The Library of Living Structures is an expanding resource gathered through conversations with people who are transforming both how we imagine and live in the city. These conversations will explore how we can “retrofit” or “hack” our urban environment in sustainable, survivalist and resilient ways. Out of each conversation will come recommendation for books, manuals or resources that will populate the library as an expanding archive of DIY urbanism.
The Library of Living Structures begins at the Expanded Architecture Residency Program at The Rocks and will be housed in shelves built using a design from the classic 1974 manual of DIY architecture by Ken Issacs, How to Build Your Own Living Structures. . The Rocks is an apt place for such a project as its historic houses were saved in the 1970s through the Green Bans, a collaborative struggle between unions and residents that put a halt to unsustainable development of the area. The Library will explore the power of no – protests such as the Green Bans – but also the power of yes – the multitude of ways in which people work around or through the existing urban environment to build their own future friendly living habitats.
Participants, November 8th, The Rocks: Tony Fry, Lee Stickells, Amelia Thorpe, Brett Bloom, Bonnie Fortune, Jessica Halliday and raumlaborberlin.