The Architecture Centre's City Ideas Studio - a year exploring the five Green Capital themes and the built environment - continues with Resources, opening today.
Working with thematic partner, BuroHappold Engineering, Resources explores how cities can become more resourceful - through use of materials and energy, but also people power, motivation and intent
Projects from Bristol Green Doors, Ecomotive, Bristol ReUse Network and Bower Ashton Woodyard will be on display
WISE building, Centre for Alternative Technology, Wales.
Low energy building materials were used for this large scale educational building.
Image © Timothy Soar
In May 2015, the Architecture Centre launched its City Ideas Studio, a year-long programme of exhibitions and events exploring the Bristol 2015 European Green Capital themes of Food, Nature, Transport, Resources and Energy and how they relate to the built environment.
After hugely successful programmes looking at Food and Nature in the city, the focus now is Resources, with a range of projects and organisations taking residence in the gallery to answer the question, How can we make the most of our resources?
Cities express the collective resourcefulness of humankind. Not only built to serve our practical needs, the buildings and places of each new generation express society’s changing ambitions and priorities. With finite economic and material reserves, City Ideas Studio explores how being European Green Capital could help influence what Bristol builds and how we build it, and how can the city harness the resourcefulness of all those who live and work here.
Cities express the collective resourcefulness of humankind. Not only built to serve our practical needs, the buildings and places of each new generation express society’s changing ambitions and priorities. With finite economic and material reserves, City Ideas Studio explores how being European Green Capital could help influence what Bristol builds and how we build it, and how can the city harness the resourcefulness of all those who live and work here.
In putting together the Resources residency, the Architecture Centre is proud to host the internationally renowned engineering consultancy BuroHappold Engineering, who from their head office in Bath are able to consider resourcefulness in both a local and global context.
The season will begin with a keynote provocation from BuroHappold Engineering’s Gavin Thompson, who will set out how ‘the relationship between us and the resources we consume to live our lives grows ever more important. As urbanisation increases the density of our cities global resources are becoming increasingly stressed. Understanding that integration lies at the heart of low resource city living, we believe that creative approaches to how we moderate our dependence on resources can also enhance our quality of life.’
THE EXHIBITION
City Ideas Studio: Resources aims to answer the following three questions:
How can people make the most of their resources?
With examples from UWE, Building Schools for the Future programme and more, City Ideas Studio: Resources explores how people's use of buildings and cities, plus involving them in the design process, is key to appropriately managing resource use. This knowledge can prolong the life of a building, make it more fit for purpose, and improve productivity and wellbeing.
How can designers make the most of material resources in buildings?
There are many ways designers can make the most of material resources in buildings, including adaptive reuse of existing buildings, designing buildings that are modular, standardised, and prefabricated, and using low impact materials that are renewable, reusable, recyclable and that allow buildings to breathe naturally. Case studies featured in the exhibition include Lakeshore, Bristol; The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford upon Avon; and the Centre for Alternative Technology, Wales.
The season will begin with a keynote provocation from BuroHappold Engineering’s Gavin Thompson, who will set out how ‘the relationship between us and the resources we consume to live our lives grows ever more important. As urbanisation increases the density of our cities global resources are becoming increasingly stressed. Understanding that integration lies at the heart of low resource city living, we believe that creative approaches to how we moderate our dependence on resources can also enhance our quality of life.’
THE EXHIBITION
City Ideas Studio: Resources aims to answer the following three questions:
How can people make the most of their resources?
With examples from UWE, Building Schools for the Future programme and more, City Ideas Studio: Resources explores how people's use of buildings and cities, plus involving them in the design process, is key to appropriately managing resource use. This knowledge can prolong the life of a building, make it more fit for purpose, and improve productivity and wellbeing.
How can designers make the most of material resources in buildings?
There are many ways designers can make the most of material resources in buildings, including adaptive reuse of existing buildings, designing buildings that are modular, standardised, and prefabricated, and using low impact materials that are renewable, reusable, recyclable and that allow buildings to breathe naturally. Case studies featured in the exhibition include Lakeshore, Bristol; The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford upon Avon; and the Centre for Alternative Technology, Wales.
How can Bristol make the most of its resources?
Encouraging resourcefulness in Bristol involves minimising resource extraction, energy and water consumption, waste generation, and sustaining natural resources. In response to urban growth and climate change, Bristol needs to adapt and evolve rapidly. Research has been done to test and measure the city’s resilience in key areas to help future holistic planning.
Encouraging resourcefulness in Bristol involves minimising resource extraction, energy and water consumption, waste generation, and sustaining natural resources. In response to urban growth and climate change, Bristol needs to adapt and evolve rapidly. Research has been done to test and measure the city’s resilience in key areas to help future holistic planning.
To supplement this core thematic information, three anchor residents from the Green Capital 2015 strategic fund will be featured:
Bristol Green Doors
The Route to Retrofit project encourages and enables domestic/DIY retrofitting, Bristol Green Doors supports green refurbishment on a local level.
Ecomotive's SNUG Homes
Harnessing the creative energy of Bristol residents and businesses, Ecomotive's SNUG Homes is a project that aims to transform the way we use land and build homes across Bristol.
Bristol ReUse Network
Focussing on re-use and recycling to minimise waste, Bristol ReUse Network is group of organisations committed to reusing 'waste' materials in Bristol.
Members of Bristol ReUse Network
Image courtesy Bristol ReUse Network
UWE academics and architecture students also contribute to the debate by sharing research from their own projects, as well as illustrating data from each of the Green Capital themes across a series of five city maps throughout the year.
EVENTS
Bristol Green Doors
The Route to Retrofit project encourages and enables domestic/DIY retrofitting, Bristol Green Doors supports green refurbishment on a local level.
Ecomotive's SNUG Homes
Harnessing the creative energy of Bristol residents and businesses, Ecomotive's SNUG Homes is a project that aims to transform the way we use land and build homes across Bristol.
Bristol ReUse Network
Focussing on re-use and recycling to minimise waste, Bristol ReUse Network is group of organisations committed to reusing 'waste' materials in Bristol.
Members of Bristol ReUse Network
Image courtesy Bristol ReUse Network
UWE academics and architecture students also contribute to the debate by sharing research from their own projects, as well as illustrating data from each of the Green Capital themes across a series of five city maps throughout the year.
EVENTS
The season of City Ideas Studio events continue with a talk on Thursday 24 September from practitioners from BuroHappold Engineering, who share ideas around resourcefulness when designing and delivering projects, drawing upon a range of local and global initatives including the award-winning Wadi Hanifah waterway in Saudi Arabia. Adding to the discussion will be representatives from resourceful local projects including Jackson Moulding from Ecomotive and Jessica Hodge from Bristol ReUse Network.
Wadi Hanifah waterway, Saudi Arabia.
Image © Aga Khan Award for Architecture / Arriyadh Development Authority
CASE STUDIES
Exhibition visitors can access a range of case studies and information on all aspects of sustainable place-making thanks to a digital touchscreen (produced by Bristol-based app developers Calvium). The touchscreen features content from recent Architecture Centre exhibitions and will be added to throughout the year as the City Ideas Studio progresses, meaning content from the previous two exhibitions (Food and Nature) remain available to view during the course of the year's activities.
LEARNING
The Centre’s learning programme extends the City Ideas Studio outside of the Architecture Centre to include children and young people. The Shape My City youth programme for 15-19 year olds offers girls and young people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds valuable insight into architecture and sustainability careers through monthly workshops with professionals. During the City Ideas Studio: Resourcesexhibition, the front of the gallery will highlight the activities of the Shape My City #livebuild project and blog.
Check our website and blog for updates, and follow @ArchCentre #CityIdeasStudio.
Wadi Hanifah waterway, Saudi Arabia.
Image © Aga Khan Award for Architecture / Arriyadh Development Authority
CASE STUDIES
Exhibition visitors can access a range of case studies and information on all aspects of sustainable place-making thanks to a digital touchscreen (produced by Bristol-based app developers Calvium). The touchscreen features content from recent Architecture Centre exhibitions and will be added to throughout the year as the City Ideas Studio progresses, meaning content from the previous two exhibitions (Food and Nature) remain available to view during the course of the year's activities.
LEARNING
The Centre’s learning programme extends the City Ideas Studio outside of the Architecture Centre to include children and young people. The Shape My City youth programme for 15-19 year olds offers girls and young people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds valuable insight into architecture and sustainability careers through monthly workshops with professionals. During the City Ideas Studio: Resourcesexhibition, the front of the gallery will highlight the activities of the Shape My City #livebuild project and blog.
Check our website and blog for updates, and follow @ArchCentre #CityIdeasStudio.
Funders and sponsors
The City Ideas Studio is part-funded by a Bristol 2015 Strategic Grant and is sponsored by Alec French Architects, Amalgam, Barton Willmore, BDP, BuroHappold Engineering, RISE Structures, Solarsense and West of England Initiative, with additional support for City Ideas Studio: Resources from Ferguson Mann Architects. The City Ideas Studio touchscreen is supported by Autodesk, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, Max Fordham and Bristol City Council Design Group.
About Bristol 2015
Bristol 2015 Ltd is a company limited by guarantee which was established by Bristol City Council to lead the delivery of the European Green Capital year. Bristol 2015 Ltd has an independent Board that is responsible for the governance and direction of the company.
The European Green Capital Award was launched in 2010 by the European Commission to promote and reward the efforts of cities and their local authorities to improve the environment. All recipients of the award have a consistent record of achieving high environmental standards; are committed to on-going and ambitious goals for further environmental improvement and sustainable development; and can act as role models to inspire other cities and promote best practices to all other European cities. Past winners include Stockholm, Hamburg, Nantes and Copenhagen.
Bristol 2015 has attracted £7m of funding from central government and is also supported by the wider business community including First Group, KPMG and Skanska. Arts Council England is providing support to a wide range of arts and cultural projects during the year through their Exceptional Programme.
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