pao review 2010 potoc
DESCRIPTION
REVIEW 2010 Architecture Summercamp PAO.6 in POTOCTRANSCRIPT
1
PAO.6 Experimental Architecture
Summerschool
in Potoc
/ Romania
13.9. –
24.9. 2010
Review
2
Potoc
Top: Streetlife, Middle: Colours in autumn, Bottom: Potoc village
It
seemed
to be
a place
out of time.. Our
visit
in Potoc
this
year
has confirmed
that
feeling. Anyhow, things
are
changing
–
that
is
for
shure
in modern times. Since
the
revolution
of 1989, rural
areas
in Romania
are
struggeling
hard
with
major
structural
changes. The
youth
is
missing
and the
village
overage
decline. Recognising
this
situation, new
ideas
and concepts
shall
be
found
as how
to turn the
page
towards
a village
revitalisation.
3
Location
Potoc
Potoc
Village
with
its
some
250 inhabitants
is
located
in Southwest
Romania, close
to the
Serbian
border, just a stone‘s
throw
away
from
Danube
River. The
ethnically
rich
Balkan region
looks
back on a history
full
of changes. Under
these
circumstances
long-
term
stability
was an exception. Prosperity
and progress
were
often
experienced
as a result
of change
instead
of a balanced
development. In this
situation
improvisation
and collaboration
became
virtiu. In that
way, constant
movements
and human action
had
formed
a cultural
melting
pot
as an infinite resource
for
artistic
inspiration
and creative
works
too.
Potoc
is
surrounded
by
incredible
natural
settings, holding
the
gate
into
the
gorge
of Cheile Nerei –
an important
nature reservation
in Romania. The
people
from
Potoc
are
highly
aware
of their
natural
and traditional values.
Bottom: Hill slope beyond Potoc, sunset, Sorin‘s Garden
4
Village
& School
Bottom: Schoolhouse, Orthodox church and camin cultural (Kulturhaus)
Valid
concepts for project work can be easily derived
if ideas are in line with the site and the people, with their possibilities and desires. 2009 we
found
an old
and demolished
schoolbuilding
in Potoc. Situated above the village on the hillslope, neighbouring with the Romanian Orthodox church and the Kulturhaus, the former village school had been unused for years. Once, the school was one of the center points of the village. The building opens great opportunities for sustainable developments for the future.
Camin Cultural
Romanian Orthodox Church
School Building
Potoc Village
5
The Project
The central idea for the future of the old schoolbuilding in Potoc is the set-up of a creative institution, a studio and a Tusculum –
a reguge, but open for the experiment which could be turn into a real cultural
center
point for
the
Cheile
Nerei
region.
Looking
at the
school
as it
was, a certain
tendency
for
the
future
can
be
figured
out, a chance
for
the
building
itself: to become
a place
of studying, filled
with
an artistic
and crafty
spirit, a place
of inspiration, meditation, and togetherness. Imagine
a vital school
life again, but
one
that
not
only
teaches
formal academic knowledge, but
genuinely
develops
and growths
the
mind
of the
people.
The future concepts for the schoolbuilding may not ignore the people of Potoc and their
interests. Starting
from
the
idea
of an Experimental Creative
Laboraty, specific
functions
can
be
entitled. One of them
is
setting
up a Builder‘s
workshop. In Potoc, like
in any
other
village, there
is
and always
will be
public
construction
work. There
will be
always
building
works
to be
done
and there
would
be
always
a team
of builders. This
included
the
idea
of a local
artisian
workshop, including
an atelier
and a material storage, a machine
room
and a showroom
featuring
valuable
traditions
and practices. Without
involving
the
locals
the
School of Potoc makes
no sense.
A stepwise
rehabilitation
of the
old
and derelict
building
is
provided: every
year
one
or
more
rooms, or
rather
parts
of the
building
shall
be
professionally
refurbished. The
PAO session
2010 in Potoc
aimed
that
purpose: the
first
steps
should
be
made. With
all care
and patience, one
step
by
another
will be
taken
in order to steadily
develop
a functioning
and vital complex. The
extension
of the
old
schoolbuilding
is
not
to be
spectacular
architecture. Before
all it
should
work
and enable
people
to work
there
and to get
inspired.
Artists
in Residence
Builders Workshop
&
Material storage
Practical Courses
&
Summerschools
Seminar
&
Conference
Exhibitions
&
Micromuseum
Children Education
&
Training
The
Idea: Designing
an Experimental Creative
Laboraty
6
7
The Workshop
In this
year
one
of the
core
ideas
of PAO came
to the
fore: to live and travel
within
tents
–
a natural
experience
and a real challenge
in the
same
time. Close to the elements, the tent is a place for immediate experience of wind, rain, and earth.
Where it’s just a thin skin to the outside, there is almost no privacy. People are coming closer. Little personal things becoming more important. The
green ground beyond the school made a perfect place to set up a tent camp. A minimum of comfort was quickly installed: a dry toilet, a simple shower, a fire place. Under such primitive conditions one may discover what one realy need –
and what is simply overdosed.
Potoc
Workshop Camp
8
9
Garage Innovation Jörg Rainer NOENNIG, Germany
New Trends of Architecture in Belgrade Jelena Ivanovic
VOJVODIC, Serbia
Nature DrawingManole
OLTEANU, Romania
Lectures
& Speeches
The Japanese Theater Tetsuya
KOBAYASHI, Japan
Project Preparation: Powers of Potoc Sorin
Vlad
PREDESCU, Romania
10
Fieldtrips
Socolari September 17th
Theater Mihai Eminescu, Oravitza September 19th
Sasca Romana September 19th
Small trips
for
half a day
or
just for
some
hours
made
the
group
familiar
with
the
village
and the
rural
outback. Near
destinations
simplified
the
travel
organisation. Often
we
started
sponaneously
and unprepared. Besides, all kind
of individual
survey
was recommended. For instance, the
need
for
having
a break
could
be
the
beginning
of a journey. One start to walk, on the
spur of the
moment, just following
the
nose, semiconsciously
eventually. Remember, a lot of good solutions
were
found
by
chance, in science
or
art even
if
that‘s
not
their
main
principle. But sometimes a small hike brings a breakthrough. Perhaps you do not even have a
destination
now, just go. Armed
with pen, paper
and camera
you
are
enough
prepared
to expect
the
unexpected. (Top: Jörg and Leo on inspection
tour)
11
Field
ResearchThe
village
is
soaked
with
historical, cultural, and natural
knowledge
which
influences
the
architectural
composition
certainly. Rough
materials
and robust construction
methods
are
prevailing. Each
village
or
cottage
comprises
a small
world
order, a vital micro
cosmos
in a complex
macro
cosmos
of believe, myths
and roles
–
far away
from
disorder. You
can
read
it
if
you
touch
it. We
made
ourselves
known
to the
people, talking
and drinking
wine
with
them. Perhaps
it
was not
the
destination
but
might
be
a start for
further
collaboration.
12
Fieldwork: Architecture
DrawingSure, a pitoresque environment encourages you to draw. But it’s not about perfect rendering. You simply need to know how things are made to figure out them. In this terms drawing may be seen as a way to understand culture. Designing or invention are evolutionary processes. In nature drawings, at first things such as volume and masses, building elements, lights an shadow, and detail solutions appear. Than you come closer to study material stuctures like colours, surface, texture. Ideas can arise unexpectedly at any time, anywhere. It‘s
alchemy, perhaps.
13
Structure
Studies
14
Mental Maps
of PotocAfter the analytical field studies we shifted to synthesis. Mental maps, scripts, and scribble may refer, how we recognize the place, its attributes, and phenomena personally. They are a filter of memory. In "good" cognitive models, relevant aspects of reality may remain, in particular its structure. These tools
helped
us
to shape
our
project
plan and to define
approaches
to solve problems. They are bridges
between
data
record
and processing, and between
reality
and personal knowledge.
15
MindmappingAs another cognitive tool, the mindmap was strained to encourage our ideas closer to planning and organizational tasks. Tree structures visualize hierarchically the idea and its aspects. It seems like to come out by themselves, or rather from our well trained modes of thinking. Those maps are useful, looking like cooking recipes, easy and tasty. They make sence for us modern enlightened people. But we looked a bit quizzy out of the window: How the hell we do explain that to those out there?
16
Public PresentationOne importand
thing
we
have
learned
on both
workshops, in Italy
and in Romania: it
is
crucial
to talk
and communicate
your
ideas
to the
local
communitiy. Imagine, somebody
comes
to your
home
in order to change
it. Call
it
democracy, but
we
simply
had
to inform
the
villagers
what
we
want
to do, what
can
be
there. On one
Sunday evening
we
organized
a public
discussion
about
the
school
project
in the
Kulturhaus of Potoc. We made a clean sweep and some good ideas from the locals were picked up.
17
Potoc
People
18
Design StudioOne of the former classrooms became our design studio for the next two weeks -
the same place where generations of pupils had to learn orthography and algebra. Now, the PAO Workshop had its creative homebase here –
simple, rough, and a bit dusty, yet an inspiring atmosphere. In these premises, the group was to distill their observations and findings into ideas and concepts for the school project. It became our refuge and lounge bar in the evenings, where e.g. lectures and speeches were held.
19
Kinder PAOLittle Elvis pointed: “PAO este cel mai mare hutzulusche”
–
which means as much as, PAO makes the best swing in the world. However, kids are our “conspirative”
agents and the ambassadors of their parents, infiltrating the olders with new ideas. During the workshop we were always surrounded by local children. No wonder, what’s a better playground as a construction site with huge piles of sand, “real”
tools, machines maybe? For sure, we tried to teach “the wild bunch”
some “skills”
–
not as easy as it sounds.
20
Micro
InterventionsThe little things, moves, interventions, and objects become more important in a highly concentrated workshop situation. No doubt, bigger problems can be easier solved on a smaller scale. Otherwise, minor moves may cause bigger shifts. It is like children’s playing with materials, founds or artefacts to understand complexity. In the workshop plenty of non-spectacular things were done. Mostly temporarily, but some may survive as a detail, or even in photographs. It’s cosmic, a play with elements.
21
Subbotnik–
from Russian word суббота
for
Saturday
–
were
days
of volunteer
work
following
the
communist
seizure
of power. The
tradition
is
continued
in Romania
even
after
the
fall of communism. In Potoc
like
in other
villages, cleaning
the
streets, fixing
public
amenities, and other
community
services
are
often
organized
in voluntary
work
assignments. At one
day
the
school
and its
yard
were
filled
with
rumble
and hum
when
the
PAO group
worked
hand in hand with
voluntary
village
workers.
22
Hands-onThere
comes
a time when
ideas
become
concrete. Learning
effects
are
bigger
when
things
are
tried
out under
real conditions
and then
reflected. We
started
to work
by
experimenting
with
materials, construction
methods, and tools, even
with
wind and sun, learning
the
limits and possibilities
of the
place, the
budget
and our
personal skills. In and outside
the
school
were
a lot of things
to build, to tinker, and to repair, which
can
be
carried
out only
in a group. 2010, we
have
got
just a small
taste of it.
23
Material RecyclingRecycling is
important
as concept
for
these
project. At least, an old
rotten village
school
will be
converted
into
something
new. It
remains
a school, but
with
a fresh
supply. For our
Design-to-Build
Workshop we
used
what
we
got
in and around
the
building, in the
village
and from
construction
material dealers, such as wood
waste, metal sheeds, stones, boards, boxes, etc. Transports were
done
with
the
Mayor‘s
truck. Used
things
have
already
a history
–
that
might
become
a starting
point for
new
ideas.
24
Earth WorksPotoc
village
is
practically
set
upon
a hill
of clay. The
local
building
material is
called
„yellow
earth“, and it
is
well-known
for
its
qualities. No wonder, that
in the
past
the
people
in the
zone
produced
crockery, designed
in specific
local
forms. Half of the
houses
in Potoc
are
built
in earth
building
techniques. This
opens
a rich
resource
for
creative
works. PAO experimented
with
the
natural
material. The
question
remains: How
it
can
be
used
as alternative building
method
for
the
reabilitation
of the
school?
25
The Projects
26
Experimental Atelier PotocDue
to the
idea
of a longterm
rehabilitation, the
first
step
was made
inside
of the
school. In one of the devastated former classrooms
a workspace
is
established, a place
where
all further
kinds
of activities
around
the
project
shall
be
prepared. We
refurbished
our
new
studio makeshift
with
founded, useful
things. The
windows
were
covered
with
translucid
textile. Bright white
light is
floating
inside. Provisorily, yet
calm, PAO has its
Romanian
headquarter
–
first
steps
toward
a constant
design
atelier.
Realized by: J.R. Nönnig, I. Avram, T. Teruuchi, M. Wieczorek, L. Thuma
27
Studio Windows
Design: J.R. Nönnig, M. Wieczorek
28
Repairing
the
WallWith
help
of the
local
craftsman
Vasile, the
demolished
and crumbled
perimeter
wall of the
school
ground, made
of natural
stones, was repaired
within
seven
days. Gate
and doorway
got
a simple, yet
beautiful
design
too. Moreover, the
boundary‘s
replacement
had
a symbolic
effect, working
as signal
for
the
locals
that
something
is
going
on here. The
priest proclaimed: „The
church
mows
the grass ahead, while the Mayor is cleaning
the
school
garden. You‘re
repairing
the
wall. That‘s
easy
to understand
for
those
people.“
Designed & built by: C. Comanoaea, R. Grumeza, L. Oana, M. Wieczorek, I. Avram
29
Gate
and Doorway
Designed: C. Comanoaea, I. Avram, M. Wieczorek, L. Oana, R. Grumeza
30
The People
31
Irina AVRAM, Romania
Jörg Rainer NOENNIG, Germany
Costas
COMANOAEA, Romania
Sorin
Vlad
PREDESCU, Romania
Takaaki
TERUUCHI, Japan / Germany
Leo THUMA, Germany
Radu
GRUMEZA, Romania
Liviu
OANA, Romania
Michael WIECZOREK, Germany / Romania
Manole
OLTEANU, Romania
Tetsuya
KOBAYASHI, Japan
Jelena Ivanovic
VOJVODIC, Serbia
Participants
2010
32
PAO on Stage
33
PAO People
34
Supporters
Thanks
to all Sponsors and Supporters
who
made
the
Pao.6 Summercamp in Potoc
possible:
Community of Sasca Montana
Ion POPLICEAN
Mayor of Sasca
Montana and Potoc
Romanian Orthodox Church
Andrei VALCU
Priest of Potoc
Dresden University of Technology
Center for
Knowledge
Architecture
Dresden, Zellerscher Weg 17
www.wissensarchitektur.net
Megatrend University Belgrade
Graduate
School of Art and Design
Belgrade, Bulevar
Umetnosti
29
www.fudmegatrend.net
Polytechnic University of Timisoara
Faculty
of Architecture
Timisoara, Str. Traian
Lalescu
2a
www.arh.upt.ro
Fundatia Rubin Mr. Stelian
Cirt
Spectos GmbH Dresden Mr. Niels Delater
And all the people from Potoc
PAO.6 in Potoc
/ Romania
was organised
and directed
by
Michael Wieczorek
35
Outlook
36
Future of the
Potoc
ProjectAfter a summer
full
of workshop: As is
now?Back in Timisoara, the
PAO troop
from
Potoc
is
about
to start an association
in order to enter
a lease contract
about
the
school
with
the
community. Main objective
is
the
set-up
of a creative
institution
with
an international expert
network. For that, the
2010 PAO.6 Summerschool
laid
the
corner
brick. Now, we
apply
for
EU funding
programmes. Informations
about
further
workshops
and events
will be
distributed
via PAO´s
website
and blog.
37
PAO Books
PAO TUDpress
2006
ISBN 3-938863-58-7
160 Pages
PAO 2 Experimental Architecture TUDpress
2007 ISBN 978-3-940046-26-0 250 Pages
PAO 3 Architectural Bootcamp TUDpress
2008 ISBN 978-3-940046-84-0 650 Pages
PAO 4 How to Design and Build a Micromuseum in two weeks TUDpress 2009 ISBN 978-3-941298-23-1
480 Pages (2 Vol.)
incl. 240 Playing Cards
PAO 5 Making Time. Memes of Potoc TUDpress 2010 ISBN 978-3-941298-23-1
600 Pages
38
Homepage www.pao-project.org
Blog www.prepaodesign.blogspot.com
Email [email protected]
PAO GERMANY Jörg Rainer Noennig
TU Dresden Theresienstraße 19
01097 Dresden
PAO ROMANIA Michael Wieczorek
c/o I. Taranu
Str. Hebe, Nr.1, Sc. B, Ap.18
300481 Timisoara