CCP#6: Shared living spaces in Basel

WBA is participating in the first Architekturwoche Basel (AWB), which will take place from 9 to 15 May 2022.

In this context, we present the Cities Connection Project - Shared Living Spaces exhibition. This theme has taken on unexpected importance during the global health crisis, as the pandemic seems to have changed the way we communicate and relate to each other, as well as the way we work. These shared living spaces are now more essential than ever, places that, even if limited by the pandemic, still encourage exchanges between users.

The Cities Connection Project is an ode to contemporary architecture, composed in this case from the connection between three European cities/regions - Wallonia-Brussels, Basel and Barcelona - chosen for the quality of their architectural achievements.

The principle is simple: 20 recent urban projects from a mix of programmes (housing, schools, cultural centres, leisure centres, public spaces, green spaces, etc.) within each of the three featured regions are presented in an exhibition. But Cities Connection Project is much more than an exhibition that presents 60 projects (20+20+20). It is also a catalogue, conferences, round-tables, and project and office visits - all opportunities to bring together professionals who best represent the avant-garde architecture of each of the three cities/regions.  

After a first meeting in Brussels in autumn 2021, the architects from the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, Basel and Barcelona will have a second opportunity to debate and reflect on the social role of public architecture in the construction of the city - and to share their vision of urban development at a time when shared living spaces, places for exchange and contact are more important than ever.

Ultimately, we hope to create a competitive spirit, a cultural melting pot likely to lead to inspiration, creations and partnerships between the invited architects.

A third meeting is planned in Barcelona in autumn 2022.