kruh spring 2013: Christian Devillers - Sustainable City

Kruh and the French Institute in Prague invite you to the lecture series "Metamorphoses of Cities"

Mon 13/05/13, 19:30

Christian Devillers,

Sustainable City, Urban Revolution of the 21st Century

Christian Devillers will present projects from his studio Devillers et Associés during his lecture in Prague, focusing on various themes of sustainable urban development. Devillers relates sustainable development, which for some time was perceived only in connection with small self-sufficient units, to the entire city and territory. According to him, the need for sustainable development requires a transformation of urban approaches, methods, and the urban plans themselves.
A moderated discussion on the topic of urban sustainability will follow the lecture with architect and leading expert in urban planning of Prague, Pavel Hnilička, Deputy Mayor of the Prague 3 district responsible for urban development, transport, and the environment, Ondřej Rut, and one of the main representatives of the Auto*Mat initiative, Vít Masare. The debate will be moderated by architect Filip Tittl.

Christian Devillers (*1946) is an architect based in Paris. For over thirty years, he has mainly focused on urban projects and public space. In addition to design, he also engages in publishing activities and has taught at architecture schools in Nancy, Paris, Geneva, and Barcelona. In 1998, he received the Grand Prix National de l’Urbanisme award.

The lecture series Metamorphoses of Cities will present contemporary French architecture and its creators to the Czech public. Six lecture and discussion evenings will take place from March to December 2013. The entire cycle focuses on the city and its transformations. Individual evenings will address issues of sustainable urban development, the challenges of today’s sprawling construction, and the need to redefine its boundaries.

French Institute in Prague, Štěpánská 35, Prague 1
free
the lecture will be in French and will be interpreted into Czech

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Pavel Hnilička (*1975) studied at the Faculty of Architecture, Czech Technical University in Prague from 1993 to 2000 under Prof. Ladislav Lábus and Prof. Alena Šrámková. In 2002-2003, he completed postgraduate studies at ETH Zurich under Prof. Dietmar Eberle. He worked in the 4DS studio from 1998 to 1999 and in the studio of Prof. Pavel Zvěřina from 1999 to 2002. Since 2003, he has led his own studio, Pavel Hnilička Architects. From 2006 to 2009, he collaborated with Ondřej Císler. Since 2003, he has worked with Baumschlager Eberle on projects in Prague. He deals with the design and realization of buildings and has been intensively engaged in urbanism in recent years, processing regulatory and spatial plans for cities and municipalities. He is the author of the book "Settlement Porridge – Questions on Suburban Housing Development" (1st edition 2005, 2nd edition 2012). From 2007 to 2010, he taught at the FA CTU at the Institute of Urbanism. Since 2012, he has been working for the Development Department of Prague as the head of the department for spatial and construction standards on the amendment of the general technical requirements for construction.

Vít Masare (*1987) has been one of the main representatives of the Auto*Mat initiative since 2010, which aims to improve the environment for quality living in the city. Through expert work, public engagement, awareness-raising, and lobbying, Auto*Mat promotes principles of sustainability, participation, and inclusion within the transportation, development, and cultural policy of Prague. Vít Masare is a member of the Prague Urbanist Circle and the steering committee of the Metropolitan Sounding Board. He is currently working on projects concerning Smetanovo nábřeží and the magistrála.

Ondřej Rut (*1981) is the Deputy Mayor of the Prague 3 district with competence in urban development, transport, and the environment. He is a member of the Green Party. He studied social and cultural ecology at Charles University and has been involved in municipal politics for six years, especially in the area of limits and possibilities of sustainable urban development. Before working at the Žižkov town hall, he worked for ecological non-profit organizations and in project management.

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organizers: Kruh, French Institute in Prague,
partners: Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, AVU School of Architecture in Prague,
project supported by: Konsepti, City Hall of Prague, MDA Prague s.r.o., Metrostav a.s., Sipral a.s., Foundation for Czech Architecture,
media partners: Era 21, Radio 1, archiweb

The Civic Association Kruh has been organizing public events and lectures focused on current events in architecture since 2001. The aim of the lectures and discussions is to mediate dialogue about quality Czech and world architecture and architectural creation to broader layers of the public – i.e., beyond the narrow circle of experts and architecture students. Kruh has already organized more than a hundred lectures featuring prominent and emerging Czech and foreign architects and theorists of architecture, two film festivals on architecture, and the exhibition "Profession: Architect." They regularly publish collections of "Texts on Architecture". Civic Association Kruh is also the initiator of the nationwide festival Architecture Day.