How can we respond to climatic changes while reconciling nature with technē? What is the social role of technology? How would architects reconsider their practices supporting community-oriented projects?
On 13 May, in partnership with FAUP (Faculdade de Arquitetura da Universidade do Porto), author Paolo Cascone and architects Paulo Moreira, Raquel Paulino, Pedro Santiago will gather in the auditorium to discuss and present the book ‘African Fabbers Atlas’ moderated by Maria Milano.
Based on almost ten years of applied research by Paolo Cascone and his CODESIGNLAB practice in Africa, the book investigates the potential role of indigenous and spontaneous architecture in the contemporary debate on sustainability in architectural design. The theoretical assumption for this investigation is based on the observation of cause-effect relations between different urban and architectural configurations and their performances: social, environmental, structural, etc., in both pre-colonial and informal cultures around Africa.
The African Fabbers project has been developed in the last decade as a research platform and an itinerant school for training programmes and community-oriented initiatives that bridge digital and traditional manufacturing for sustainable living. This approach responds to the lack of schools of architecture in the region, despite the economic growth of these countries and their need for social housing and basic infrastructure. For this reason, the book aims to describe such on-site experience and its theoretical background in a decolonised approach to architectural education. This leads to the conclusion that we should probably start to seriously consider African solutions for global problems.
Paolo Cascone was born in Italy in 1976 and raised between the West Indies and East Africa. He graduated in architecture in Naples and later earned a master’s in sustainable design from the Architectural Association in London, followed by a PhD in environmental engineering from the University of Rome. His work explores ecological design, digital fabrication, and self-construction, often through interdisciplinary projects developed across Europe and Africa. Paolo has taught at several institutions, including ENSA Paris / Malaquais, École Spéciale d’Architecture (where he founded CODESIGNLAB), and is currently a senior lecturer at the University of Westminster in London. He has lectured worldwide and exhibited his work in major events such as the Marrakech and Dakar Biennales and the XXI Triennale di Milano. Paolo is also the scientific director of the African Fabbers School, a pioneering initiative in urban ecologies and digital fabrication in Africa.