vienna & isfahan [are]
Negar Hakim | Co-Curator, Author
In the context of the COVID-19 virus, numerous measures have been implemented worldwide to prevent
the further spread of the virus. It is a far-reaching crisis which also heavily impacts our living spaces and, as a consequence, alters our perception of or rather our needs and requirements from what we consider “home”.
There is a sudden change in significance and value of space and its qualities. The function of spatial mobility, natural daylight, tranquillity, a balcony or a terrace, a kitchen, but also the layout of (outdoor) spaces all acquire a new meaning. How are we going to approach it?
The project “Staying home, but how?” addresses the question of what or rather how we can learn from the COVID-19 crisis, especially in terms of architecture. A glance at architectural history shows that epidemics, crises and catastrophes have had an impact on urban planning and architecture time and time again. Is this to be expected from the Covid-19 pandemic as well? How helpful or important would a global exchange to find in novative solutions to a worldwide problem be at this very specific time? In light of recent experiences, what does the world’s population wish for the architectural future?
Since the beginning of the spread of the Corona virus towards the end of 2019, national and international magazines, specialist journals, documentaries, etc., have reported on the responsibilities of architecture after the crisis. Of course, opinions are divided. Whereas some see mainly a weighty responsibility, others focus on what they see as a very real chance to finally reflect on architecture in a calm and reasoned manner. Aspects that have been neglected in the past are now acquiring a new
dimension.
That for some feels like “prison”, with people being trapped in their tiny apartments with little room to move about and no access to outdoor spaces, for others al most feels like a “holiday”, with people spending lockdown in their spacious single-family house or outside in their large garden. It is precisely the lack of indoor and outdoor space in the apartments, and likewise no room for a separate home-office or private areas where one can withdraw temporarily, that led and still lead to an increase in the divorce rates.
Simultaneously, investors refer to the crisis as a catastrophe of the new millennium. However, the building industry has little interest in exploring the possibilities inherent in historical buildings to provide a possible solution to enable an 80-year-old to remain at home with their family and not have to move
to a retirement home.
Should or rather will the COVID-19 pandemic changethe architecture of our cities at all? Do we have to redefine “building” to include and establish new forms and patterns of living? In all these complex decisions, the question that must be asked is what role politics, architects and occupants have to assume. Although creative solutions in various fields are being discussed and researched globally, sound and practicable solutions have yet to be found.
We shine the spotlight on two cities, Vienna and Isfahan – one in the centre of Europe, the other in the centre of the Orient, and both cities’ historical city centres inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List – as representative places for research and exchange for this project. Articles of renowned authors, interviews with different experts such as editors of specialist journals, researchers, investors, and above all, architects from both countries – Austria and Iran – provide a thorough overview on thistopic.
Although opinions and proposed solutions differ, the evident optimism from both sides is to be admired. Covid-19 is often considered a chance for architecture to globally promote timely developments and strategies to counteract a crisis that has been around for a long time – much longer than Covid-19 – and which lies much deeper.