“Climate change does not respect borders; it does not respect who you are – rich and poor, small and big. Therefore, this is what we call ‘global challenges,’ which require global solidarity.” – Ban Ki-moon

Trading Spaces: Resources and Dwellings is a new collaboration between the Irish Architecture Foundation and Färgfabriken in Stockholm, set up to support early career architects and practitioners in Ireland and Sweden to exchange knowledge and experience, discussing and confronting questions they face in their work and practices.

Themes:

In the design of  housing, innovative ideas and solutions are needed that enable society to dwell lightly, sustainably and securely on the earth. At a time of material scarcity, knowledge transfer and experience remain an abundant resource in how architects design and act.

What design solutions are emerging in housing to address the question of natural resources and acknowledgement of a planetary boundary? How does an evolving energy imperative change how we think about building resilient housing and communities? How are questions of resource scarcity affecting architecture and landscape architecture practices? Conversely, how can the unique skills of an architect impact and direct our activities in these contexts?

Given that architecture is culturally, politically and locally specific but this crisis requires “global solidarity”, Trading Spaces seeks to identify which skills, knowledge and experiences can be shared across borders.

Open Call:

Early career architects (in practice for 2-10 years) who are based in Ireland and Sweden and whose practices engage with the Trading Spaces themes in inventive ways are invited to apply for this exchange through the coordinated Open Call. Invention and innovation might be reflected in building practices, in materials, through new approaches to conceptualising dwelling or housing, or it might be found in practice-based research relevant to the themes.

We are seeking practitioners in the built environment who have made discoveries or identified needs in their work; who strive to adapt and expand their methodologies, practices and designs in response to expected or existing economies of energy and/or resources; and who are willing to share with and support colleagues.

Through the Open Call, 2-3 applicants from Ireland and 2-3 applicants from Sweden will be selected to participate in the exchange. This autumn, all participants will meet in Dublin for 2-3 days and then in Stockholm for 2-3 days, with expenses paid for travelling delegates, to engage in knowledge exchange with each other and with the IAF and Färgfabriken.

This is an exciting opportunity for early career architects and practitioners from two EU countries with strong architectural identities to meet as likeminded peers, share knowledge and expertise, and develop relationships for potential future collaborations, while experiencing the capital cities of Dublin and Stockholm.

Trading Spaces is supported by the Embassy of Ireland in Sweden.

Process:

Download and read the full Trading Spaces Open Call Terms and Conditions.

To apply, fill in the online Application Form, articulating your engagement with the Trading Spaces themes, by 6pm (Irish time) on Friday 21 July.

Late applications will not be accepted.

The selection will be made by a panel comprised of members from the partner organisations (IAF and Färgfabriken) and an independent expert with knowledge of the project themes. In the event that not enough candidates meet the selection criteria, the organisers reserve the right to invite individuals to participate in Trading Spaces.

Timeline:

Deadline for entries: Friday 21 July 2023, 6pm (Irish time)

Announcement of results: early August

Planning phase: August-September

Exchanges: September-November (dates TBC)

About the organisers:

Established in 2005, the Irish Architecture Foundation is Ireland’s independent organisation dedicated to the promotion of architecture as culture. Established in 1995, Färgfabriken is an independent foundation dedicated to the promotion and visualisation of the arts and architecture in Sweden. The Embassy of Ireland in Sweden works to advance the bilateral relationship between Ireland and Sweden including political, business, cultural and people-to-people exchanges.  The Embassy also provides consular services to Irish citizens and visa services. Stockholms Arkitektförening (the Association of Stockholm Architects) is a local association, sorting under Architects Sweden, the collective trade union and professional organisation for all architects in Sweden.

Photo by Ste Murray of an IAF workshop at IMMA, 2018.