Conference "Urban Ecologies: Imagining City Transformations between Lithuania and France"

Organised as part of the Lithuania–France Architecture Days, the conference will take place on 30 May at 15:00 at the National Gallery of Art. It will bring together architects, urbanists, spatial practitioners, educators, and researchers from both countries for a shared dialogue—seeking answers to how our cities can transform in response to the challenges posed by climate change.

Focusing on the theme of urban ecologies, the programme invites us to question the persistent divide between the cultural and the natural, and to recognise how hinterlands, landscapes, and ecosystems are deeply entangled with the urban environment.

Structured around two panel discussions, the conference foregrounds emerging practices, pedagogical collaborations, and speculative research.

The first panel, curated by the School of Architecture at KTU (KTU SAF)  in collaboration with French architects (L’AUC and DATA architects), reflects on three recent student workshops that explore nature’s right to return, sustainable transformation, and the interplay between forest and city. These initiatives bring to light the creativity and critical thinking of future architects as they address complex local urban challenges through collaboration with French architects and institutions.

The second panel, led by Architektūros fondas in collaboration with Theatrum Mundi, draws on the 2024 Experiments’ Platform and explores how spatial practices can respond to urban challenges and innovate by engaging with the territorial scale and adopting bioregional design approaches.

The discussion programme will also be complemented by an exhibition showcasing works created in educational activities implemented by KTU SAF, Architektūros fondas and the French Institute, as well as informal conversations aimed at promoting the continuity of established collaborations and the exchange of experiences between practitioners working in different cultural and spatial contexts.

Panel 1: Reimagining Spaces – KTU Workshops’ Reflections

The School of Architecture at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) presents a panel discussion inspired by three student workshops held between 2022 and 2024. Titled Nature’s Right to Return, Sustainable Transformation, and Forest in the City / City in the Forest, these workshops emerged from a collaboration between KTU, French architects, and the French Institute in Lithuania. An accompanying exhibition showcases selected student ideas developed during these workshops.

Focusing on the unique challenges of Kaunas’s evolving urban environment, the projects explore how reimagining space can reveal new relationships between the built environment and nature. Together, the workshops reflect the creativity and critical thinking of a new generation of architects as they confront complex urban issues and work towards more sustainable, connected, and vibrant cities. Collaborations with international experts enrich these explorations, bringing diverse perspectives and innovative approaches to the forefront of architectural discourse in Lithuania.

Curated by KTU team: Laura Jankauskaitė-Jurevičienė, Jurga Vitkuvienė, Eglė Januškienė

Discussion participants:

Mike Firtsch (l’AUC) – architect and urban planner, known for his work on large-scale public projects with a strong ecological and social focus. Curator of the Luxembourg Pavilion Sonic Investigation at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale.

Djamel Klouche (l’AUC) – co-founder of the Paris-based collective l’AUC and advisor on the Grand Paris project, working at the intersection of architecture, politics, and urban planning.

Colin Reynier (DATA) – partner at DATA architects (Paris), recognised for his work in sustainable public architecture and the innovative reuse of urban heritage.

Gintaras Balčytis – architect, professor at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), and a prominent figure in contemporary Lithuanian architecture, with a focus on regional identity and sustainability. Curator of the Lithuanian Pavilion Archi / Tree / tecture at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale.

Panel 2: Experiments on Urban Grounds

In 2024, the Experiments’ Platform – a season of the Architektūros fondas education programme – was developed in collaboration with the Paris-based research centre Theatrum Mundi to explore the challenges of territorial urbanism in the contexts of Lithuania and France. The mentorship programme brought together emerging architects and urban researchers, encouraging them to develop personal approaches to spatial planning and design while addressing key questions: How can we work with the natural resources of urban rivers? How can we create public spaces based on bioregional design principles? How might we restore the links between urban centres, rural areas, and agricultural territories?

Initiated within the framework of the Lithuania in France Season, the project fostered broader dialogue between emerging and established practitioners working in spatial disciplines. Its outcomes – the short documentary Experiments on Urban Grounds (dir. Laurynas Skeisgiela) and a posters-zine exhibition – are now returning to Vilnius, where they will be presented for the first time to a local audience alongside participants’ reflections.

Curated by Architektūros fondas team: Martynas Germanavičius, Vilius Vaitiekūnas

Discussion participants:

Simona Gaigalaitė is an architect and founder of the architecture studio Inout. In her residency project, she developed an innovative architectural design approach that brings together the traditions of vernacular Lithuanian wooden architecture and the diverse pavilion culture of Paris.

Edgar Vladimirenko is an architect and a student at IUAV University of Venice. During the programme, he focused on the Lithuanian countryside, which has experienced radical spatial and social transformations over the past 50 years.

Marta Dorotėja Lekavičiūtė is an architecture student at the Vilnius Academy of Arts. In her research, she explores riverside vegetation in Vilnius and Paris and its potential use as architectural material, engaging local communities and biologists to assess the sustainability of these resources.

John Bingham-Hall is Co-Director of Theatrum Mundi, leading European collaboration projects and based in Paris. As a researcher, writer, and cultural organiser, his work focuses on the ways how climate adaptation strategies are transforming the cultures and politics of the urban public sphere. He teaches at Central Saint Martin’s, Université Paris Nanterre, and the Paris School of Architecture.

Océane Ragoucy is an architect, independent curator, and critic whose work explores architecture, art, and ecology, with a focus on urban margins, production processes, and ecological narratives. An associate lecturer at the École d’Architecture Paris-Malaquais and contributing editor to AOC, she was named one of AMC magazine’s outstanding young female voices in 2023 and is currently developing a podcast on invisible jobs in Paris.

Johanna Musch – is a member of Umarell, an interdisciplinary group of architects, urban planners, working at the intersection of urbanism, social design, and local development.