In collaboration with to.org, Counterspace, led by Sumayya Vally, has revealed its latest project, “Regenerate Kakuma,” aimed at promoting holistic well-being in one of the world’s largest refugee settlements in Kakuma, Kenya. This regenerative wellness and fitness hub blends fitness, agriculture, and cultural spaces for over 285,000 refugees. The settlement, known as one of the largest globally, primarily hosts individuals from 19 countries, including South Sudan and Somalia.
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The project is inspired by the unique cultural tapestry of Kakuma’s diverse inhabitants. The settlement, whose name comes from the Swahili word for “nowhere,” has long been a symbol of resilience and survival amidst harsh conditions. Refugee populations are often at high risk for developing mental health conditions, with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affecting up to 47% of those displaced by conflict. Regenerate Kakuma aims to mitigate these effects by providing a space that nurtures creativity, movement, and emotional healing, helping residents cope with their traumatic experiences.
Kampala Kasubi Tombs. Image Courtesy of Creative Commons
At the heart of the design is a focus on combining cultural heritage with natural materials, ensuring the project respects the community’s identity while creating functional spaces for growth and interaction. Vally’s design draws on sacred and vernacular architecture from the regions where Kakuma’s people originated, including the rock-cut churches of Lalibela in Ethiopia and the Neolithic rock paintings of Laas Geel in Somaliland. These references are woven into the structure, creating a space that feels connected to the cultural roots of its inhabitants.
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The architectural concept integrates natural elements and local materials, with the building being constructed primarily from Turkana stone, known for its thermal properties that help regulate indoor temperatures. The building’s form is a stepped stone structure, featuring thick walls that rise in a gradient, allowing for natural light, ventilation, and movement throughout the space. The design emphasizes harmony with the surrounding landscape, ensuring the center is both visually striking and practical for the environment.
Courtyards and openings punctuate the building, providing areas for reflection and interaction, while a stepped roofline creates distinct functional zones, from meditation spaces to outdoor fitness areas. These design elements are intended to foster both individual well-being and social cohesion, offering spaces for calm reflection as well as physical activity.
The Regenerate Kakuma facility will house a gym and outdoor fitness spaces, vital for supporting the athletic talent emerging from the settlement. Kakuma has produced several international athletes, including middle-distance runner Perina Nakang and Dominic Lobalu, who competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The fitness center will offer a fully equipped gym and outdoor sports areas, including a basketball court, to nurture future talent and promote physical health.
Courtesy of Counterspace
In addition to fitness facilities, the project emphasizes mental well-being through a meditation hall and outdoor reflection spaces. These areas are designed to promote mindfulness and emotional recovery, key to addressing the trauma many refugees experience. Open courtyards allow for community gatherings, adding a social element to the peaceful environment.
A key component of the project is sustainability. In response to environmental degradation caused by climate change, the facility will include agroforestry and market gardens. These green spaces not only provide fresh produce but also serve as a form of education, teaching residents sustainable agriculture practices that help combat flooding, soil erosion, and pest issues.
Facade of Bet Abba Libanos Rock-Hewn Church. Image Courtesy of Creative Commons
Architects and urban planners have long played a crucial role in addressing humanitarian disasters, designing spaces that not only provide immediate relief but also foster long-term resilience and community rebuilding. In other similar news, Shigeru Ban Architects, in collaboration with Voluntary Architects’ Network, recently developed an improved version of the temporary housing developed to help those affected by the recent Turkey-Syria earthquake. Similarly, following the extreme floods that affected Pakistan in 2022, architect Yasmeen Lari the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan pledged to help build one million resilient houses in the country. Finally, The Türkiye Design Council (TDC) has gathered 13 design practices, including Foster + Partners and Bjarke Ingels Group, to contribute to the revitalization of the historic province of Hatay, an area severely damaged by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in February this year.
In his book “Curation: The Power of Selection in a World of Excess,” Michael Bhaskar defines curation as “using acts of selection and arrangement (but also refining, reducing, displaying, simplifying, presenting, and explaining) to add value.” Originating from the Latin word curare, meaning to take care of, the curator’s role in dissecting our understanding of the world around us cannot be overlooked. Over time, as the definition morphs into different bodies, the practice of curation continues to evolve, filling the roles of caretakers of our built environment and thinkers of different forms for the overall bettering of society.
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In the early 1800s, Baron Dominique Vivant Denon was the first director of the world-renowned Louvre Museum. He inherited a significant excess of art under Napoleon’s rule, an amount that could not fill the vast salons of the museum. Denon’s first job was to organize the collection, and through the themes of both chronology and national schools, he was able to find a logic for the artwork and its place in the museum. Shaping the institution into a world-class museum, Denon is the earliest curator as we understand the word today.
Interestingly, during the Roman Empire, the term curatores referred to officials holding positions of responsibility and authority. Civil servants, or curatores, were held accountable for the empire’s roads, river traffic, public games, festivals, and public goods. In fact, the role of this “caretaker” was highly intertwined with that of the built environment during the Roman Empire, interacting with the city on different scales to ensure its viability for all.
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The curatorial practice today extends far beyond traditional art exhibitions, including forms of cultural events and platforms. In fact, the practice of architecture has extended outwards, morphing at times into curation and vice versa. This new age multidisciplinary outlook refers to an architect’s involvement across different fields, from urban planning, landscape, writing, curating, and roles that go far beyond the traditional boundaries of architecture.
Today, curation can be seen as a form of constructing narratives. Building on Baskhar’s understanding of the world of excess, curation can be understood as a channel for telling meaningful stories to the masses. Through thoughtful curation, the role can shape how human beings contextualize stories. Moreover, the practice can give value to otherwise overlooked stories or shed light on parts of cultures that have not been carefully told. In an age of excess and endless forms of storytelling, curators can begin to make sense of histories lost, materials overlooked, and connections between territories, providing people with critical thinking tools necessary for our near and far futures.
In an onsite interview with ArchDaily, Lesley Lokko defines curation as a form of storytelling. As a fictional writer, she believes that “culture is the sum of stories about ourselves we tell ourselves.” Lokko is the curator of this year’s La Biennale di Venezia, one of the oldest and most prestigious art and architecture international exhibitions worldwide. This year, the theme of the Biennale, set by Lokko, is “The Laboratory of the Future.” The theme considers the African continent as the protagonist of the future, “the one place where all these questions of equity, race, hope, and fear converge and coalesce.”
Featuring 63 National Pavilions, 89 Participants, and 9 collateral events in the city, the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale represents a crucial international event for the field of architecture. The curated theme, setting Africa as the “Laboratory of the Future,” stems from Lokko’s design to rethink authenticity and empathy in the future. Moreover, through this defined curation, thinkers, architects, builders, philosophers, ethnographers, urbanists, and teachers can begin the process of piecing together parts of the globe’s overlooked histories and look collaboratively toward the forthcoming construction of built environments.
I think all cultural output is a form of narrative. Somebody once said that culture is the sum total of stories we tell ourselves about ourselves. So, there’s a very deep need to say something, to impart something. In these questions of colony, identity, territory, and history, there is a sense amongst many black practitioners that we’ve never had the space to tell our own stories, and part of the act of recuperating what has been lost is the desire to speak. In some senses, the Biennale has been a healing experience, a kind of closing over of a wound, of a void. — Lesley Lokko
In conclusion, Lokko’s role as a curator is looking toward the future, curating a way to think about a problem in the current structure of the built environment, and extending an open-ended invitation for participants to collaborate in the thinking process. Moreover, the curation in this exercise simply sets the narrative through which the built environment can be viewed.
Søren Pihlmann is the founder and lead architect of Pihlmann Architects, a young Copenhagen-based architectural practice. In an interview with Louisiana Channel, Pihlmann clearly states that his practice has transformed from being a traditional architect into becoming a “type of curator, selecting very few things with great sensitivity.”
In fact, in the interview, the architect describes his architectural practice with the idea of “absolute care.” He emphasizes the significance of thoroughly examining the surrounding context before embarking on a project. Furthermore, Pihlmann expresses that his approach now involves dedicating more time to this initial phase of research, immersing himself in data, and comprehending the existing conditions. Claiming that through this process of curation, the architectural narrative emerges organically.
Interestingly, Pihlmann also points out the new multidisciplinary approach to the architecture practice, relating it to different scales of interactions and different modes of curation. The comparison he draws between the curation of social interactions in developing a city and the curation of different materials when the architect arrives at a site encapsulates a holistic view of the architectural practice today.
We demolish and build anew more than we use what we already have, and we do it in a way that damages not only our basis of existence but the basis of existence of future generations especially. Has this harsh reality truly not dawned on us? — Søren Pihlmann.
This year saw the first-ever Islamic Arts Biennale, directed by architect Sumayya Vally, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The event was curated partially by Vally, set in the Western Hajj Terminal at King Abdulaziz Airport, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. In an interview with ArchDaily, Vally expresses that “there is an inherited definition of Islamic art that comes from 17th century France, and Islamic Arts have continuously been defined and redefined…but they have never really been defined from within by us, from our perspectives.”
Vally is the founder, architect, and director of the Johannesburg-based collaborative architectural studio Counterspace. The practice of the studio centers around simultaneously defining and reimagining histories and futures. Chosen to design the 20th Serpentine Pavilion, Vally works between research, interdisciplinary art-based projects, architectural projects, exhibitions, urban research, and design.
I believe that biennales, pavilions, and platforms for experimental art and architecture are essential because they provide a space for imagining the future. –Sumayya Vally
In conclusion, the practices of curation and multi-disciplinary architecture intersect in powerful ways. Human beings can shape their understanding of themselves and the world through the choices made in curating the built environment, reinterpreting historical narratives, and taking cautious stands in the present. The practice sheds light on our narratives, picking things apart that have been often overlooked or encouraging new methods of thinking about our stories and cultural output at large. The curator can work at many different scales, but what is common is a thoughtful selection of displaying and explaining concepts in a world of excess with absolute care and concern.
At the small scale, architects like Søren Pihlmann demonstrate curation by deciding what is visible or concealed, what is foregrounded or backgrounded within a building through contextualizing materiality. This form of curation shapes our experience of space, affecting our perceptions and interactions within it. Another curation scale involves revisiting past narratives, as exemplified by Sumayya Vally. Through careful curation, stories can be retold, reshaped, and explained under new lights to modify and transform the present understanding of them. By engaging with the past in this way, human beings can gain new insights, challenge preconceptions, and foster a more inclusive and nuanced understanding of history. Finally, Lesley Lokko showcases the curatorial power of taking a stand in the present. Through what is presented, considered, and explained, we engage in a form of curation that shapes our collective narrative. By actively pursuing this curated narrative, collaboration and meaningful work toward a better future can be fostered.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on July 17, 2023, as part of theArchDaily Topics: Design Process, presented by Codesign and updated on October 2, 2024.
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Since its launch in 2000, the Serpentine Pavilion has been providing renowned and emerging architects with a platform for design experimentation, becoming an important display of contemporary architecture. Each year, the commissioned architects and designers envision a temporary structure that speaks not only to their roots as creators, but also brings into focus what they consider to be important themes in the architectural world, from the need to redefine spaces for contemplation or conviviality, to explorations into the potential of natural materials or vernacular building techniques. On the day of the public opening of the 2024 Serpentine Pavilion, the “Archipelagic Void” designed by Korean architect Minsuk Cho and his firm Mass Studies, we look back at the last eight editions of the famous annual structure.
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Serpentine Pavilion 2024 “Archipelagic Void” by Minsuk Cho, Mass Studies
The recently opened 23rd Serpentine Pavilion promises to offer a different kind of experience for the visitors of Kensington Gardens, who have grown accustomed to the architectural experiments taking shape here each year. In reference to mandang, a type of open courtyard found in traditional Korean houses, the pavilion is envisioned as a central void surrounded by five ‘islands’, each with its distinctive identity and function. To enhance these different characters, architect Minsuk Cho has collaborated with different artists, composers, and archivists to bring their expertise into the final architectural form.
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Serpentine Pavilion 2023 by Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture”>Serpentine Pavilion 2023 “À table” by Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture
In 2023, French-Lebanese architect Lina Ghotmeh was selected to design the 22nd Serpentine Pavilion. Her proposal, titled À table, was conceived as an invitation to sit down together at a table and engage in an open dialogue while sharing a meal. This simple yet engaging idea took the shape of a round wooden structure with tables organized around a central oculus that brings in light through the low-hung ceiling. By creating opportunities for relaxed conversations, the pavilion strived to capture a certain feeling of coming together despite differences and working through the issues faced by all of us.
Serpentine Pavilion 2022 “Black Chapel” by Theaster Gates
2022 Serpentine Pavilion by Theaster Gates . Image
The 21st Serpentine Pavilion, Black Chapel, designed by Chicago-based artist Theaster Gates was realized with the architectural support of Adjaye Associates. Going beyond architecture to create a space for shared emotional and spiritual experiences brought forth by sacred music and sacred arts, the project draws inspiration from the architectural typologies that ground the artist’s practice. It references the bottle kilns of Stoke-on-Trent in England, the beehive kilns of the Western United States, San Pietro, and the Roman tempiettos and traditional African building structures. In addition to the careful consideration of the emotional impact of architecture, the project also pays close attention to how the building materials are sourced, collaborating with the non-profit foundation Grace Farms to ensure fair labor conditions throughout the production process and to bring visibility to the problem of modern slavery in the construction materials supply chain.
Serpentine Pavilion 2021 Designed by Sumayya Vally, Counterspace
Counterspace, the 20th practice to accept the invitation to design the Serpentine pavilion, has created an intervention “based on past and present places of meeting, organizing and belonging across London”. Re-interpreting the shapes of London into the structure, referencing the architecture of places of worship, markets, restaurants, bookshops, and local cultural institutions that are particularly relevant to migrant communities in neighborhoods, the project will also have fragments installed across the city.
Japanese architect Junya Ishigami’s design for the 2019 pavilion arranges slates to form a unified canopy roof that seemed to rise organically from the park’s landscape. Inside, the pavilion featured an enclosed, cave-like area, offering a serene space for contemplation. “My design for the Pavilion plays with our perspectives of the built environment against the backdrop of a natural landscape, emphasizing a natural and organic feel as though it had grown out of the lawn, resembling a hill made out of rocks,” explained Ishigami.
Escobedo’s design, which fuses elements typical to Mexican architecture with local London references, features a courtyard enclosed by two rectangular volumes constructed from cement roof tiles. These tiles are stacked to form a celosia, a type of wall common to Mexican architecture that is permeable, allowing ventilation and views to the other side.
The 2017 Serpentine Pavilion, designed by Francis Kéré was conceived as a microcosmos—“a community structure within Kensington Gardens”. The pavilion has been designed to consciously fuse cultural references from Kéré’s hometown of Gando in Burkino Faso, with “experimental construction techniques.” The architect hopes that the pavilion, as a social condenser, “will become a beacon of light, a symbol of storytelling and togetherness.”
Serpentine Pavilion 2016 Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group
2016 Serpentine Pavilion by BIG. Image
The 2016 Serpentine Pavilion, designed by BIG consists of an “unzipped wall” in which a straight line of tubular fiberglass bricks at the top of the wall is split into two undulating sides, housing the program of the pavilion. For the first time, the 2016 Serpentine Pavilion is also accompanied by four “summerhouses” designed by Kunlé Adeyemi, Barkow Leibinger, Yona Friedman, and Asif Khan.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on February 08, 2022, written by Andreea Cutieru, and updated on June 7, 2024.
The Bruges Triennial 2024 has announced its theme, “Space of Possibility,” along with a list of participating artists and architects and the locations of the 12 installations. Running from Saturday 13 April to Sunday 1 September 2024, the event will take over the streets and historic center of Bruges. Belgium, showcasing contemporary art and architectural interventions. The curators of this edition, Shendy Gardin and Sevie Tsampalla, have selected a list of 12 artists and architects who will challenge the existing locations within the city’s quarters in response to the theme which asks them to seek to reveal the hidden potential of the city.
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The list of invited artists includes Belgian names, along with international invitees. Among them, Boonserm Premthada’s Thailand office Bangkok Project Studio, chiefly known in Belgium for the Kantana Institute in Nakhon Pathom, Mona Hatoum, who was awarded the Ada Louise Huxtable Prize in 2022, and Sumayya Vally, who founded the studio Counterspace, curated the first Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and recently also exhibited at the Venice Biennale, are just some of the prominent names invited to participate with temporary artistic interventions and large-scale installations.
The theme of the 4th edition of the Bruges Triennial aims to explore the possibilities of the city’s center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the ways in which change and sustainability can coexist with preservation. The last three years have proven the importance of well-designed public spaces, as hubs of movement, creativity flexibility, and freedom. With a history dating back to the 9th century, Bruges continues to evolve, exemplifying the importance of adaptable urban spaces in our changing world.
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The artists and architects have been invited to search and uncover hidden or little-known sites in the city center, West Bruges and Zeebrugge, and to temporarily reinvent them. Brussels-based office Traumnovelle has chosen the courtyard of the 13th-century City Halls, Lebanese-British artist Mona Hatoum is working in the garden of a Psychiatric Hospital, whileBangkok Project Studio is building a contemporary clock tower near the King Albert I Park to draw attention to this neglected part of the garden. American architecture practice SO–IL is collaborating with Dr. Mariana Popescu and Summum Engineering to transform the site of a former monastery by using a high-tech fabric to guide visitors to discover the walled gardens of the Capuchin Friars Minor. Similarly, Belgian artist Adrien Tirtiaux highlights a forgotten connection within the city via a green marker.
With TRIBRU24 we are focusing on a subject close to all our hearts: space. Space to live, to work, to meet, and to relax. In a city where conservation takes center stage, how can we consider concepts such as sustainability and transformation? With Spaces of Possibility, we want to work with artists and architects to create fresh opportunities and bring beauty into what is often overlooked. A collective exercise in thinking about the (historic) city of today and tomorrow. – Shendy Gardin, Curator
Since 2015, Bruges Triennial has strived to bring contemporary art and architecture to the historical city, inviting national and international artists and architects to contribute with new site-specific installations to activate the city. During the five months of the event, their contemporary creations highlighted the potential of the city in response to the specific theme defined by the curators. During past editions, architects such as Selgas Cano added a splash of color to the city’s water channels, while Marc Fornes / THEVERYMANY installed a coral-like pavilion in a 17th-century Seminary building.
Courtesy of Triennial Bruges 2024
Participating artists and architects, along with their chosen locations:
