The desire to use architecture and design to enhance sustainability has increased exponentially over the last four decades. Widening the field of practice to include not only physical buildings but social and environmental progress – both locally and globally.
South of North is a collaboration between Nordic architects working in the non-profit sector in developing environments, currently active with an exhibition and a seminar series. During the last decade, emerging Nordic architect practices have been using their professional skills to support the less priviledged communities. Some of the important results of the projects so far have been improving the livelihood of women in Senegal, promoting ecological sanitation in Fiji and the proliferation of bambu building in Cambodia.
Interestingly, the South of North teams aim to involve the use of local and traditional techniques and customs during the planning and construction process. However, all the projects, despite being built in different locations all over the world, do share common elements.
The exhibition project enables the young teams to set the architecture under critical examination: What does our Nordic background bring to the projects? To whose taste is this kind of aesthetics? Is there a Nordic indentity in the buildings without us realising it? And most importantly, is it possible for a foreign architect to contribute positively to a development of the built environment in any foreign context? If so, how?
The project is a collaboration between several Nordic actors. The idea for the project derives from the experiences of two ongoing architecture projects: Kouk Khleang Youth Center by Komitu Architects in Cambodia and Econef Children’s Center by Asante Architecture & Design + Lönnqvist Vanamo Architects in Tanzania.
South of North Network Founders and Project Coordinators:
Pilvi Vanamo, architect
Lönnqvist Vanamo Architects
pilvi@lovarch.se
+46 763 525 73
Inari Virkkala, architect
Komitu Architects
inari@inarivirkkala.com
skype: inari.virkkala