Animalesque Spring Talks
Saturday, 14 April 2018

A Symposium to kick off visions about an Animalesque utopia in cities.
AA Architectural Association Visiting School led by Jorge Godoy Roman and Ana Zatezalo Schenk in collaboration with ANCB.

Welcome and Introduction
Hans-Jürgen Commerell, Director of ANCB The Aedes Metropolitan Laboratory, Berlin - 00:00:00 - 00:03:09
Ana Zatezalo Schenk, Director of the AA Architectural Association Visiting School extended Programme, Berlin - 00:03:18 - 00:06:27
Jorge Godoy Roman, Director of the AA Architectural Association Visiting School extended Programme, Berlin - 00:06:30 - 00:08:49

Speakers
Dr. Melanie von Orlow, Vice Chairperson, NABU Berlin Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union
Dipl.-Ing. Erika Mayr, Founder Stadtbienenhonig, Head of the Beekeepers Association Charlottenburg- Wilmersdorf, Berlin
Dr. Rosie Koch, Biologist, Filmmaker and Roland Gockel, Wildlife Photographer and Cameraman

Speakers
Dr.-Ing. Jan Wurm, Leader Foresight & Innovation Europe, Arup University Research Leader Europe, Berlin
Yota Adilenidou, Director Arch-hives, Lecturer University of Westminster, Associate Lecturer Chelsea College of Arts, Ph.D. Candidate Bartlett School of Architecture UCL, London
Liss C. Werner, Director of Tactile Architecture – office for Systemarchitektur, Berlin, Assistant Professor at TU Berlin

Speakers
Dr. Charles Oliver Coleman, Taxonomist, Curator and Scientific Illustrator, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin
Dr. Roland Mühlethaler, Ph.D. in Zoology with an expertise in Vibrational Communication; Lead Biologist at Studio Tomás Saraceno Berlin

PODIUM DISCUSSION
Moderators
Animalesque Directors: Jorge Godoy Roman, Ana Zatezalo Schenk

Animalesque is a design-led architectural research and education laboratory committed to using innovative technology to study the way animals and humans interact in urban environments. Its goal is to create new forms of urban living that enable all forms of life to co-inhabit cities in a mutually beneficial way.

Urban growth is transforming cities in dynamic ways. However, all too often this is with little consideration for the rich ecosystem of the wildlife that co-inhabits these. Humans need animals and insects to survive: from the honeybees that pollinate plants, to the ants that help maintain healthy soil, to the birds that control pests. Despite this, urban wildlife is often ignored by those who design and create new urban spaces. Over the past 50 years, increases in global warming and pollution, paired with the erosion of the countryside, have also caused the rapid decline of many species of animals, insects and plants.

Almost a third of Berlin's surface consists of green spaces, lakes and rivers, while the city itself is home to around 20,000 species of native animals. The city hosts an extensive – but invisible – network of hundreds of animal species living in parallel to the systems created by humans. This makes it an ideal location for exploring new ways humans and wildlife can co-inhabit urban spaces. Berlin also hosts the largest population of bees in Germany and, as a result, is the chosen location for the AA Visiting School research to take place.
Initially, Animalesque will develop architectural models that integrate bee nesting spaces into their structures. Through its educational programmes and outreach work, the AA Visiting School aims to inspire a discussion and debate on the practical ways innovative combinations of zoology, life sciences, digital technology, architecture and cybernetics can make cities better places for all forms of life to prosper.

ANCB The Aedes Metropolitan Laboratory will host the AA Architectural Association Summer School from 6 till 17 August 2018. We invite students and practitioners from all disciplines to create an Animalesque Utopia through joining Berlin's architectural, political and ecological activism.
For more information please visit: animalesque.aaschool.ac.uk, www.aaschool.ac.uk
Registration for the Summer School: animalesque@aaschool.ac.uk