The exhibition “Beginning with Basics - What is Architecture?” takes children and young people back to the imaginary beginnings of architecture in order to envision together its future.
The notion of the Primitive Hut - “Urhütte” in German – runs as a concept through the history of modern architectural theory. It was used in order to refocus the discipline in moments of crisis and to remind architects of their humble beginnings.The aesthetic and technological immediacy of the Primitive Hut served for example to criticize architectural practices from ecological, social, and economical perspectives. Both powerful and simple in its imagery, this concept is very well understood and received by children. By learning about the parable-like theory of the Primitive Hut and by experiencing the construction of simple spaces with different techniques, children are equipped with first-hand knowledge of both the practical and the theoretical basics of architecture.
In the exhibition children will directly experience the story of the Hut: There is the grass of a riverbank to engage in knotting and weaving; in a forest the marvels of woodworking are explored; and there is a cave where one can work on stones, bricks and mortar. In the middle of the scenery, a veritable garden of architectural knowledge, new huts are being planned according to scale and measurement, constructed and assembled collectively. Material science, spatial memory and social skills are all playfully exercised in order to encourage children to rethink architecture in its simplest but ultimately most complex relationships.
