As a student assistant for the «Sozial & Durstig» initiative, I worked from October 2020 to April 2022 on the design, development and curation of the «Forum» community space at the (PRECISE IN ENGLISH) HfG University Karlsruhe. The Forum remained for few years, and was the first community space never conceived since the opening of the HfG in (GIVE DATE).

Conceived as an infrastructure welcoming all students, staff, professors and direction, we co-designed and further developed the «Forum» with the intention of creating and supporting more social interactions through the flexible spatial possibilities AKA MODULAR. As the HfG University building is placed under monument protection (it used to be a munition manufactory during the two world wars, and it is forbidden to TOUCH/DAMAGE/TRANSFORM/AFFECT the building: i.e. drilling in a wall is not allowed), we developed the cafeteria/FORUM as modular space anchored TO/ONTO the architectural backbone of a scaffolding structure, following the plans developed by a former student working group. After learning from a SCAFFHOLDING/CONSTRUCTION FIRMA, we assembled 5 tonnes of steal beams into a scaffholding structure, touching only the floor and the ceiling, as allowed by the monument protection.

PIC OF SMOOTH OPERATOR

A space within a space, so to speak, the «Forum» was an architectural modular place for the community: a space to meet, have a coffee or something to eat, but also a place accessible to everyone to organise events. Depending on the event, you could hang a screen and a beamer on the scaffolding structure for a cinema evening, or use the kitchen to organise a workshop, or install a stage and speakers for live music, etc.

We carried out this considerable development work as a collective with the help of all the student participants. Thus, as a horizontal organised structure, we aimed to develop infrastructural and spatial opportunities for collective dynamics, for and with the help of the university community.

For the sustainable social development of HfG Cohesion, it was very important, especially in pandemic times of social distancing, to create a space for living together, meeting and exchanging, which has not existed in 30 years. This in respect of the monumental nature of the building. We have tried to recycle as much material and equipment as possible in order to ground this social sustainability in a sustainable materiality. For example, a big part of the wood has been recycled from previous projects, and pillows have been made out of the left-overs of a local mattress factory.

En mettant en place un système de registration pour assurer la mise à disposition á tous de l´infrastructure (cuisine, espace de workshop, etc) et d´équipements, nous avons voulu développer une culture du COMMON au sein de la community, impliquant ouverture et respect de tous.