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A Contemporary Court - an integrated territorial plan to counteract the neo-feudal spaces of the German 'Mittelstand'

Part 2 Project 2013
Friedrich Gräfling
 Architectural Association London | UK
“A Contemporary Court” takes the form of two adjacencies within my project: the theoretical thesis, which later expands into a real action plan. Both propose and develop a network of courts in form of a contemporary development of the Royal Palace to link supply chains across a wider territory. This serves a re-establishment of local civic spaces, rights for the citizens and territorial networks - a mixing chamber where arts, humanities, science and government coexist, the architecture of government and bureaucracy.

My belief in the seemingly untouched, rural landscape beyond the metropolitan space intensified through the domination of `Mittelstand´ companies in nearly every single village. `Mittelstand´ companies are highly specialised, family owned, medium-sized enterprises, focusing on innovative and high-value niche products. This single economical, cultural and often political entity is turning the surrounded autonomous, rural cell structure that punctuates the landscape outside the metropolitan into neo-feudal estates. Such singular dependencies present a danger as they dilute the voice of the citizen and create irrevocable dependencies.

My investigations into Europe, through first an overview to detailed territorial studies, via meticulous analysis of more than 30 adjacent villages to on-site visits, commands a new view of the European space beyond the metropolitan that calls existing structures into question and explores its architectural potential. This is a new urban typography that challenges the traditional model of patronage and calls for wider social and cultural unity.

Triggered by recent newspaper articles questioning the use of the last remaining cultural and social building in Wiesen, a village outside the metropolitan stretch of Frankfurt, my thesis has actualised into a real, self initiated court scenario to revitalise the village and reconnect it to a wider territory. On-site interviews turned over the course into actual negotiations with local and metropolitan stakeholders. This initiated an alteration of the vacant building into a local civic space with an integrated branch of a metropolitan art space, which will not only cater for the local needs but moreover allow the metropolitan institutions to engage into experimental projects and finally re-link the isolated area through external knowledge production to a wider network.


Friedrich Gräfling
Tutor(s)
John Palmesino
Ann-Sofi Rönnskog
2013
Polyptich: The Polyptich can be defined as a multiple image of a fragmented space, with little dynamics between its territorial elements. This polyptych is reorganising several existing art institutions and their various types of architectures, levels of
Coast of Europe: My coast of Europe is defined by `Mittelstand´ companies whereby a clear division towards the metropolitan space is taking place all over Europe. My project concentrates on two territories in more detail: the Germanic space and the Rhein
`Mittelstand´: `Mittelstand´ companies are located outside metropolitan spaces in small, rural settlements. `Mittelstand´ refers to small and medium-sized, specialised enterprises that manufacture innovative and high value pro- ducts. In Germany `Mittelst
'Süddeutschland - Southern Germany': In Southern Germany a high concentration of `Mittelstand´ villages can be found. Settlements ending with the suffix ‘–ingen’, are characterised by their walking distance from each other – a centuries-old system of gove
Triagle (-ingen) relation: Today, these settlements still operate outside the metropolitan space and are home to a `Mittelstand´ company, thus resulting in another system of governance. As typically family run businesses, `Mittelstand´ companies are manag
Neo Feudal organisation: The ‘local power’ supports and organises many further categories within the urban, creating these internal, local and autonomous relations – or neo feudal structures. How can value be added to the urban and territory at the curren
Beneath/Above: In order to add value to the urban and territory and create a voice for the citizens, the architectural presence must be established both from above – conceiving new territories and networks – and from beneath – establishing the contemporar
TS Scenarios: Various contemporary court scenarios have been developed in order to propose different levels of intensifications, new relations and negotiations within the territory and across the metropolitan space.
Integrated Technical Studies A&E Strategies: Rethinking cultural productions and social infrastructures through cross territorial supply chains. Strategy A proposes to restructure the local football league to enhance a local exchange and integrate `Mittel
Collage of Action Plan: A few month ago an article in the regional newspaper Main Echo questioned what would happen with the vacant, last remaining, former social and cultural building of the village Wiesen. I am seeing a real opportunity to test my archi
Wiesen architectural cluster: Wiesen is a small settlement in Germany, with around 1000 inhabitants, just outside the metropolitan region of the Rhein Main area with Frankfurt being the main driver. In Wiesen we are presented with a former Neo Feudal stru
Strategy to enhance local needs: To start an initial debate in Wiesen, I have taken my thesis and theoretical research to the major of Wiesen (see booklet), where I asked about the current state in regards to the newspaper article and we discussed strateg
Strategy to rethink territories: Using the developed language, I also approached metropolitan institutions, in this case a curator of the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt to discuss possibilities of establishing an external program, resulted in a local co
Project Scenario: Further I met with the office for local development of Bavaria in Würzburg discussing hypothetical regional developments triggered from the court in Wiesen. You can find all the transcripts of our conversations here. In their eyes, an in
On-going project: The project continues and many further local and metropolitan meeting will clarify the further steps to be taken.
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