Vision and Action

Architecture can contribute to a just, humane and sustainable future. Social imbalance and the dramatic climate crisis are main points of attack that need to be redesigned in a strategic process. With natural and recycled materials and alternative energy concepts, solutions must be found that balance the built, natural and social environment while reducing the use of new resources. Users must be actively involved in the design process, with the goal of encouraging people's ownership to create the right places for the community.

With the exhibition "VISION AND ACTION" Christoph Hesse Architects present two parallel lines, based on several projects, which illustrate this approach. On the one hand, individual projects are shown that have the ability to change the system by acting as catalysts at the local level and stimulating a process. For example, Villa F, an off-grid house in the Sauerland region of Germany, has initiated a bottom-up process in which local people have built an environmentally friendly energy grid that has made entire communities CO2 neutral and independent of the global energy market. Second, it looks at places that offer the opportunity to change perspectives: Places where people can step out of their everyday routine and perceive the world differently than they are used to. For example, the "Open Mind Places" project developed in Referinghausen consists of nine nature-based follies that encourage people to think and invent ideas for an open society and ecological future.

All of the projects have a strong connection to the place where they are built and catalyze more attention to regional-rural space. They highlight the importance of both approaching the building process sustainably by using recycled materials and utilizing and transforming existing structures. At the same time, they point to the future of architecture by pursuing sustainably oriented energy solutions.