Radical inclusivity: architecture of becoming

Nawratek, Kasia (2023) Radical inclusivity: architecture of becoming. In: UIA World Congress of Architects, 02 July 2023 - 06 July 2023, Copenhagen.

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Abstract

This article examines the idea of Radical Inclusivity in the context of architecture through the perspective of maintenance and care. It traces the origins of Radical Inclusivity to the religious philosophy of Origen and the architectural experiments of Paolo Soleri inspired by the idea of the Omega Point by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. The rejection of waste and growth through density and complexity of interactions facilitated by architecture combined with the understanding of buildings as dynamic and ever-changing entities is the core of Radical Inclusivity foregrounding time and contextuality as crucial layers of understanding of architecture. In this temporal perspective, maintenance and care are not separated from architecture, but are integral to its production from its conception in architectural practice, through the building process, then the maintenance of the finished building, and finally to its end-of-life care, disposal, and reuse of its remains. Using the lens of time, the article positions the maintenance and care in the context of Hannah Arendt’s division between work and labor revealing hidden biases in the role of the architect and discusses its implications on the production of architecture from a feminist perspective. Using examples of maintenance in the art of Mierle Laderman Ukeles and architecture, this paper argues for a radically inclusive architecture, where the inclusivity principle is applied in the whole process of the production of architecture, including architectural education, design, and construction, and is extended to maintenance as well as working conditions of all actors involved.