Summer School 2024

The next BI Summer School will take place in Summer 2024, between July 19th and August 2nd. 

Applications will be accepted from December 1st to April 30th. 

You will complete your application electronically through our online application portal. You will register, enter your personal details, and finally upload the required documents. These are:

• Passport
• Photo
• Proof of Academic Status
  • Current Students: Academic Enrolment Certificate
  • Recent Graduates: Official Academic Certificate / Diploma
  • Young Professionals: Official Academic Certificate / Diploma

Depending on when the payment will be made, the following fees apply.

• Early Bird: Until February 29 - 600 EUR
• Normal Ticket: Until April 30 - 700 EUR

Your offer letter contains the fee to be paid in order to confirm and secure your seat. This fee covers the total cost of the BI Summer School 2024.

For information on the visa requirements, please contact the German consulate in your country of citizenship. A list of consulates per country can be found here. 

General information on applying for a visa for the purpose of studying can be found here.

The conditions can vary significantly between countries and even individuals, so it’s always better to go directly to the responsible authority for the most accurate, up-to-date information. 

Berlin International is not covering any assistance in visa matters.

About Falma Fshazi and Johanna Bendlin

Falma Fshazi is a researcher and an independent curator based in Paris. She is currently leading a seminar at Sciences Po Paris on spatial politics and critical heritage studies, with a specific focus on urban areas in the Balkans. Falma collaborates with the Chair of Architecture and Urban Transformation at ETH Zurich and has been leading the School of Transformation Program (2019-2023). Her latest exhibition, titled 'Urban Text: This Space Called Balkans,' was displayed at Paris ICI from September to December 2022. Since earning her PhD at EHESS Paris in June 2012, she has focused on topics such as the city as a space of engagement, the cultural politics of urban transformation, spatial politics, and citizenship, and the production of urban heritage, among others. At the summer school of Berlin International, she collaborates with the young landscape architect Johanna Bendlin. Johanna studied landscape architecture in Berlin and Copenhagen and lives between Germany and Belgium, where she collaborates with 51N4E architectural practice.

Workshop

Housing and heritage are both profoundly political subjects, though they are often discussed in non-political terms. By 'political,' we refer to the realm of collective engagement, processes of collective decision-making, and the potential to shape the future of everyday life and the values that define it. We intend to focus on two sites in Berlin, Hansaviertel and Märkisches Viertel, to develop a seminar based on interdisciplinary research that bridges housing studies and heritage studies.

Our approach goes beyond a focus on tangible heritage, which primarily concerns the aesthetic qualities of specific buildings or the built environment. With a particular emphasis on critical heritage studies, our aim is to consider both tangible and intangible aspects of heritage in relation to housing. We seek to examine how these aspects have influenced and continue to shape communities and how they might provide insights into challenges related to sustainable, fairer, and healthier urban futures.

As a result, the central theme of the workshop, which we will organize following the lecture and site visit, revolves around the question: 'How to be closer?' The workshop will provide a context to compare, contrast, and also diverse ways of viewing the two sites (Märkisches Viertel and Hansaviertel) as ever-present aspects of contemporary cities, with the purpose of developing ideas, concrete solutions, and imaginative connections that link people, communities, and natural environments within and between both sites.

About Fala Atelier

Fala Atelier is a dynamic architecture practice with a global perspective, originally established in 2013 in Porto, Portugal. The atelier boasts an international team of talented architects and designers who collectively steer the creative direction of the firm. At the helm of this innovative architectural practice are its founding members: Filipe Magalhães, Ana Luisa Soares, Ahmed Belkhodja, and Lera Samovich.

Fala Atelier has gained prominence for its distinctive approach to architecture, characterized by a deep commitment to aesthetics, thoughtful spatial design, and a penchant for challenging conventional norms. Their work transcends the boundaries of traditional architectural practice and often explores the intersection of art and architecture. This multidisciplinary approach has led to the creation of unique and highly imaginative projects.

The atelier has garnered international recognition for its inventive and unconventional designs, which range from residential buildings to cultural institutions. Fala Atelier's portfolio reflects an unwavering dedication to design excellence, blending innovative solutions with a profound appreciation for the context and culture of the spaces they work in.

Fala Atelier's work often exhibits a sense of playfulness and an intrinsic curiosity for architecture, pushing the boundaries of what is possible within the built environment. Their projects have received critical acclaim and have been exhibited worldwide, underscoring the atelier's contribution to the evolution of contemporary architecture.

Workshop

Housing isn't just numbers. Housing should be cute and/or monumental – it should provoke care, irrational devotion, and clear collective images.

In order to confront the contemporary housing problems of Berlin, we will question what is in the realm of the measurable or the unmeasurable. Architecture will be considered as what can reconcile the objective and the subjective dimensions of housing – to conceive shelters and homes at the same time.

We will make concrete and fragmentary proposals for the city, but proposals that go beyond the standard and normative understanding of 'housing'. We will make them fast, direct, monumental, and heartbreakingly cute.

About Infraestudio

Infraestudio stands as a captivating and multifaceted hub for architectural and artistic exploration strategically situated in the vibrant city of Havana, Cuba. The studio's inception in 2016 marked the beginning of an extraordinary journey, during which they have been fixated on themes ranging from landscapes and the power of words to the realms of fiction and politics. Infraestudio is known for operating at the nexus of art, architecture, and intellectual discourse. They employ a narrative-driven approach that extends to a variety of creative outlets, making them a distinctive and dynamic presence in the artistic and architectural landscape.

At the heart of Infraestudio's identity is a narrative-driven practice that effectively intertwines architectural design with the world of storytelling. The studio's work is an embodiment of the belief that architecture is more than just physical structures; it's a medium for the expression of stories and ideas. Infraestudio consistently experiments with a diverse range of creative resources to breathe life into their narratives. Their projects are tales in themselves, often challenging the traditional boundaries of architectural practice, demonstrating the profound potential of narrative within the discipline.

Workshop

All humans are experts on the subject of housing, but the limits of what we believe about this matter are rarely expanded. The Cold War past and the neoliberal present of the city of Berlin make it an interesting “Laboratory of Housing” where desire, money, nostalgia, politics, and comfort collide. This workshop will allow us to share and break our inherited schemes and to express our greatest doubts about what we consider should be the way of living together in the present.

About Kosmos

Kosmos is an architectural practice with offices in Zürich and Graz, which collaborates virtually across borders.

Kosmos combines art and technology, experience learned at the best international practices with attention to local specificities and resources, and professionalism with drive. The diversity of geographical contexts, collaborations, and building typologies on which the office works allows KOSMOS to rethink the conventional approach to design and propose novel, non-typical solutions in both practical work and research activities.

The partners of Kosmos are involved in research and teaching activities. Kosmos leads architecture studios at HEAD (Geneva University of Arts and Design) and TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology). Teaching experience includes Porto Academy FAUP, AA Visiting School, Chulalongkorn University INDA, Bangkok, Karlsruhe Institute of Architecture, Hello Wood Hungary, University of Antwerp, etc.

Workshop

Recent crises have brought the problem of housing to the central position of professional discourse. How can we house everyone, operating within critical conditions? What does “home” mean in the contemporary world, and how has this meaning changed during the digital shift and after the pandemic? How much can the tenants be involved in the creation of a house? What are the new formats of living? How much can we share? How do you find the balance between public and private? How flexible should housing be? How to prepare one of the most conservative typologies for unforeseen changes? All these questions grow from a discussion about housing but encompass much broader topics of resource consumption, construction techniques, new social and financial models, and the role of different genders and social groups in family, production, and the economy in general.

The Crisis of resources brings us to another crucial research question: how can we use available resources more efficiently? Reuse of existing building stock is one of the key strategies for sustainable urban development. Adaptation and repurposing of existing buildings become increasingly important in the world. Transformation of architecture is not a single act but a continuous process of adjustments of the buildings to constantly evolving needs. It is important to think not only about how to construct buildings but how to deconstruct them in an intelligent way. Design for disassembly, as well as a combination of permanent and temporary solutions, is something that has to be studied along with the praxises of adaptive reuse.