DESIGN STUDIO, WS 2015/2016
Prof. Dr. Philipp Misselwitz, Hannes Langguth, Brave New Alps (Bianca Elzenbaumer & Fabio Franz)

Studio Rural+
Alpine Commons

Studio Rural+ has explored urbanisation processes as an extended phenomenon beyond metropolitan areas across Germany and China. This year, the studio will focus on the Italian Alpine region where rural-urban and local-global interrelations have created very specific socio-spatial conditions.

Hosted by the design collective ‘Brave New Alps’ students will visit Vallagarina Valley in the Autonomous Province of Trentino developing architectural and urban-regional design strategies for the small town of Rovereto. Here, ‘Brave New Alps’ have begun to convert a disused industrial space into a ‘Social Print Shop’ as a platform bringing together a wide range of (trans)local actors such as residents, refugees, associations, architects and designers. The intention is to trigger experiments exploring new ways of living and working based on local commons and a collaborative society. How can architects, planners and designers help to imagine new forms of commoning?

The semester will start with an excursion to Rovereto and the ‘Social Print Shop’, which will provide an opportunity to meet local actors and sites. Together with local actors we will build a large community model, which will unveil local peculiarities and serve as a tool for the remaining semester. Back in Berlin, students will develop strategic interventions for the Vallagarina Valley which can range from specific architectural interventions on-site, to direct actions, re-use concepts, to the design of tools, public engagement activities, communication strategies, to development strategies on a broader scale.

Various techniques of printmaking will be introduced during the semester, at the same time becoming central tools for the visualisation and communication of our developed proposals. The results of our work will be exhibited in Rovereto aiming to trigger debates and actions supporting a collaborative community in Vallagarina Valley. In case proposals are taken up at the centre, ‘Brave New Alps’ will invite students for a residency in Rovereto during Summer 2017, covering travel cost and accommodation. The Design Studio will be accompanied by external guest inputs. An integrated PiV will be offered by the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano.

#studioruralplus