The Architecture Foundation and Scarcity and Creativity in the Built Environment (SCIBE London; University of Westminster) issued an open call for collaboration to strong groups of creative professionals capable of proposing innovative strategies and tools to address conditions of scarcity in the built environment.
SCIBE, a three-year collaborative project that explores how processes related to architecture and urban design can be improved through design-led innovation under conditions of scarcity, has teams in London, Oslo and Vienna. SCIBE London works primarily in Bromley-by-Bow – according to the Indices of Deprivation, the city’s most deprived ward in 2007 and number nine on the list in 2010. The contested urban territory, with many aspects of inequality manifested spatially and socially, is located in-between central London, the Canary Wharf Estate and the site of the forthcoming Olympics.
Teams were invited to propose the devices and approaches that would be needed to achieve their vision for Bromley-by-Bow in 2062, starting from now. The process was open to anyone, and we welcomed proposals from beyond the fields of architecture and design, in particular those engaged with creative approaches to socio-economic scenarios.
The Architecture Foundation and SCIBE held two events in June and July 2012, from which collaborating teams emerged. During stage one participants were ssued with a briefing document and prepared first responses to the issues raised.
Teams presented their responses at Event One during the London Festival of Architecture on 2 July 2012 after which participants were able to network and form collaborations.
Teams then prepared a more considered response to the brief for Event Two presenting to both the floor and the selection panel consisting of representatives of The AF, SCIBE, The Young Foundation and the local community. Four teams were then selected to work with the SCIBE team and received thorough feedback to help them develop their projects further.
For more information on the brief please download the brief from our resources tab or visit the SCIBE website. A publication on the SCIBE sumer school can be found here and a newspaper produced during the project here.