AESTHETICS OF SPACE OCCUPANCY

AESTHETICS OF SPACE OCCUPANCY: generic landmarks in Palestinian cities

Lecture Abstract

The post-1948 Palestinian architecture has lost its bearings. The current Palestinian city contains buildings that cannot be classified, whether based on style, morphology or even technique, because landmarks have disappeared along with Palestinian architectural references.

The use of space - one of the main reasons for the loss of landmarks in the Palestinian contemporary architecture of the city - has greatly affected the evolution of architecture and aesthetics of space occupancy. It led to an environment of apparent failed aesthetics at scales as different as architecture, clothing, or furniture.

The architecture firm AAU ANASTAS, LOCAL INDUSTRIES - a network of furniture making people - and SCALES – a research department that is constantly enhanced by linking scales that are otherwise opposed – are the three structures of our office. The initiatives are above all an attempt of exploring the ability of transforming the aesthetics of space occupancy.

About AAU ANASTAS

The understanding of project as process underpins our thinking and approach. Positioning reciprocity as a founding principle, we work directly with factories and artisans from inception, collaborating on solutions and in the process, minimizing energy consumption between design and realization.

Emerging from a deep understanding of local know-hows we work with makers to extrapolate artisanal know-hows, subverting, adapting and widening the end result to new uses by casting these into new forms.

We firmly believe that sustainability should not be at the cost of ethical compromises. Instead, research is synonym of ambition for a more sustainable, more comfortable, and more interactive design.

About Elias and Yousef Anastas

Born into a family of architects in Bethlehem, Elias and Yousef Anastas studied architecture in Paris and set up an office there before winning a competition to build a music conservatory in their hometown. They returned to Palestine in 2010 and have since expanded into furniture design and research projects that celebrate local artisanal skills. They are partners at AAU ANASTAS, and are the founders of Local Industries, a community of bold artisans and designers dedicated to industrial furniture making. Their most recent work includes “While We Wait”, an installation commissioned by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. This is part of their ongoing research project “Stone Matters” which combines traditional building craftsmanship and materials with innovative construction techniques to produce architecture that is inscribed in both local heritage and natural surroundings.

Recent awards include: 40 under 40 Award for young European architects (2014), Hassib Sabbagh and Said Khoury Award (2016), Best International Achievement by Harper’s Bazar Arabia (2017), Middle East Top 50 by Architectural Digest (2017).