'A group of researchers from the D-ARCH Chair of Architecture and Urban Design at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), headed by Austrian architect Prof. Hubert Klumpner, were charged with creating a 'maker space', that would accommodate the workshops and auxiliary activities that both aid in the production of the carnival, and the dissemination of knowledge and vocational training related to the event’s heritage and practices. The project was part of the larger 'Colombia Urban Transformation Program' (2014 - 2022), structured as a collaboration between the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), seeking to transform low-income areas in Colombian cities through multifunctional, innovative, and energy efficient architectural interventions. For this sensitive and culturally significant endeavour, the project team also included the groups of Prof. Dr. Arno Schlueter, Head of the Institute of Technology in Architecture (ITA), as well as Prof. Dr. Philippe Block, Co-Director of the Block Research Group (BRG) at ETH Zurich. Additionally, the venture was aided by international collaborations with entities such as the Universidad del Norte de Barranquilla (UniNorte), among others. Prior to its opening, the project’s drawings and models were also showcased by ETH Zurich during the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2021.

Read the full article and interview here: https://www.stirworld.com/see-features-the-festive-world-of-the-fabrica-de-cultura-school-of-arts-and-popular-traditions