Based on his experience in curating the 15th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia 2016 in Venice, the Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena inspired the LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction to organize a debate on sustainability and security. Framed as one of this year Architecture Biennale’s discussions, the event will foreground topics that were raised in the context of the exhibition “Reporting from the Front” and expose them to “real life reports” from the forefront of architecture and related disciplines.
Growing security concerns, specifically pertaining to the world supply chain and global flows of construction materials as well as the devastating effects of wars on livelihoods and the built environment, add to the complexity and variety of challenges to which architecture must respond. Is security a challenge to the logistics of sustainable construction? What is at stake in securing the future of the building industry, and will the ever-growing threat of terrorism and war ultimately herald a decline in the degree of openness of architecture to all?
