The article was published in the print magazine Gala, an insert of the newspaper “Proto Thema”
It was 17 November 2019 when the first case of COVID-19 was reported in the city of Yuhan, China. Four months later, the World Health Organization officially declared a pandemic, with over 138,000 confirmed patients in more than 130 countries. In China’s Hubei province, a new 25,000 square metre hospital was built in just ten days. Today we count 22 325 368 confirmed patients and 784 757 deaths worldwide, and every minute that passes as these lines are being written the numbers are, sadly, increasing. In the name of public safety, state authorities in most countries have implemented curfews, travel restrictions, cancelled events, suspended work or work from home.
The global consequences of the pandemic include social and economic instability, increased xenophobia and racism and millions of redundancies. Sophisticated crowd detection methods for detecting elevated temperatures are being implemented, by some states, not only at airports and train stations.
“In just a few weeks life has changed dramatically around the world. Millions of people were isolated in their homes. Material space shrank. The “Stay at Home” exhortation became the new condition of life. Home – where it exists, of course, refers primarily to an apartment in an apartment building with limited space, with minimal outdoor space, with basic amenities, and in a high-density area. This space, then, was called upon to take on the task of working remotely, educating students, entertaining its inhabitants, playing, privacy, and storing supplies. Quarantine, isolation, SMS – words that entered our agenda,” says Vassilis Bartzokas, founder of Design Ambassador and initiator of the Pandemic Architecture competition.
But when crowds are not allowed in public spaces, how should cities change? When millions of people are in isolation and work from home, what characteristics should this home have? When people cannot travel, what is the role of hotels? Let’s see what history teaches us. Urban development in France with Osman’s urban plan for Paris between 1853 and 1870 focused partly on sanitary purposes, with the construction of a new water and sewerage network, which removed sources of pollution and improved the city’s sanitary conditions. Central Park in New York was built when a health consultant put public health first to convince the city authorities of the benefits of green spaces. In Britain, the Victorian bathroom of the 1880s was usually decorated, like other rooms, with rugs, curtains and other non-utilitarian objects. This has changed dramatically. From the question of security and housing to the relationship of our physical existence both to the environment and to the network of telephones that now connects us to the rest of the world. In the context of this new reality, Archisearch organised the Pandemic Architecture global architectural ideas competition with the aim of creating a think tank to explore the new typology of housing, workspaces, public spaces, health spaces and spaces related to the tourism industry. The jury consisted of architect and engineer Lydia Kallipolitis, designer Ora Ito, architect and designer Roberto Palomba and architect and researcher Sofia Vysovitis. The jury also included UN Studio with Marianthi Tatari, and Tom Lindblom, studio director of the London-based Gensler office. from the basic principles of the functional city. Although it is rather difficult to talk about the crisis we are experiencing in the midst of it, it seems to bring to the surface conditions and situations that architecture has dealt with in the past.
“Digital mediation in all aspects of our lives, social isolation, precarious or non-existent employment, violation of rights, failure to secure housing, rethinking the balance between outdoor and built space are some of the issues with which architecture has tried in various ways to engage”, says Tina Marinaki, co-curator of the competition and editor-in-chief of Archisearch.gr.
The fact is that in the post-quarantine era the rules of life as we knew it have changed radically. From the question of security and housing to the relationship of our physical existence with both the environment and the network of telephones that now connects us to the rest of the world. In the context of this new reality, Archisearch has therefore organised the Pandemic Architecture global architectural ideas competition to create a think tank to explore the new typology of housing, workplaces, public spaces, health spaces and spaces related to the tourism industry. The jury consisted of architect and engineer Lydia Kallipolitis, designer Ora Ito, architect and designer Roberto Palomba and architect and researcher Sofia Vysovitis. The jury also included UN Studio with Marianthi Tatari and Tom Lindblom, studio director of the London-based Gensler office.
Vassilis Bartzokas says in “Gala”: “Architecture usually follows and dresses social changes and transitions. I am an advocate of action. I believe that everyone should become an activist of themselves and through this, contribute to society as a whole. Cities are certainly not being torn down and rebuilt, but the function of space is being redefined. Architects are here to help. The idea of the competition has found allies and critics. Among the allies are judges of proven standing from around the world. Allies, moreover, were the participants, who in the days of confinement, pessimism and death preferred a dynamic response to reality through creation. More than 500 agencies and individuals from some 65 countries participated in the competition. And with very creative ideas.”