Ecological Futures

In exchange with the local Goethe-Instituts and their partners, residents of a neighborhood come together with neighborhood initiatives, artists, urban and environmental activists. Together they develop models and realize ideas that formulate a socio-ecologically livable future. The collected findings and results are documented and become part of a toolbox that can in turn be used in other places as a knowledge repository and methodological toolbox.

In the coming years, various Goethe-Instituts and their partner networks around the world will be involved, contributing specific questions and topics and exploring common ground. The project is at the beginning and will therefore develop over time, shaped by the work at the specific locations and the local initiatives involved. 

Ecological Futures is a joint project of ARCH+ and the Goethe-Institut.

Un'altra Casa: Inventory for a Vision for the Future

Since April 2024, a first sub-project has been taking place in cooperation with the Metropoliz in Rome. The Metropoliz, a former factory on the outskirts of the city, was occupied in 2009 and provides a home for around 200 people. In 2012, the MAAM, the Museo dell'Altro e dell'Altrove di Metropoliz, was initiated by Giorgio de Finis. This museum gradually transformed large parts of the old industrial area into a contemporary art gallery, with the residents becoming co-curators of the museum and thus of their surroundings. The MAAM's artworks not only turned the Metropoliz into a site with a unique aesthetics but also offered protection from eviction. 

In the meantime, the City of Rome has decided to legalize the occupation and build flats for the residents on site. The MAAM is also to be preserved and become part of the museums of the City of Rome. The Metropoliz is thus on the verge of a profound transformation. 

The project

Un'altra Casa poses the question of how the special qualities of the old Metropoliz can be preserved during this transformation and incorporated into the design of the new place. In workshops and discussions with the activists behind Metropoliz and MAAM, but above all with the residents, an inventory of the existing spatial and social structures took place over the course of 2024. The needs and wishes of the residents were of particular interest for this inventory. Un'altra Casa includes contributions by Jörg Leeser/BeL, Social Impact Studio with students from the HSD Peter Behrens School of Arts, Metropoliz/MAAM, Planbude und raumlabor with María García Pérez (Maria Dilemas).

Exhibition and event program

The results of the inventory will be discussed and made accessible to the public with an exhibition and a program of events in November 2024. The exhibition opens on Saturday 16 November 2024 at the Metropoliz.

Details of the program will be made available here shortly.