ENAC Seminar Series by Prof. Annika Seifert
Event details
| Date | 08.05.2023 |
| Hour | 13:00 › 14:00 |
| Speaker | Prof. Annika Seifert |
| Location |
GC B1 10
|
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
| Event Language | English |
13:00 - 14:00 Prof. Annika Seifert
Professor, Lucerne University of Applied Science
Of Old Values and New Validities. Heritage as Resource
Historical Structures survive because we preserve them, commit ourselves to taking care of them. Practising architects thus tend to think of “built heritage” as a precious but laborious obligation from the past. Heritage in this view is a task to be addressed in adherence of a set of cultural and technical values and rules. Especially in the face of climate change, resource crisis and global injustices, it is time we expand this literally conservative approach with a different understanding – that of heritage as a resource: The reason we care for our architectural heritage is that it means something to us as individuals or as societies; the reason we assign value to certain structures is that they give us something in return – they are a precious resource to us. Heritage is always a resource of knowledge; it bears traces of its time and history, it can convey construction skills and spatial practices to learn from. Much more recently, we have begun to once more understand existing fabric at large as a material resource, which, regardless of the perceived cultural significance of a building, embodies energy and emissions, which we can continue to use as whole structures or in the form of components to reduce the need for climate-harmful new construction. Finally, architectural heritage has always been a resource for design, transporting meaning, cultural orientation and identity, which provide a rich pattern of reference which can inform our design practice across scales – as an important way of rooting a design in its place and context, aesthetically, socially, even economically.
Short bio:
Annika Seifert, *1979, Dipl. Arch. ETH SIA AAT, practises in Dar es Salaam and Zurich with APC Architects (www.apc-tz.com), founded in 2010 in Tanzania, her focus lying on climate-adapted design, re-discovery of traditional construction methods and research and rehabilitation of historical structures. In 2012, as part of a strong local movement, she co-founded the Dar es Salaam Centre for Architectural Heritage, DARCH, in Tanzania. As interim manager for DARCH, she initiated and collaborated in research and publications, exhibitions and public events, aiming at a de-colonized understanding of architectural heritage and history and its role for contemporary societies in East Africa. At the same time, she advocates for a differentiated view of African architectural heritage and its cultural roots, in the Global North. Annika Seifert has lived in East Africa for seven years and is currently based in Zurich, where she lives with her partner and their three children. Since 2016, she has been teaching as professor at the Architecture Institute of Lucerne University of Applied Science with a focus on sustainable construction and adaptive reuse of existing fabric.
Professor, Lucerne University of Applied Science
Of Old Values and New Validities. Heritage as Resource
Historical Structures survive because we preserve them, commit ourselves to taking care of them. Practising architects thus tend to think of “built heritage” as a precious but laborious obligation from the past. Heritage in this view is a task to be addressed in adherence of a set of cultural and technical values and rules. Especially in the face of climate change, resource crisis and global injustices, it is time we expand this literally conservative approach with a different understanding – that of heritage as a resource: The reason we care for our architectural heritage is that it means something to us as individuals or as societies; the reason we assign value to certain structures is that they give us something in return – they are a precious resource to us. Heritage is always a resource of knowledge; it bears traces of its time and history, it can convey construction skills and spatial practices to learn from. Much more recently, we have begun to once more understand existing fabric at large as a material resource, which, regardless of the perceived cultural significance of a building, embodies energy and emissions, which we can continue to use as whole structures or in the form of components to reduce the need for climate-harmful new construction. Finally, architectural heritage has always been a resource for design, transporting meaning, cultural orientation and identity, which provide a rich pattern of reference which can inform our design practice across scales – as an important way of rooting a design in its place and context, aesthetically, socially, even economically.
Short bio:
Annika Seifert, *1979, Dipl. Arch. ETH SIA AAT, practises in Dar es Salaam and Zurich with APC Architects (www.apc-tz.com), founded in 2010 in Tanzania, her focus lying on climate-adapted design, re-discovery of traditional construction methods and research and rehabilitation of historical structures. In 2012, as part of a strong local movement, she co-founded the Dar es Salaam Centre for Architectural Heritage, DARCH, in Tanzania. As interim manager for DARCH, she initiated and collaborated in research and publications, exhibitions and public events, aiming at a de-colonized understanding of architectural heritage and history and its role for contemporary societies in East Africa. At the same time, she advocates for a differentiated view of African architectural heritage and its cultural roots, in the Global North. Annika Seifert has lived in East Africa for seven years and is currently based in Zurich, where she lives with her partner and their three children. Since 2016, she has been teaching as professor at the Architecture Institute of Lucerne University of Applied Science with a focus on sustainable construction and adaptive reuse of existing fabric.
Practical information
- General public
- Invitation required
- This event is internal
Organizer
- ENAC
Contact
- Clivia Waldvogel & Sarah Feller