Sto Werkstatt presents... a discussion on adaptable building

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Join this evening discussion between a generation of architects exploring new approaches to home and workplace design that are flexible in use and adaptable over time. From the design and planning of stripped back, open system homes, to the refurbishment of industrial infrastructures, this panel will delve into the details of how such schemes may contribute to a more ‘pliable’ built environment.

This event is part of our series called The Pliable Plane that looks at the influence of Bauhaus textile designer Anni Albers on architecture.

Chaired by Shumi Bose -Teacher, Curator and Editor based in London

With David J. Tol -Associate, Marc Koehler Architects (MKA) initiator of Superlofts
Jon Lopez -Director of OMMX
Nicola Rutt -Partner and Head of Workplace at Hawkins\Brown

This season of events takes its name from Albers’ essay The Pliable Plane: Textiles in Architecture (1957) and draws on themes she explores of surface pattern and structure, flexibility and responsiveness of materials, and adaptability of a buildings programme. The Pliable Plane will delve into these themes through hands-on material workshops, discussions and guided tours taking place in London and Amsterdam.

The beginnings of building, coincides with the beginnings of weaving, the intertwining of materials to “construct a whole from separate parts”. While it is an unlikely comparison that Albers makes between architecture and textiles, her writing and designs offer radical insights into the way’s we think of a buildings materiality and function, both internally and externally.

Reflecting on Sto’s portfolio of façade materials through the eyes of Albers, the humble mesh literally ingrains the act of weaving into every insulation system globally, and allows for the design flexibility of curved or rounded planes as well as complex joint detailing. On the surface of the façade the more expressive finishes such as the Sto Signature and Ecoshapes range, also gain exciting new possibilities which we hope to explore throughout this series.

This event series coincides with the Tate Modern’s first UK full-scale retrospective of Albers' work in London (11 Oct 2018 – 27 Jan 2019).