Industry Revisited

From October 14th to November 6th PROJEKT 0047 presents the architecture exhibition Industry Revisited featuring Helen & Hard (NO) and Barkow Leibinger Architekten (GER).

Industry revisited aims to shed light on the relation between contemporary industry and architectural practice today. The exhibition concept is based on a suspicion that contemporary architecture, as a continuation of the early modernist architecture, still is bound by its predecessors` tight connection to the industry of its time. While the language, expression and operational modes of modernist architecture were developed under strong influence by the early 20th century technology, these factors have through the years become a heritage which has merged into our contemporary practice. That means that our common materials, spatial terms and not at least metaphors for thinking architecturally are based on a historically past industrial model.

What happens when modern architecture turns to a contemporary industry, now far more developed than the one in the first machine age? Is the thought of learning from technology in itself outdated – an early 20th century naïve Fordist belief in the industry as a freeing of the man and solver of social problems? Or is it possible once more to turn to the industry for architecture to renew and develop itself and with that be able to solve contemporary challenges?

Through their different approaches and geographical origins, both offices have been asked to formulate a statement to questions raised above - not to give definitive answers but to point in possible directions for a redefining of the relationship between architecture and industry. Helen & Hard have for many years done research on and collaborations with the oil industry of their hometown Stavanger in Norway. In their exhibition they will focus on three main themes: recycling, new forms of urbanization caused by the industry and the transfer of knowledge from industry into the field of architecture and urban planning.

Having worked with renewing of industry typologies as a main focus in twelve years, Barkow Leibinger are one of Germanys most experienced offices dealing with the issues of the exhibition. They will in Industry Revisited focus on the planning process of a machine tool factory in Stuttgart. In the projects presented they are incorporating the firm’s technology in fabricating the buildings, hence representing the capacity of the tools in the architecture.