The Labs are the cornerstone of CLEAR Village’s activities. They bring together CLEAR Village’s network of pioneers and innovators to engage in defining moments of collaborative work to develop a replicable planning strategy to construct a real-life CLEAR Village as well as support other communities in need of a reboot.
The Labs, which are supported by collaborative work through CLEAR Village’s online tools as well as by ongoing research by the CLEAR Village Observatory, aim to reform planning and architecture and move away from their often cosmetic nature. Instead, their goal is to maximize the power of participatory, holistic design in order to develop solutions that will allow communities to:
+ Transform themselves into smart communities and innovation micro-clusters
+ Implement successful and sustainable business models based on local parameters
+ Embrace and export, if only locally or regionally, a contagiously positive way of life in harmony with nature
“CLEAR Village comes across as a forward thinking, game changing, value based project. Driven by people with true intentions and great dreams. Different by need and nature. Focused on creating a better world for all of us. With the potential of becoming a great global model for sustainable living. Empowered by a participatory and inclusive network. Can it get better? Yes! We must support it.” – Arturo Pasquel, R&D Director, Vestas Technology
CLEAR Village Lab in Barcelona, 5-7 November 2009
Clear Village from Thomas Ermacora on Vimeo.
The first CLEAR Village Lab was the start of a journey to open up planning towards participation. The Lab was a tremendous success and brought together just under 100 experts from over 20 countries to work on three locations in southern Europe and refine the CLEAR Village process.
The Lab was held at the Institute of Advanced Architecture in Barcelona from 5-7 November 2009 and was initiated and designed by CLEAR Village and supported by an array of partners.
Embarking on the Lab process were representatives from Bioregional, Urban Re:Vision, Velux, Vestas, Terrapin Bright Green, Architecture for Humanity, Material Connexion, Interfaceflor, Designboost, Findhorn, Sustainable Cities, The Hub, The Eden Project, IaaC, World Economic Forum, Region of Catalunya, and many others.
“Beginning with a sense of mystery, The Barcelona Lab presented me with a fascinatingly diverse and talented group of people to engage in order to address the real issues embedded in sustainable communities. Located in a renovated warehouse with lovingly prepared food for nourishment, I delved into creative yet realistic response with my team. Being unified by a common purpose and passion for social and environmental sustainability, we openly questioned each other’s thoughts and ideas to build consensus.” – Chris Garvin, Partner, Terrapin Bright Green
The Lab was designed as a funnel-shaped experience. The initial focus was on establishing a relative consensus on desirable and feasible lifestyles. These were then applied to specific locations in order to define local issues, develop an initial brief, and conclude with concrete suggestions and strategies. And finally, the emphasis turned to analyzing possible ways to facilitate permissions, increase participation in the design and planning process, and identify holistic funding mechanisms.
“I became convinced that only through truly multidisciplinary approaches can we move sustainability forward to solutions which do not create new problems.” – Kristina Borjeson, Research Associate, University of the Arts London
The outcome of the Lab will be presented in the CLEAR Village Handbook, a document governed by Creative Commons licensing which will be open for continued iteration as it develops towards a comprehensive planning strategy for communities in need of a reboot.
“CLEAR Village seemed to revive our childhood imagination, where we would live and work joyfully and peacefully together, maybe in a village, maybe in a city, just so that we can manage our lives through our own ingenuity – responsibly and creatively.” - Korinna Thielen, Senior Designer, Arup Foresight
Building on the success of the Barcelona Lab, the next CLEAR Village Lab will be held in the second half of 2010.
