage site has led to the developing of a modern margin to host activities, people and developments that are deemed not fitting within the cultural narrative. As such the Terrain Vague provides space for the people and functions that do not comply with the aesthetic and societal standards of heritage preservation.