EDUCATION & RESEARCH
“We don’t tell them how to think,
we don’t tell them what to think,
but we try and make them think”
Laurie Olin, Slavonice 2011
Introduction
The department of education and research explores the subject of sustainability from an inclusive perspective. We conduct a variety of international, interdisciplinary workshops that use Slavonice and the surroundings as a unique circumstance to explore, understand and contemplate the possiblities of the future. Slavoncie is situated on the border with Austria and; therefore, it is an excellent place to explore border issues. The border location places Slavonice in the European Greenbelt where the iron curtain previously separated Europe. The deep history of Slavonice as a center of the local region and a midpoint between Prague and Vienna create local and European linkages, cultural, economic and political.
Community outreach and participation are an integral part of the Centre for the future and are incorporated in the workshops and projects activities. The community is frequently engaged in discussions and presentations of the workshops.
CONFERENCE: LANDSCAPE TRANSFORMATIONS OF POST COMMUNIST COUNTRIES
The Centre for the Future participated in this conference that was organized by the Landscape & Architecture Studio of Czech Technical Univeristy in Prague. The conference convened a diverse group of researchers from a variety of disciplines, largely from post communist countries, to present and discuss their understanding of the landscape consequences resulting from the fall of the iron curtain. Alexander Stipsits, Founder and Board Member of the Centre provided a keynote introduction to the topic of Theory. You are invited to visit the website of the Landscape & Architecture Studio as well as the conference Landscape transformations of the post-communist countries | Landscapearchitecture where the full proceedings are available for download. Also, a video produced by the Centre for the Future intrducing the confgerence is available.
CHILD FRIENDLY CITIES
As part of a studio focusing on Child Friendly Cities in a discrict of the City of Prague, an international and interdisciplinary group of students came to Slavonice for an intensive workshop. Working closely with children from the town and conducting detailed observations, the students identified the highest priorities for Slavonice to be a more child friendly town. The lessons learned in Slavonice were instrumental to the students ongoing work in Prague where the challenges are far more complex.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL VIENNA
The Centre for the Future is pleased to have had the opportunity to host the International School of Vienna. Slavonice has been an engaging opportunity for students of the school to explore culture and artistic expression with an immersion experience. The town of Slavonice has been an excellent host for the school during their numerous visits. Please view the link below for a brief video of their most recent visit.
SUSTAINABLE FUTURES WORKSHOP
The Sustainable Futures workshop was a unique opportunity for a group of architecture students from the North Carolina State University Prague Institute to explore Slavonice as an intact community and to contemplate challenges to a sustainable future. Historical background and previous workshop findings proved an invaluable asset in preparing a conceptual framework for the future, identifying critical questions to be addressed in the search for resiliance and sustainability. Please feel free to view the brief video of the workshop.
▶ Sustainable Future workshop – YouTube
FOOD & ENERGY WORKSHOP
This international, interdisciplinary workshop conducted a detailed study of the food and energy systems that Slavonice cepends on. This in depth study explored the historical cultural, political, economic and environmental background that is the basis of the current relationships with the now globalized food and energy systems. The students then prepared proposals that propose strategies for developing resiliance to threats to these globalized dependancies. Please feel free to view the brief video of the workshop.
▶ Food and Energy workshop – YouTube
This workshop was then followed by a semester of work by the students to elaborate their work The results of their work are summarized in the following presentation.
CONTRACTING
With the support of European Union funding The Centre for the Future patnered with Dobersberg Austria on a cross border project to explore the viability of applying energy performance contracting to small town property portfolio. This opportunity for small towns to use this strategy was illustrated with a small collections of properties in the town of Slavonice.