Very nice to see the page! I find easy and accessible and that is nice.

One small comment on the archive: I scrolled the different countries and I could not find the 1997; The train.
Not a big thing maybe so when you have time.

Ina

posted by Ina Bakka Sem-Olsen
Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:52:09 GMT

not fully operational as you can see…but that’s all I can do for the moment. I need that nc list and luis pls upload the actual content for archive pages.
also, as I recall there was something about the logo. pls animate it already and send to hanadraskovic@yahoo.com. or put it online somewhere. that’s about it… cheers

posted by hanaa
Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:00:52 GMT

Simply awesome trailer for an upcoming documentary, MY PLAYGROUND by Kaspar Astrup Schröder, featuring the Danish performance freeruners Team JiYo. «It is a film about movement, tricking, freerunning and parkour engaging fully BIG’s recent project the Mountain Dwellings as backdrop. The Mountain Dwellings were recently awarded the Best Housing Project in the World at the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona.»

A great mix of architecture, performers and film making… all “made in” Denmark! An inspiring approach which I felt like sharing…

Here is the video.


posted by r_i_t_a
Sun, 23 Nov 2008 23:47:20 GMT

Revolutionary Green

Join us at the U.S. Green Building Council’s Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Boston November 19-21, 2008. Boston is the historic cradle of the American Revolution and home to innovations that have far-reaching impact. It is the perfect place to celebrate Greenbuild 2008’s theme of “Revolutionary Green: Innovations for Global Sustainability.”





WE ARE REVOLUTIONARY GREEN www.greenbuildexpo.org
Check out their zoomable Conference Programme: www.zinio.com

Cant get there, dont have the cash? Tune in for free

Live streaming video coverage of all Master Speaker sessions and Friday’s closing plenary. These sessions will also be archived, so you can view them later if you miss them live.

From the yearly conference to organic growing permanent network: www.greenbuild365.org

Greenbuild365 expands the educational focus of USGBC’s Greenbuild Conference to a year-round forum, providing access to top-quality, innovative learning opportunities featuring timely and accurate information and training. Educational opportunities previously limited by geography are now available to anyone, anywhere – promoting ongoing learning for all.

Earlier posts on themes of eco urbanism and architecture:
itsafunnyoldworld.wordpress.com

and earlier with you on EASA:
easa.antville.org

So in terms of all this ark and eco stuff, where do I start?
Think global, act local. You’ve heard it but are you doing it. Best thing is to connect with your local Transition Town network, if one doesent exist, start one off. Its exploding and bound to hit your town soon, in 2 years its exploded, ie see Europe below. for more info, audios, films etc see itsafunnyoldworld.wordpress.com



and from there, heres some of our dreams and actions for Barcelona:

Towards a healthier, happier, eco-effective Barcelona
itsafunnyoldworld.wordpress.com


Patcha Mama smiles again in Gracia (our local urban food garden, the first of many…)
itsafunnyoldworld.wordpress.com


OK, hope ye get fired up, dont just talk about it, do it!



“George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Robert F Kennedy Jnr, and Al Gore, and the call for A NEW AMERICAN REVOLUTION”

Ill leave you with last years Green Build EXPO Keynote speaker (just in case you need revving up…) Paul Hawken, who is responsible for WISER Earth: www.wiserearth.org

heres link for his full 2 hour talk from last year
www.greenbuild365.org

Its not the best quality, so heres 2 more:
Paul Hawken speaks at Bioneers 2006: Blessed Unrest


heres hour long interview with him about all these movements, of which, Green Build and USGBC is but one.


posted by duncan
Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:17:28 GMT

Over the last few weeks I’ve been learning about this from our Italian friends, but I thought this article gave a good insight in to what is happening in the next EASA host country, education policy wise.

It seems like a tough/complicated situation, so I hope it resolves in a positive way. Either way its in interesting times that we learn the most about policy it seems.

news.bbc.co.uk

posted by chris – manchester
Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:50:11 GMT

INCM008 Nicosia,Cyprus

For those that have not been in Cyprus, here’s a report about the INCM in general and a summary of the discussions written by NCs by the end of the INCM. The final report will be done by the organizers as soon as possible.


Report INCM 2008 Nicosia

The INCM 2008 was organized in Nicosia, Cyprus. The organizers took over the task during the INCM 2007 in Motovun Croatia, and it should be mentioned that they were the only ones willing and enthusiastic at that time. The INCM 2008 could be considered as a rather unique case, due to the fact that the organizers are living in two different countries and they organized an event in their homeland and therefore worked on it from a distance and not on site.

This INCM took place in a city, which still faces an unusual state of division.
The organizers introduced this urban situation through walking tours, lectures and everyday crossing from one part to the other. It might seem that discussion time has been lost, but the opportunity to get informed and experience the character of the last divided capital of Europe has been offered.

What’s been mentioned above, along with the fact that the organizers were lonely members of the EASA community in Cyprus, resulted in their involvement mostly in the events organizational part, rather than in the actual INCM meetings.
The organizational part was very well taken care of. The INCM agenda was left in the hands of the NC’s who got actively involved in the meetings agenda and procedure. On one hand this facts strengthen the EASA spirit and makes the NC’s responsible for the discussion and decisions taken during the INCM 2008, on the other hand it is considered that better organization in advance could have led to more productive meetings.

The first attempt for beforehand meetings organization was made almost 2 months prior to the actual event through the blog, but unfortunately the feedback was not as expected.

It has been proposed during this INCM that essential preparation should be made, prior to each INCM, as far as agenda, moderators and meetings program is concerned.
The loose structure of meetings gave a clearer idea to everyone including new NC’s on how INCM meetings should be held and what matters are important to be discussed each year. Surprisingly many NC’s were actively involved to the discussion as a result to that structure.

In addition to that groups were formed during the meetings to have more constructive and effective discussions. Workgroups were also formed in order to upgrade EASA guide, promotional material, NC list and letter of motivation for lost countries.
The future organizers of INCM 2009 in Liechtenstein were coincidently very much involved in the agenda and moderation, which proved to be a helpful experience for an efficient upcoming meeting.
To conclude, we would like to highlight that many new NC’s joined this years INCM and brought refreshing energy to the network. This meeting was more about introducing EASA and its functions to new NC’s and not about making major changes to the EASA context.
We hope this experience will encourage new NC’s to get actively involved and feel confident to organize future EASA events.



Meetings INCM009 Nicosia

This is a short summary of the discussions being held during the INCM009. The major issues were “quota” and the biding for easa010 by the UK and Turkey. It is incomplete and unfinished. If you think that major points were forgotten, please add them so that we have a more complete version for the final report.


Discussions about easa

We split in small groups with NCs of different levels of experience in order to share knowledge and opinions and discuss easa in general. Themes of the discussions were i.e.:
- the duties of NCs
- easa’s flat structure
- concept of consensus
- aims of easa
- easa-spirit
- different approaches to find and select participants


Quota

During the discussion two approaches were discussed. One approach was to use the excel-sheet that was updated during the INCM008 in Motovun, which bases the quota of each country on a number of country-specific parameters such as Number of Schools or easa activity. The second approach was to give every country an equal amount of places and distribute the extra places due to further requests.
As neither one of the proposals could convince every NC a proposition was made to change the easa-guide:

”The quota is the number of people that can represent each country as defined by EASA.

The method of deciding the quota is of the discretion of the organizers but must reflect EASA:s commitment to inclusivity and equality of nations, true to the EASA spirit. The method should be presented at the INCM before the assembly. In the event of changes done to the method used, this should be communicated to the NC:s of each country and also discussed at the INCM after the assembly.

For organizers of future and previous major international EASA events, the quota-number should be higher than the norm but building giant teams should be avoided.

In the event of nations not filling their quota, the extra places will be pooled by the organizers for redistribution, using their preferred method to the nations that can attract extra participants. “

The NCs did not reach a consensus on this proposal therefore it will be discussed in future meetings

website

after a presentation of the website as it was developed since the INCM in Moscow few changes were suggested:

-the links should be subdivided in “network” and “official”

-material such as sponsor packs, participants-guide should be downloadable as In Design-files for further use by NCs and Organizers.

The FAQ was written.

The Logo-proposal from Motovun was discussed. The concept can be used but does not necessarily need to be used.

The Website will be uploaded soon after the INCM.

the domain will be easa000.net

easa-guide change

an addition in the easa-guide was proposed and reached consensus upon

”Due to it’s nomadic nature, EASA has a unique opportunity to explore different cultures, histories and people. Therefore EASA organizers are encouraged to use gestures, either physical or otherwise, to show appreciation for each community where EASA is held.”


NC-guide, participant-guide, sponsor-pack

revised.

Lost countries

there are only two left by now: Iceland and Estonia. A letter to them has been written and will be sent to the universities in those countries.

”To whom it may concern,

we are the European Architecture Students Assembly EASA and we would like to take this opportunity to write to you about our network.

EASA is a practical network for communication, meeting and exchange. Here architecture students can discuss their ideas, work together and exchange their experiences concerning architecture, education or life in general.
By holding assemblies in different countries we have the chance to discover their cultural, historical, and environmental background. By exploring new dimensions of communication, reflection and presentation we can achieve a new perspective of dealing with the architectural profession.
The aim of the EASA is for those who participate to have an extraordinary experience.

We have just finished our National Contact Meeting which took place in Cyprus this year. Our aim is to include student representatives from all countries in Europe to come to our assemblies. We believe that you are one of very few, who is not represented. We would like to encourage you to become an active member in our network. We would be very happy for you to contact us with any queries you have. We are looking forward to hear from you.

Kind regards,

the national contacts of EASA”


Rita, the Portuguese NC made a poster and presentation in order to get new Portuguese participants. Whoever knows Portuguese students of architecture should contact Rita, forward the material and encourage them to join easa.


NC-list
updated

Fee-discussion

The fee for the easa in Ireland was higher than in previous years. The main reason was that easa was held in two places, Dublin and Letterfrack. The organizers of the easa in Italy will return to the previous system and charge a similar fee as in Greece.

The Irish organizers gave a rebate to tutors in order to attract more and higher quality workshops. In their opinion this approach was successful. Some NCs considered this as unfair, as money shouldn’t be a motivation for being tutor. It was suggested to the next organizers to charge tutors the full fee.


easa008 Letterfrack

the organizers managed to finish the final report and hand it over to the next organizers during the INCM. The extensive final report consists of three parts covering also the whole process of organizing an easa.

a short discussion and big applause succeeded the presentation of this memorable great event.

sesam009 Rome

Presentation and discussion

easa009 Italy

The organizers presented the event and prepared a discussion about some issues (excerpt from the minutes)

Workshop presentation

Luis: Agrees that we need to have a short presentation and a workshop fair.
Dade: we intact will separate them in different moments.

Excursion is clear.

Lectures

Franz: May be hard to have all of them in a row; in Ireland changes where not clear; one day lectures marathon is good but you need to create breaks.
Irina: One day is good for break in the workshop schedule.
Ina: Combined with workshop and a proper timetable.
Luis: Marathon is tiring; put lectures at the end of the day, keep it strict.
Andy: Be careful about doing complete opposite of the problem; try to find an in-between solution.
Paddy: Sometimes it’s lectures that cause changes, you need to adapt to lectures.
Dade: We will try to have lectures after dinner before party.
Ina: With theme need to have an holistic approach.

Open parties vs closed

Franz: Good idea to have them closed and have some outside. In Ireland locals caused problems.
Paul: Agrees with Italy’s plan.
Dade: We plan to have outside parties and a BBQ.
Paul: Small party space was good in Ireland.

Competition workshop

Ina: Statement of what you want to do for gates; can be right or wrong according to the theme.
Andy: But a general theme is good for the competition. The “gate” is confusing people a little.
Dade: We want to be surprised by entries. Solutions will probably be alternative.
Exchange the word “gate” with “entrance” sounds more open.
Vince: We will specify location for the gates in the competition entries.

Discussion desk

Dade: Is it good to have it as a workshop?
Chris: It’ s good for it to be timetabled and tutors will work around that.
Ina: It should be informal but giving ideas of topics; es: Monday-theme.
Dade: What people need at this point is someone to moderate and put ideas together to get outputs.
Luis: You need tutors to make discussion happen for getting output.

Moderator vs Tutor

Andy: Tutor. So you can have a small group of participants moderating.
Elsa: Can discussion desk people be NCs?
Dade: They could not be interested or experienced.
Luis: Not desk but wks, let tutor design the workshop.
Dade: This desk should be in a central and easy to find place for casual participants to join.

Daily workshops

Dade: Do you like the idea?
Paul: Works throughout event and not lasting just one day.
Ina: Call them something else than Wks.
Rune: I like the idea
Dimitar: Budapest produced daily games, they were fun and also unstoppable stick machine produced daily outputs.

NC’s duties

Dade: We follow the Swiss team experience.

Accommodation

Elena: separate class rooms? Or other way?
Dade: we have big spaces for communal activities, we can switch big and small places at will.
Vince: we will not use all the buildings, so we have choices.
Elena: separated by Nationality?
Dade: we will give a suggestion but it will still be open.
Elena: choice of easa spaces is crucial; there are problems in big and small places, there should be a good balance in density.
Dade: we already decided to not use all the buildings to not have dispersion feeling.
Chris: Make sure all people are in the same building: in Ireland tutor sleeping area was to far away.
Dade: we decided to use the classrooms for sleeping and we will take away the doors for prevent people to feel excluded.
Rune: keeping countries sleeping together is good for a strong foundation of national teams.
Franz: I like the idea of smaller intimate places.
Vince: Security? It’s not a big deal as we have just two entrances.


incm009 Liechtenstein

there was only one proposal wherefore no biding took place.

easa010

Two brilliant proposals were made by Turkey and the UK. Both teams were considered as extraordinarily well prepared, ambitious and capable of organizing an amazing event in 2010. UK proposed to have the easa in the city-centre of Manchester while Turkey would have gone to a abandoned industrial area at the shore, near to a rather small town. After a long and controversial discussion it was decided to choose Manchester for the main reason that easa should explore new situations and search for a high contrast from one event to another.

posted by incm008
Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:27:08 GMT

Mates,

EASA007 photos on Flickr aswell, click or copy-paste the link below. Comments are more than welcome. Spread the word.
INCMs coming soon…

www.flickr.com

Cheers, Sándor

posted by sandor
Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:10:44 GMT

Hello everybody!

For those who were not present at the INCM, you would have missed some presentations I was asked to give about the upcoming events from our sister group in South and Central America. They have asked me to inform the EASA populous about CLEA (Coordinadora Latinoamericana de Estudiantes Arquitectura) and two events next year which us Europeans can apply for.

The first is the ‘ELEA’ which takes place 3-9 Oct 2009 in Peru, under the theme ‘The architecture of today/heritage of tomorrow?’

There is also the ‘TSL’ which will take place in Mexico during August 2009.

I don’t know a lot about these particular events, however I do have movies, slideshows and documents (which are in Spanish) which I can email to people if they so wish. Or alternatively I could you in contact with the El Salvdor girls directly. The only person I know of who has attended one of these events is Ezsther from Hungary who placed a post on this site bout a year ago.

Lastly I would send a big thank you to Erhan and Elina for all their great work in creating a really great and enjoyable event, and best of luck to English crew over the next two years!!

Billy

posted by billy_irl
Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:04:29 GMT

Did anyone take care of my scarf witch I forgot in the residence?
Its big, Black and white stiped cotton.

Ina

posted by Ina Bakka Sem-Olsen
Sat, 15 Nov 2008 22:50:39 GMT

“My name is Ken Yeang, I am an ecologist and an architect. for the future, we have to totally rethink our built environment, to achieve the simple collective objective of a benign and seamless integration of everyting that we as humans do or build in the natural environment.” ???/???



Last night in Barcelona, as part of Habitat Futura’s Bienel de arquitectura sostenible which focused on eco buildings and sustainable urbanism, one of the legends of green building spoke, the Malaysian architect and ecologist who studied in the UK: Ken Yeang. HF invited him to talk about his 1998 competition winning EDITT tower (Ecological Design In The Tropics) for Singapore, Malaysia.

more on ITS A FUNNY OLD WORLD
itsafunnyoldworld.wordpress.com

Including “eco corridors” for Istanbul…

posted by duncan
Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:41:09 GMT

… and missed him at the INCM on Cyprus as well, here’s a little treat!



posted by rune_inspires
Wed, 12 Nov 2008 23:29:59 GMT

this faq is based on 100s of the similar questions i have received from turkish architecture students during my NC duty. We have discussed and typed with Irish team in INCM Motovun 2007.

I put this here because i have promised to make it in Lefkosa during the event but couldnt find time and you didnt see it. I have already sent it to Vince and Hana to upload for the new website.

regards
Alper

—FAQ—


What is EASA?

EASA (European Architecture Students Assembly) is an annual assembly of 400 architecture students which takes place over a two week period every August. The aim of the assembly and the network is to encourage cooperation between students from over forty European countries through the media of architectural workshops, lectures, informal debates and exhibitions.


Who can participate?

All students are welcome to participate EASA, but the priority is always for architecture students. You can also participate as a young professional even if you have already graduated.


Must I be a member of EASA to participate? Should I talk to a professor for a recommendation?

EASA is a practical network for communication, meeting and exchange; architecture students can discuss their ideas, work together and exchange their experiences concerning architecture, education or life in general. EASA has no standing connections with professors, academic bodies or professional bodies. You don’t need to register to an organization, association or company or pay a periodic fee. If you want to get involved, contact the EASA representative – the National Contact or NC – of your country.


Must I speak English excellently to participate?

The official language of the assembly is English, Participants should speak English at a certain level to be able to communicate and connect effectively with people. People who can’t speak reasonable English will most likely be bored and struggle to get the best out of the event.


How much will I pay to participate and what does this fee cover?

There is a fee (the Participant’s Fee) to attend EASA. To encourage diversity and a wide range of attendees, participants from different countries pay a different percentage of this fee based on the economic situation of their country. The fee includes accommodation, breakfast, lunch, dinner, workshops, lectures debates and parties for two weeks. You have to cover your own travel and visa expenses, bu the organizers will issue you an official letter of information if a visa is required.

To lower expenses, assisting the organizers, make people more active on-site and keeping up EASA spirit, participants are expected to attend to day-to-duties relating to the upkeep of the location and the well-being of the participants. Every country is assigned two or three duties over the course of the assembly: these are never tiring and hard, and some are even fun.


Where do the participants living in these two weeks? How are the conditions in the campsite?

EASA is decidedly a no frills operation, wherever it is held. Participants generally sleep communally with little privacy and are expected to bring their own sleeping bags and ground mats. While it may not be always the most comfortable of set-ups, the communal spirit more than makes up for it. Showers and toilets are generally basic; there may be problems with hot water. People sometimes are not happy about these things but it’s never been such a problem to make somebody leave the camp. Participants should allow that the organizers are trying their best, and not be too critical.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided by the organizers. Participants are required to bring their own knives, forks, plates and cups. Food is sourced locally and vegetarians are catered for. Dinner is a communal activity, where participants can catch up with each other and exchange news.


What should/shouldn’t I expect from the Assembly?

One truth is that EASA will not make you a drastically better architect or significantly benefit you academically over the two week period. However, it will allow you to participate in experimental workshops which you may not otherwise get the chance to in your academic year. You’ll also meet a range of people with hugely different personalities and from hugely different backgrounds with whom you share at least two important links: an interest in architecture, and an interest in better understanding other cultures.


Is EASA just a workshop, or several workshops? Or what does EASA include?

As a participant, you are required to join a workshop within the first two days of the assembly. Workshops are run by the tutors who propose them to the organizers, and it is the organizers who decide which workshops will go ahead. Participants are expected to work with their tutor for at least six to eight hours every day. Some workshops are very collaborative, others are more instructive: it depends on both the tutor’s personality and the type of workshop.

The organizers arrange lectures from architects and professionals from related disciplines . These lectures should relate either to the theme or the history, architecture or cultural life of the location, and participants are strongly urged to attend, listen, question and think!

Debates, conversations and arguments, formal and informal are important to the continuing spirit of EASA.

The exhibition is vital to the presentation of EASA to sponsors and the public. Each workshop should finish on time and the participants should assist the tutor in assembling a final exhibition presentation. Obviously this is to everyone’s advantage, as a strong final presentation can be used in your portfolio.

Parties and enjoyment are huge parts of the EASA experience. Parties run all night long, and sleep isn’t very high on the agenda. Events take place both on-site and off-site, and the variety and intensity make them one of the main draws to EASA. The EASA spirit isn’t merely academic, it’s a massive social and fun experience.

posted by alper_tr
Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:38:35 GMT

Dear all EASA beautiful people!!!

Hope that you had a great INCM in Cyprus and enjoyed your time to the maximum! I’ll certainly enjoy your pictures ;)

Unfortunately I couldn’t join you guys for both discussions and parties in INCM008. In case I had been there, I would have liked to introduce one more topic in the NC meetings: the problem of getting Portuguese participation in EASA. Thought it was meant for INCM008, I’ve sent it a bit late to fit in the organizers agenda (which I’m sorry guys), but here you have the message: video.google.com

I’ve the feeling that as long as I’m around in EASA by myself, it will only disguise a country which is practically lost, and that is, of course, not the intention!
I’ve not been able to attract new participants from my country via e-mail (I’m not living in Portugal since a few years now and don’t plan to go back before March 2009) and therefore I ask everybody’s possible help.

In the video you’ll hear about a book and a poster, which I’ve sent to every EASA contact I had. If you think you can help, please contact your NC or me, so that you can get those files. If you’re an NC and didn’t get my e-mail, please let me know your current contact so that I can resend it.
With a bit of everybody’s help, maybe we can avoid adding a Lost country in easa!

Last but not least:

@ITÁLIA: All the best and loads of passion in the courageous job of organizers for next EASA 2009!

@UK: MANY CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! And very good luck with next 2 years ahead!

Big Kiss to you all, X

Rita

posted by r_i_t_a
Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:57:51 GMT

Mates,

You can find my photos on Flickr, click or copy-paste the link below. Comments are more than welcome. Spread the word.

www.flickr.com

Cheers, Sándor

posted by sandor
Sun, 09 Nov 2008 19:31:22 GMT

The day of EASA010 Evaluation

The meetings were held in the North side of the city, at the chamber of Turkish Cypriot architects. Around midday presentations began for Turkey then UK.
Both teams were asked to leave the room while the other was presenting. After these two amazing presentation, a discussion started within the Nc’s in order to get questions for both team, the teams came back to the reunion room, answered the questions and left until late in the night when a consensus was reached.
We got this consensus through a long process; we made a first tour of opinions from everybody, and then divided into small groups to discuss the main topics that came out from the “round table”. Different groups presented their conclusions and we got another personal tour: everybody agreed, consensus reached; the decision was made.
It was decided that one of the previous EASA’s organizers should announce the decision:

Neal would speak:

”I just like to say to both sets of organizers that the quality of presentations was great and they have set new standards in presentation and efforts for EASA proposals.
We have decided that EASA 2010 is going to Manchester.
We felt that the Turkish bid was totally capable of organizing an amazing EASA event that many of us would have loved to attend.
However we thought that the proposal of the UK would bring EASA in a refreshing direction for the current and future generation of EASA attendees.
At this point I would like to say commensurations to the Turkish organizers and good luck to the UK”

Everything was said so we all moved to party in great Nicosia!
elsa

posted by elsadeconchat
Fri, 07 Nov 2008 08:44:44 GMT