The Norwegian tradition of ‘dugnad’ encourages everyone to contribute in order to achieve a common goal. It is based on a process of social relations, reciprocity and community solidarity and thus on the belief that together you are stronger than alone. The architecture firm Mad refers to ‘dugnad’ as a key to creating solutions for a sustainable future in an increasingly complex and challenging world. For Mad, architecture is also about re-evaluating, nurturing or preserving social and cultural resources that shape our built environment. These aspects can be observed exemplarily in the four projects that have been compiled for the exhibition at Aedes – among them, the timber high-rise WoHo in Berlin-Kreuzberg, which is currently under planning and is considered a social pilot project in urban development.
Dugnad
‘Dugnad’ is a Norwegian term that represents joining forces for mutual support and working together towards a common goal and greater good. In a ‘dugnad’, participants contribute what they can offer within their means – this can be time, effort, knowledge, skills, money, shared risk, etc. This Norwegian tradition began in the 14th century when rural communities came together for building projects. When the project was completed, people celebrated with a feast as a reward for the work done. In Norway, the ‘dugnad’ heritage lives on until today as a form of mutual support in different areas of society. For example, since the outbreak of the Corona pandemic, the collective fight against the virus has been repeatedly associated with ‘dugnad’.
