MONEY [The Echo of Nothing]

Money has been one of the main issues, if not the most important, in defining a space, a territory. Frontiers created for economic reasons and by financial markets also influence how cities develop. In recent years we have begun to regard capitalism as a failed system and it has probably ceased to be the only possible option. This concept is gaining ground rapidly and can be seen in movements such as ‘Occupy’, but how can all this affect architectural practice? And what kind of proposals can come from architecture in the framework of this exchange of ideas? What would happen if our cities were capable of evolving without money? Can we design new territories that operate on the fringes of economic guidelines? And finally, what role does the architect play in this scenario?  

As part of the Think Space Programme of the Zagreb Society of Architects, two Spanish architects, Ethel Baraona and César Reyes, have been invited to a devise a competition for designs. The idea is for pioneering designs that combine architecture, sociology and economy. The three concepts on which the competition is based are territory, culture and environment, and each entry will be judged by very prominent figures on the contemporary architectural scene such as Pedro Gadhano, curator at the Moma.

AC/E is collaborating with the Zagreb Society of Architects through its mobility programme PICE in setting up the third part of the cycle that deals with the environment.