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From October 12–19, the Italian city of Cagliari is hosting We Are out of Time, an event showcasing the results of a research program dedicated to the international promotion of Italian sustainable architecture. The exhibition is presented in collaboration with prestigious international cultural and scientific institutions.
The name of this event, We are out of Time, is an alarm call. Even though some of the processes triggered by greenhouse gas emissions are now regarded as irreversible, time remains a crucial element in addressing the catastrophic scenarios linked to climate change. The time for theories has ended; we now need to take action and put the theories into practice.
Located in the middle of the Mediterranean, Cagliari is the ideal setting for this event. The Mediterranean could, in fact, be the site of some of the most serious effects of climate change, with rising sea levels threatening to submerge certain coastal areas and islands. Cagliari would be the first ancient city to be submerged.
Against this backdrop, the We Are out of Time research program aims to identify and quantify the number of sustainable cultural buildings throughout the country. The survey work involves a call for designs from the professional world to identify eco-sustainable projects for cultural sites and a call for papers from universities to collect research into eco-sustainable prototypes for cultural sites.
We Are out of Time has three main phases. The first phase involves a comparative analysis of best practices in sustainable architecture, evaluating them in terms of the life cycle of materials and collating results. The next phase involves creating a database of recommendations for protecting biodiversity and ecosystems through architecture according to current legislation. Finally, the third phase focuses on sharing the results of the research, and promoting a culture of eco-responsibility and circular economy through seminars, conferences, exhibitions, publications, and workshops.
We Are out of Time won the Sustainable Architecture for Cultural Sites competition organized by the Italian Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity of the Ministry of Culture with the backing of the IDC Foundation, New York. The content of the program is the product of joint collaboration carried out over an extended period in synergy with some of the most highly respected education and research institutes around the world, including the Department of Computer Science at Turin University, the New York Institute of Technology, the School of Architecture, Planning, and Design at Mohammed VI Polytechnic in Ben Guirir – Marrakesh, the Department of Architecture at Florence University, the Department of Architecture at Cagliari University, the Universidad Iberoamericana of Santo Domingo, and Birmingham City University.
The heart of the event is a public exhibition in Palazzo Siotto, where the projects, as selected by an international jury, that best address the 17 sustainable goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda are on display.
Architecture students from the New York Institute of Technology, Birmingham City University, and Cagliari University have come to Cagliari to participate in a rich and varied program, which includes in-depth conferences with virtual connections to the research centers involved. On October 14, a workshop, held in collaboration with the three universities, aims to create site-specific, sustainable architectural and artistic installations for places of cultural interest in complex social and environmental contexts.
>>> Discover Biennale dello Stretto 2024, scheduled to run through December 14 in Campo Calabro, Reggio Calabria, and Messina
All images courtesy We Are Out of Time
