Social Infrastructure
In a special collaboration with Abu Dhabi Art and to celebrate the opening of Warehouse421, Muntada continued in November with a talk on “Social Infrastructure” by Bjarke Ingles, world renowned architect and founder of BIG-Bjarke Ingles Group. Ingles, who also designed Warehouse421, discussed how the built infrastructure of the past can be revitalized to shape society’s cultural and social life. Citing a series of innovative design projects and buildings developed by BIG, Bjarke explored how one can proactively think of the city as a platform to use these utilities and to enrich the city by becoming an active part of the public realm.
While entertaining questions from the audience, Ingles also highlighted the extended role of the architect in the 21st century from designing cost effective public spaces and bespoke buildings to integrating sustainability without compromising the quality of our life. He concluded the talk by proposing several sustainable design solutions to solving this conundrum.