Project

NEW GENERATIONS

 TOWARDS A EUROPEAN PLATFORM 

The economic crisis of 2008 has had a direct effect on the architectural profession at a global scale. The figure of the architect as we know it is declining and undergoing a deep redefinition. The so called Archistars, who dominated the architectural debate in the 90s and early 00s, are disappearing in favor of new emerging ideologies of the designer’s role in society. We are witnessing a change in the approach to the profession, which is today becoming more participatory, collective and shared. Since 2012, NG addresses some of these issues, through creating an international network of young architects and professionals which encourages confrontation between disciplines.

ABOUT THE PLATFORM

New Generations stands as an active collector of ideas  and trends. Through our network of collaborators and our initiatives, we are always looking for innovation and new challenges. Once the ideas are collected, we try to combine them in collaboration with other international partners or clients, stimulating new connections and expanding the network worldwide. NG is a  project conceived by Gianpiero Venturini in 2012, with the aim of creating a European platform of young architectural firms and experts from different disciplines: a network based on interdisciplinary collaboration and cultural exchange. Today, NG is a Cultural Association that involves in its projects and events architects, designers, makers and thinkers. Over the last 5 years, the platform has continued to grow, with the network now including the participation of professionals from Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Holland, Germany, Bulgaria, the UK and Austria, including more than 100 young practices and more than 500 experts been involved in its cultural agenda. It has engaged in the organization of different initiatives, both theoretical and practical, with the aim of reducing the distance between architects, thinkers, public administrations and citizens.

Presentation by Gianpiero Venturini at New Generations Festival in Rome 2017. Photograph by Giordana Solimando©

CULTURAL AGENDA

Every year, New Generations holds a festival in a major European city to facilitate these interdisciplinary encounters. So far, there have been four editions of the festival, each with a different theme: ‘Towards a New Platform‘ held in Milan in 2013, ‘Futurology’ held in Florence in 2014, ‘Beyond Architecture‘ held in Genoa in 2015, and ‘Architects VS Rest of the World‘ in Rome last year. These themes extend well beyond the festival itself, often being the onset of further long term research projects, which include the curation of workshops, video-journalism, exhibitions, publications, campaigns and competitions.

New Generations collaborates with various cultural institutes, such as the Stimulerings Fonds – Creative Industries Fund NL, Olandiamo – Embassy and Consulate General of the Netherlands in Italy, Pakhuis de Zwijger in Amsterdam, IED Madrid, Strelka in Moscow, and has participated in La Biennale di Venezia, CANActions Festival and Milan EXPO 2015. New Generations was awarded as one of the most promising under 35 cultural enterprises in Italy by Funder35.

Click on the image above to watch video-interviews with the New Generations of architects and designers in our video section or visit our vimeo channel to find out more.

THE FESTIVALS

The New Generations Festival represents what we mean by cultural and knowledge exchange. To foster innovation we need a new kind of ‘space’ (physical and/or digital) – a place to meet, exchange ideas and cultivate new collaborations. This is what we have successfully been doing in Milan, Florence, Genoa and Rome during the first 4 editions of the Festival, which always have unexpected results. The first edition of The NG Festival – ‘Building the Platform’ – was held in Milan between the 28th – 30th of November 2013 at La fabrica del vapore. and consisted of three days of events to provide opportunities for sharing, debate and mutual exchange of knowledge, involving both the local community and the network of people that have been contributing to the platform. The following year, ‘Futurology’ took place on at La Palazzina Reale in Florence between the 24th-8th November 2014, seeing over 1,200 participants from all over the world. It was organized around activities, speeches and a workshop, with the main focus of conversation surrounding concepts related to futurology. The third festival, named ‘Beyond Architecture’, was held in Genoa, Museo Di Sant’agostino between the 26th – 29th November 2015, and explored topics including ‘urgencies’, architect ground zero’ and ‘funding models’. The most recent NG Festival, ‘Architects VS Rest of the World’, was held at Casa Dell’Architettura – Acquario Romano in Rome, Italy, between 24th – 26th September 2017. The event saw over 2,000 participants from 15 countries, with discussions focusing on ‘Urban Vocabulary&Public Space’, ‘New Economies&Values’, and ‘Digital Infrastructure&New Media’. 

Urban center exhibition and reading zone at La Cattedral, Milan 2013Left: ‘Futurology’ signage for ‘Experimental Collaborations’ Workshop. Right: Soapbox lectureLeft: Beyond Architecture opening night, photograph by Guiseppe Briguglio. Right: ‘Round Table’Left: Serial view of NG setup at Casa Dell’Architettura. Right: Presentations and workshops on Day 2 of the festival

JOIN THE PLATFORM

New Generations is always looking for the most interesting professionals and practitioners to partner with to create stronger, more effective initiatives. Over the years, the platform has involved over 500 experts in more than 20 initiatives spread across Europe. Our network of contacts allows us to select the best experts from each field to involve in our projects: architects, thinkers, artists, politicians, philosophers, and representatives from public and private institutions. Our priority is to foster collaboration. The platform is continuously growing, and through working together, we expand, strengthen and develop individually as a community. Since we have started our activities, we have worked with different kind of clients and partners worldwide.

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