A Design-Build Workshop Revitalizing Third Places in Rural Areas.
Building a Collective Future is a design-build workshop aiming to support rural initiatives in transforming vacant spaces into communal and cultural spaces. Through methods like Co-Creation and Design-Building we’re inviting local communities to experience moments of self-empowerment and togetherness. Not only does our concept offer a sustainable approach to existing structures, it will also showcase how good design can greatly contribute to social change.
Local
Germany
Warstein, North Rhine Westphalia, Germany
Mainly rural
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): Rurbane Realitäten Type of organisation: For-profit company First name of representative: Nelli Last name of representative: Fritzler Age: 28 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Gender: Female Nationality: Germany Function: Co-Founder of Rurbane Realitäten Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Rathausstr. 25 Town: Berlin Postal code: 10178 Country: Germany Direct Tel:+49 1575 2446890 E-mail:info@rurbanerealitaeten.de Website:http://rurbanerealitaeten.de
Building a Collective Future is a participatory design-build workshop aiming to support rural initiatives in transforming vacant spaces into cultural and communal spaces. Winning the ENB Prize would enable us to create an interactive furniture building workshop that incorporates local materials and local knowledge. Not only will our concept highlight the potentials of vacant buildings it will also showcase how good design can actually contribute to social change.
During our project work we’ve encountered a lot of initiatives in villages and small towns that are a driving force in creating a better future. They organise cultural events, social gatherings, educational workshops and countless other formats in order to strengthen their local community. A lot of the times those initiatives struggle with tackling the challenges that come with transforming existing structures and developing an aesthetically pleasing yet functional spatial concept.
One of those initiatives is based in Warstein, a small town in the rural parts of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. A region profiting from its prosperous coal mining industry in the past, now struggling with social and economic restructuring in rural areas. The proposed concept is the result of a cooperation between our team and a social initiative called “We love Warstein e.V.” for the past few years. We’ve been supporting the initiative by transforming a vacant space in the centre of their hometown into a Third Place - a space of culture and coworking. We’ve created interactive workshop formats where the local community was invited to participate and share their needs and hopes for the space. Based on those findings we’ve developed a spatial concept that is flexible enough to meet their various needs. We drew plans for the remodelling of the space and designed 3 furniture centrepieces. Our concept is empowering, inclusive and sustainable and creates a moment where people create something together.
Collective
Design-Build
Reusing Space
Rural Future
Third Places
“Building a Collective Future” has a highly sustainable approach to architecture and design. Through our concept we aim to change how we think about our built environment. The building sector is responsible for “37 per cent of global CO2 emissions in 2021”. (Source:United Nations Environment Programme (2022). 2022 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction: Towards a Zero‑emission, Efficient and Resilient Buildings and Construction Sector.) Instead of continuously developing new buildings, we need to learn how to use and repurpose the existing.
Our concept aims to highlight the potentials of vacant spaces by transforming them in creative ways using low impact methods and local materials. Our designs can be realised using local wood and local woodworking knowledge. The interventions are also sustainable on a social level because they’re specifically created to meet the local needs.
Serving local communities as places of togetherness and inclusion. Our furniture designs have been developed based on the outcome of several workshops with the local community. They offer flexible solutions that meet the needs of their future users.
Building something with your own hands and together with others can be a very empowering experience. Learning from each other while contributing to a common goal builds strong social bonds. Spaces that have been vacant for a long time tend to become a manifestation of poor prospects for a community. The narrative of “nothing good is ever going to happen here” can too easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Our concept Building a Collective Future aims to use intelligent and sustainable design solutions to create a new narrative. Through methods like Co-Creation and Design-Building the local community will share moments of joy and self-empowerment. The narrative can shift to “We can create positive change together!”.
Once the furniture has been created together it creates a sense of belonging and strengthens the identification with a place. “We’re sitting around a beautiful table that we’ve built together!” Is a powerful image that evokes feelings of belonging, identification and responsibility for each other and the spaces we use. Well designed spaces will attract people. We enjoy being in aesthetically pleasing environments and therefore we’re more open to spending time there which leads to us being more able to connect to others.
Based on the work of sociologist Ray Oldenburg, so-called Third Places are crucial to inclusive and resilient communities. They add to our home (First Place) and to our place of work or education (Second Place). The Third Place is a communal space accessible to all, focused on leisure and social exchange. It provides a home away from home and a sense of belonging. Third Places are therefore meaningful for all individuals but especially for those who can’t afford or access privatised, exclusive spaces. More and more spaces become privatised - this means that certain offers such as culture, education, and simple recreational activities such as going to a cultural event, playing games or meeting up in a nice environment become accessible only for those who can afford it and/or are mobile enough to travel growing distances. This is especially true for rural areas.
Third Places are acting as social levellers, they provide a space for the civil society to connect and to build bonds that cross social status and cultural differences. They offer free or very affordable events, they are spaces where respect and tolerance is being practised and they actively welcome more vulnerable people. The lack of Third Places can drive division and lead to estranged communities. Our Concept “Building a Collective Future” specifically focuses on supporting Third Places because it means creating spaces of incredible social and communal value. Those spaces can only fulfil their role when people actually identify with them. A design-build workshop offers the possibility to engage with citizens and to collectively contribute to a positive change in their environment. Because the furniture designs are based on thorough interactive workshops with the community, they consider the needs of many and therefore reflect the design for all principles aiming to provide an easy access and usability for all.
Our concept consists of a high engagement with the local context and encourages interaction with the local citizens. Through our concept "Building a Collective Future" we share our knowledge to empower initiatives that are creating tolerant, cultural and communal spaces acessible for everyone. Our interactive design-build workshop aims to engage with the civil society. Depending on previous knowledge people can carry, prepare, paint and cut the wood or help assemble the furniture. Being involved in creating these objects that are going to bring life to a vacant space. People will identify with the space and feel a sense of belonging and responsibility for the communal space. Working towards a common goal connects people from different social and cultural backgrounds.
The concept “Building a Collective Future” is the result of our work with a social initiative in Warstein (“We love Warstein e.V.”) for the past years. They are a group of young citizens passionate about creating a positive change in their hometown. We’ve supported them in all questions related to spatial transformation and their design concepts. Their engagement has been recognised by local politicians as well as by the state of North Rhine Westphalia. Furthermore, our concept reflects the learnings we’ve gained both from our work with other third places and municipalities all over Germany and from our involvement in research projects that focus on sustainable rural and urban development. The specific designs that would be realised during the design-building workshop “Building a Collective Future” are based on interactive, participatory workshops where citizens were invited to participate in the design process to ensure that their needs are being met.
Rurbane Realitäten is a female-lead, interdisciplinary team of architects and urban planners. We believe in the power of co-creation: between experts and amateurs as well as between people from different disciplines and backgrounds.
Our urban-planning expertise allows us to explore rurban (rural and urban) realities on a broader scale (local, regional, national, European). Based on the knowledge we gain from our research we’re developing small scale, hands-on design solutions to contribute to a socially and ecologically sustainable future. In order for “Building a Collective Future” to be a success, we will of course continue our close collaboration with local initiatives such as We love Warstein (a diverse team of students, local politicians, constructional engineers and many more young citizens of Warstein). So far it has been a very inspiring process watching local citizens bring their knowledge to the table. At the same time we’ve received a lot of positive feedback for our participatory approach trying to make design less exclusive and translating the expressed needs into tangible solutions. During the building workshop itself we will integrate local carpenters to co-guide the building process of the furniture. We will aim to also include graphic-designers and educators to help communicate the intentions and structure of the concept.
The field of architecture and urban planning needs to rise to current and future challenges: climate change, socio-political and economical shifts, migration and military conflicts. The way planning disciplines operate has and will shape the way we live. We believe that it’s time to change our discipline: the future is collective! We need a bottom-up approach that empowers people to shape their living environments sustainably and to work towards the common good. Transforming vacant spaces for social initiatives instead of investing in top-down planning of new-build real-estate (architectural mainstream) shows a caring for our resources as well as our social values as citizens of the European Union. Throughout our project work we’re continually pushing the limits of our disciplines and we believe that change comes from showcasing new methods, realising inspiring concepts and engaging with people. "Building a Collective Future" is a model concept that represents the value of togetherness, caring for our built environment and resources. It sheds a light on often overlooked rural areas. We take action and provide both a design and a process that focuses on people’s needs. Before creating our designs we go through several rounds of interactive workshops that we’ve created ourselves. They allow the future users to be involved in the design process and express their needs and challenges. It’s an important and innovative approach that offers an alternative to the mainstream approach of abstract planning that doesn't actually connect with the users or the local context.
The lack of communal and cultural spaces in rural areas can be observed in many places.
At the same time there are countless outstanding cultural initiatives led by people dedicated to serving their communities. Nonetheless, there are skills and knowledge that can’t be expected to be covered by volunteer work. Transforming space, developing an aesthetically pleasing yet functional concept needs expertise that we’re happy to offer.
During our work in rural areas we’ve encountered many places that would immensely profit from a strong spatial concept and a building workshop that includes the local community. Building something together is an universal moment of connection and achievement that works anywhere in the world.
With rapidly rising housing prices, fewer people can afford living in cities. Rural areas will therefore play an important role in shaping our future. For the past decades, planning disciplines have almost exclusively focused on urban areas. As a result, rural areas have been financially and structurally neglected for far too long. Independent, comunal-lead places are disappearing in both urban and rural areas. While cities usually still offer a fair variety of options - the closing of the local pub or community centre can have a drastic effect on rural communities. The narrative of neglect, loneliness and the lack of a positive outlook can easily be utilised to drive social division. Often investments focus on developing new housing estates rather than preserving and reusing existing spaces in the heart of towns and villages. As a result we come across abandoned town centres and a lack of places of gathering and access for everyone. This is why the importance of using inclusive hands-on concepts that create a tangible solution and experience of togetherness can’t be stressed enough. Future challenges can only be tackled collectively! Empowering people to (re-)use the potential of existing structures and local knowledge will lead to a global shift in understanding that we need to act resourcefully and that third places deserve to be supported and protected. Because they provide us with resilient and caring social communities.
