Christian Nzayisenga Architecture Portfolio

2019

This book includes the abstracts of all the papers presented at the 9th Annual International Conference on Architecture (8-11 July 2019), organized by the Athens Institute for Education and Research (ATINER).

In order to understand the state of contemporary architectural publishing, I believe we should re-read the articles that launched new phases in the great journals of the past. Take, for example, the courageous editorial published in 1941 in «Costruzioni-Casabella», issue n. 157, where Giuseppe Pagano attacked mannerist traditionalism and monumental obsessions, initiating a discussion on the formalism of Fascist architecture which was to influence the architectural debate right up to the present day. Or take that of Ernesto Nathan Rogers, published in 1954 in «Casabella-Continuità», issue n. 199, where the famous quote by Marcus Aurelius “He who sees present things sees all that has been since the dawn of time and what will come about for all eternity because they are all of the same nature and species”, posed dynamic and highly topical questions concerning the relationship with history, the design merits of existing buildings and conservation as a creative act. Or take George Howe’s academic discourse, published as an editorial in the first issue of «Perspecta» in 1952, on training architects to be creators of a synthesis that draws together different disciplines, on architecture as the art of feeling, doing and thinking which influenced the future characters of Yale School of Architecture and had enormous influence on the Italian field as well. It was a time when the choice of what topic and text should be published was made by editors who were often architects, just as the authors of the articles were often active designers who, as well as being interested in maintaining the high quality of the journal and taking pride in it, all had a common concept of architecture that was generally shared, though expressed in a multitude of different results. The re-reading these texts and comparing them with the rest of the pages in those magazines, we cannot detect any similarity, even fleeting, with the state of contemporary architectural publishing; compared to the selfless commitment that those editorials expressed, today’s situation stands out in all its distressing, novel triviality.

2015

It has been a long thirty years since I last visually perceived you. I have lost my eyesight. It has been difficult for me to get in front of the computer and keyboarding with my haptic keyboard. I don't want to read anymore, see or write or even dream of. I am stored in my own body, with all my passion inside; I am in my endless prison and atmosphere. My own sight was my space as I thought in my dream. I dreamed of you as big and endless space that I can shape. Now, free from my shell, I am stored in my own body, my own capable world of endless possibilities. I am surrounded by my own architecture and my own kinesphere.

Routledge, 2005 ISBN 0 415 32523 4, £22.50 Paperback, 200pp. with illustrations.

The Social Condenser: Revolution of Social Condenser and Redefine its roles in society, 2022

Since the late 1920s, Constructivists and architects have promoted the notion of the Social Condenser and it has become one of the most powerful architectural concepts produced in the Soviet Union until nowadays. However, the terms of social condenser have been redefined over time by architects, and this concept potentially enhances equality and interaction for people in society. My paper will look at the meaning and purpose of social condensers by investigating the revolution of Narkomfin by Moisej Ginzburg and Ignatij Milinis, and comparing their latter generation aspects. (How do Aleksander Ginzburg and Moisej’s nephew redefine the Narkomfin as a social condenser? What do they recover or restore?) I also investigated other architects who implement the social condenser ideal in today’s world and questioned, Why do social condensers continue to be produced in the modern world? The paper examines the topic in three sections: Study of original Narkomfin in 1930 (1), Revolution of Narkomfin from 2016 to 2020 (2), and Murawskis’s concept that influenced modern architects (3). The first part examines Narkomfin(1930), Moscow, one of the masterpieces of Murauskis to understand his initial concept and purpose of building within the community. The second part examines Narkomfin (2016 and 2020) by Moisei’s grandson who not only recovers the building but also designs a new purpose and perspective on the old building principle. The last part examines the form and the function of other architect’s projects that applied the social condenser concept to catalyze the community.

2018

This book includes the abstracts of all the papers presented at the 8th Annual International Conference on Architecture (9-12 July 2018), organized by the Athens Institute for Education and Research (ATINER).

2018

2018

Weakness as mode of operation Constructing architecture, theory and artistic research Karianne Halse 72 Tectonic Expressions in Brick Architecture Udo Garritzmann 74 Adaptable DIY urban spaces and social capital Investigating the reciprocity of spatial and social affordances

Instructed by Associate Professor Julio Bermudez, Ph.D. and Dean Randall Ott, AIA with 2013 Walton Critic (Visiting Scholar) Claudio Silvestrin, Architect, this exhibition featured eight speculative projects by graduate and undergraduate students of the Catholic University of America School of Architecture and Planning’s Sacred Space and Cultural Studies (SSCS) Studio. The studio explored advanced ideas of architectural design as related to the SSCS concentration using three projects, including a National Immigration Museum on the Mall, a Homeless Shelter in Chinatown, and a Nursery/Kindergarten in Downtown, as pedagogical vehicles to study the spiritual, cultural, and embodied dimensions of architecture. In particular, the premise for a National Immigration Museum project was to explore both a compelling American story and the architectural implications of a building or structure with conceptual, experiential, and symbolic dimensions in a space considered sacred like the National Mall. The Homeless Shelter project aimed to respond with uplifting and spiritual solutions to a building typology that supports the multifunctional needs of the homeless and other at-risk persons. The idea of the Nursery/Kindergarten project was to address the educational needs of young learners in the most comprehensive way through enlightened and thoughtful design strategies. About the Studio In general, the Sacred Space and Cultural Studies (SSCS) Studio introduces or advances the fundamental knowledge, skills and attitudes of students to build disciplinary expertise on how architecture, culture, and spirituality interact and affect one another. In this particular studio, the renowned Italian-born, London-based architect Claudio Silvestrin guided the studio’s pedagogic and ideological path by focusing on design processes that encourage contemplative, intuitive, and non-egotist methods of inquiry, criticism, and architectural propositioning. For more information, please visit: http://faculty.cua.edu/bermudez/courses/bermudez-silvestrin/. Credits Organized and made possible by the Catholic University of America School of Architecture and Planning in cooperation with the Washington Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Additional support generously provided by ABC Imaging.