Placemaking across borders

Bi0n IBi0n Concept

Nov 20

Learning-by-building as a tool to interact with communities

Stefan Pollak, Ak0 reflects back on Bi0n I, the work produced and the framework used by the different partners.

“Along with the activity of building architecture the training sessions included a multiple dimension of group building. At one level this effected the social dynamics that occur within the group of trainers and trainees. Participating to a shared goal and working together, both physically and mentally, made that in all of the six workshops the heterogeneous groups of ten to twenty different persons ended up as teams. Privileging labour intensive building techniques with non-toxic materials helped in involving persons with very different backgrounds in the construction activities and allowing everybody to find her or his place in the team.

At a second level, this social dimension of the working group was reflected on the social dimension the projects brought to the local communities. Here factors such as hospitality, curiosity, helpfulness progressively contributed to overcome feelings of scepticism or even refuse. In those workshops were representatives of the beneficiary community were involved as trainees this dimension was particularly strong.”