Expendable(s)

Time Period
10/2013 - 4/2014
Guests
Christian Salewski, Jürg Spaar, Moriko Kira, Mischa Spoerri, Philipp Hirtler, Ivan Kucina, Valerian Maly, Kees Christiaanse, Alex Smith, Timothy Smith, Jonathan Taylor, Hannes Mayer

(1) expendable = disposable, unimportant, superfluous, dispensable, excess

(2) The Expendables, USA 2010, Director: Sylvester Stallone, Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Stratham, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger et al.

Located in a central area of Berne, the waste incineration plant Warmbächliweg was, until the end of 2012 when it was replaced by a modern plant, the place for all things no longer needed. Since there is a strong need for centrally located housing in Berne, a dense, urban and mixed-use neighborhood will be founded on the site. BHSF Architects and Christian Salewski won the planning competition for the redevelopment of this site with a proposal that kept as many as possible of the existing structures – this was done both for reasons of sustainability and identity, but also because of the enormous architectonic potential of the structures on the site.

And so it is time again for another round of action-movie-based office talks at BHSF – not least because we are craving the testosterone. In connection to our project in Berne, numerous questions have arisen, all connected to the theme of the expendable(s). What will happen to similar inner-city structures in the future when they become redundant, and what role could they play in the (re)development of our cities? What can be learned from similar projects that have already been realized? What could reactions to ever more shortening cycles of replacement of the urban structure(s) look like? How do such projects change the social structure of the adjacent neighbourhoods? How can, to save resources, cycles be closed on such developments? What might a future with less waste of resources look like? And what does this project say about the role of architects in urban planning processes – will we ourselves at some point become expendable?

We want to use the format of the BHSF office talks to consider these – and many further – questions and will invite lecturers from various disciplines to discuss with us and the audience. The BHSF office talks usually take place on wedneday at 8pm.