Antarctica: RE-Cyclical

Mankind’s continuous and relentless need for space is unavoidable and a key factor in anticipating what the future of the planet holds. In particular, a closer look at the future of Antarctica is now more critical than it has ever been.
The Antarctic is a powerful place of remarkable beauty and perfection. With global warming and rising sea levels, this precious place will undoubtedly be impacted. By many accounts, the earth’s climate will change so dramatically over the next 100 years that the weather systems and temperatures we today consider “normal” in places such as northern Scandinavia could very well be the norm in certain parts of Antarctica, making it inhabitable by large popula- tions possibly by the end of this century. The notion that Antarctica could one day see crop production alone begs the question of how we as architects and planners might consider such a strangely reconfigured global future.

Photography by © Studio Hani Rashid

As there is increasingly a plausibility to such a future where these extraordinary terrains of snow and ice might be massively overtaken out of necessity, we today need to confront some serious questions as to how we might grapple with such an impending and stark reality. At this year’s Venice Biennale, Hani Rashid with his research assistants and students at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna (Die Angewandte), will exhibit a number of visionary architectural proposals focused on the prospect of building new types and formations of communities for the late 21st century and beyond. If and when we build in Antarctica, how will we go about it?
Antarctica, as a site, is a location where we have the opportunity to build with knowledge, intelligence, and with an eye on the future of the planet as a whole. The works on exhibit survey seven scenarios where architecture is put forth as a potential solution, as opposed to contributing to the problem, as it has to some extent in the past. The installations at the Antarctic Pavilion are a showcase of Deep Future initiatives for the continent of Antarctica.

Photography by © Studio Hani Rashid

The premise of the exhibited work centers on taking control of the future of our planet. The Installation at the Antarctic pavilion will showcase seven holographically presented architectural visions that target key challenges that we as architects must confront and question. The architecture tackles issues and possibilities such as robotic and printed building technologies, bioengineered material technologies, sustainable food supply systems and their infrastructure, sustainable energy harvesting, and a number of other key issues that will impact our work as architects as we traverse the future. The exhibition targets the making of an architecture utilizing new and powerful tectonics where architectural form and space are integral to the solutions we need to seek out and manifest throughout this century and into the next.
Works by Studio Hani Rashid at the Institute of Architecture University of Applied Arts Vienna will be presented during the 15th Venice Biennale of Architecture, 2016. Hani Rashid is an invited participant at the Antarctic Biennale expedition which will set sail for the continent of Antartica March 2017.
Location: Antarctic Pavilion, Fondaco Marcello, San Marco 3415 (Calle dei Garzoni), Venice

Photography by © Studio Hani Rashid

Team: Sophie Luger Univ.-Ass. Mag.arch., Joerg Hugo Univ.-Ass. Dipl.-Ing., Eldine Heep Univ.-Ass. Mag.arch., Andrea Tenpenny Executive Assis- tant (Vienna), Sophie Grell Univ.-Ass. Mag.arch., Reiner Zettl Prof., Julianne Jones Executive Assistant (New York)

Research / Students: Mary Denman, Fady Haddad, Johanna Jelinek, Mathias Juul Frost, Jong Hoon Kim, Noemi Polo, Lenka Petrakova, Angelica Lorenzi, Jalal Matraji, Alexander Nanu, Mihai Potra, Dennis Schiaroli, Barbara Schickermüller, Adam Sebestyen, Andrej Strieženec, Colby Suter, Angel Yonchev

Exhibition is made possible by: Alexander Ponomarev / The Antarctic Biennale & University of Applied Arts Vienna

Exhibition Opening: Fondaco Marcello, May 27, 2016, 6 – 9pm