In the context of the climate crisis and the depletion of natural resources, architecture is searching for an answer to the question of how to build with respect for our natural environment. Nature of Hope focuses on how spatial design can contribute to the preservation of nature and biodiversity, the restoration of ecological balance, and social improvement. Examples of this can be found all over the world, offering promising new ways of thinking and doing in architecture.
Nathalie de Vries, co-founder of MVRDV and Saskia van Stein, IABR director will reflect on the films discussing how architects can leverage spatial design to benefit both the planet and its inhabitants. Don’t miss this exploration of architecture’s role in shaping a sustainable future.
With the short films:
The Happy Few
ALEXANDRA VAMBERG BELLI, ASTRID JUUL JØRGENSEN | DENMARK 2023 | 21 MIN. | ENGLISH | NO SUBTITLES
Everyone talks about building a new world, but some are already working on it. The Happy Few depicts sixteen different eco-communities in Northern Europe. How can these places serve as inspiration for society as a whole? Are their discoveries generally applicable or are they just about a building good life for an exclusive elite?
The Hundred Years’ Binge/Our Current Predicament
JACK COCHRAN, PAMELA FALKENBERG | UNITED STATES 2022 | 15 MIN. | ENGLISH | NO SUBTITLES
Gas stations, highways, cars – cars – cars. The Hundred Years’ Binge/Our Current Predicament is a playful essay film that shows how thoroughly American society is intertwined with the fossil industry. A striking short film that underlines the radical change needed to combat the climate crisis.
The Great Endeavor
DUTCH PREMIERE | LIAM YOUNG | 2023 | 9 MIN. | NO SUBTITLES
What does humanity’s largest engineering project look like? If we want to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it underground, we need to build an infrastructure as large as the global fossil industry. The Great Endeavor by speculative filmmaker and architect Liam Young depicts the moon landing of our generation.
Kalyon Karapınar 1.350 MWP SPP – Central Control Building
EGEMEN KARAKAYA | TURKEY 2023 | 2 MIN. | ENGLISH | NO SUBTITLES
A vast desert area in Turkey is home to potentially the largest solar power plant in Europe. The 3.2 million solar panels are operated via the central control building. In science fiction-like images we see an incredible, but real landscape of a future world.
Over Nathalie de Vries
Nathalie de Vries is co-founder of MVRDV, a global architectural firm established in 1993 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. As a principal architect and urbanist, she has pioneered the practice’s research-by-design methodology, leading to numerous award-winning buildings, masterplans, and research projects worldwide. Her work emphasises architecture’s societal relevance, using data-driven design with a focus on public spaces. She has held numerous public roles including Dutch Chief Railroad Architect and City Architect of Groningen. De Vries advocates for “multiplicity in design” to create innovative, future-proof architecture. In addition to her practice, she is a full professor at Delft University of Technology and frequently lectures worldwide and serves on international competition juries.