Warsaw: Energy Landscapes and Energy Transitions

In this semester’s seminar students documented the current energy landscape of Warsaw and imagined ways for its transition towards a carbon free future. The fragmented quality of the city fabric, its strong infrastructural imprint and its continuing reliance on fossil energy make it an intriguing object of study. Building upon emblematic ethnographic descriptions of urban ecologies by Boyarsky and Banham, student groups of two developed their take on the energy ecologies found in the city of Warsaw.

Building upon an analysis of the status quo during a field trip to Warsaw, students envisioned a transition strategy during the following seminar weeks in Mendrisio. In a shift to a more contemporary medium, students were asked to produce a video essay that develops a new chapter in the conceptual dealings with urban energy. The fieldwork material acquired during the excursion formed the basis for the video essay production in Mendrisio.

Informed by input lectures of filmmakers, theorists, and architects, students had the chance to iteratively work on their video essay along the six seminar days of the semester. As a final outcome, students formulated their unique approach to urban energy theory in the form of a video essay and presented it in front of invited guests.

Guest Speakers:
Dr. Adam Przywara (University of Manchester)
Małgorzata Kuciewicz and Simone De Iacobis (CENTRALA)
Monika Konrad (Head of municipal planning Warsaw)
Michał Suchora (BWA Warsaw)
Aleksandra Kedziorek (MSN Warsaw)
Anna Ptak (Warsaw University)
Patrycja Okuljar (Studio Okuljar)
Dr. Rafael Dernbach (USI)
Prof. Milica Topalović (ETH Zürich)
Prof. Kevin B. Lee (USI)

Group Members:
Anna Ferrario
Maria Trombetta