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Panel 1: Reimagining Spaces \u2013 KTU Workshops\u2019 Reflections<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Focusing on the unique challenges of Kaunas\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Curated by KTU team: Laura Jankauskait\u0117-Jurevi\u010dien\u0117, Jurga Vitkuvien\u0117, Egl\u0117 Janu\u0161kien\u0117<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Discussion participants:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Mike Firtsch (l\u2019AUC) \u2013 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Djamel Klouche (l\u2019AUC) \u2013 co-founder of the Paris-based collective l\u2019AUC and advisor on the Grand Paris project, working at the intersection of architecture, politics, and urban planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Colin Reynier (DATA) \u2013 partner at DATA architects (Paris), recognised for his work in sustainable public architecture and the innovative reuse of urban heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gintaras Bal\u010dytis \u2013 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2024, the Experiments\u2019 Platform \u2013 a season of the Architekt\u016bros fondas education programme \u2013 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?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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 \u2013 the short documentary Experiments on Urban Grounds<\/em> (dir. Laurynas Skeisgiela) and a posters-zine exhibition \u2013 are now returning to Vilnius, where they will be presented for the first time to a local audience alongside participants\u2019 reflections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Curated by Architekt\u016bros fondas team: Martynas Germanavi\u010dius, Vilius Vaitiek\u016bnas<\/p>\n\n\n\n Discussion participants:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Simona Gaigalait\u0117 is an architect and founder of the architecture studio Inout<\/em>. 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marta Dorot\u0117ja Lekavi\u010di\u016bt\u0117 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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, Universit\u00e9 Paris Nanterre, and the Paris School of Architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oc\u00e9ane 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 \u00c9cole d’Architecture Paris-Malaquais and contributing editor to AOC<\/em>, she was named one of AMC magazine\u2019s outstanding young female voices in 2023 and is currently developing a podcast on invisible jobs in Paris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Johanna Musch \u2013 is a member of Umarell<\/em>, an interdisciplinary group of architects, urban planners, working at the intersection of urbanism, social design, and local development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Organised as part of the Lithuania\u2013France 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\u2014seeking answers to how our cities can transform in response to the challenges posed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":28712,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-message-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/archfondas.lt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/UGS-4-1060x559.jpg\")
Panel 2: Experiments on Urban Grounds<\/h2>\n\n\n\n