The 1st Bauhaus of the Seas conference took place on May 20th and gathered at MAAT, the Lisbon Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, distinguished speakers from all over the globe involved in the New European Bauhaus (NEB) Initiative, a movement aimed at improving the quality of life of European citizens and promoting a more sustainable society. The Bauhaus of the seas, an initiative led by CMU Portugal co-director Nuno Nunes, aims to promote renewed ethical and aesthetic regenerative development from a widely diverse range of dimensions of our continued relationship with the sea.
The CMU Portugal Program was delighted to join Instituto Superior Técnico, Câmara Municipal de Lisboa and MAAT in the organization of the mix format of onsite and online conference. The international event was split in 10 sessions, over 9 hours of live transmission at the Bauhaus of the Seas Youtube, with more than 50 speakers joining in person or via zoom and with +600 registrations from all over the world.
Courtesy of EDP Foundation. Francisco Craveiro photo
The welcome session started with some words from Beatrice Leanza, MAAT’s executive director and Nuno Nunes, Professor at Técnico. They were joined by Catarina Vaz Pinto, the City of Lisbon’s Councillor for Culture and two ministers of the Portuguese Republic: Graça Fonseca, the Minister of Culture and Manuel Heitor, the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education.
The Conference continued with greetings from the European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira, and Themis Christophidou, the European Commission’s Director-General for Education and Culture.
Afterward Ruth Reichstein, Advisor at the European Commission Presidential Advisory Board on Green Deal and New European Bauhaus, introduced the European Commission’s vision for the New European Bauhaus, and the architect Miguel Figueira presented a proposal for a “Bauhaus of the Seas School Ship”.
To continue the discussion, the Conference selected a wide range of designers, scientists and researchers that will contribute from now onwards to Developing the vision of a Bauhaus of the Seas.
Courtesy of EDP Foundation. Francisco Craveiro photo
Before the lunch break, officials from European universities and cities introduced the topic “Institutional Involvement”, focusing on what it takes to make the Bauhaus of the Seas a reality.
Courtesy of EDP Foundation. Francisco Craveiro photo
In the afternoon, five parallel Roundtable Discussions, invited experts from various disciplines to debate design approaches sparked by the Bauhaus of the Seas. By the end of the Roundtables, a summary of their discussions was held at the main stage.
Courtesy of EDP Foundation. Francisco Craveiro photo
Just before the closing session one of the most expected presentations of the day, Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator of MoMA’s Department of Architecture & Design, delivered the event’s keynote lecture.
Finally, to close the day, Gonçalo Byrne, President of the Order of Architects left some words in person and Luigi Brugnaro, Italian Minister of University and Research and Cristina Messa, Italian Minister of University and Research sent us a video message on the involvement of Italy and Venice in this initiative. Together with Lisbon, Venice will be one of the cities adhering to the “New European Bauhaus” initiative, launched by the European Commission to redesign the cities of the future in an eco-sustainable, accessible and green key, with the support of EU funding (news article in Live Comune Venezia)
To highlight the commitment of the Municipality of Lisbon, the last speaker was Miguel Gaspar, Councilor of the Municipality of Lisbon, that referred to the City as one of the NEB’s Lighthouses.
For the full session please watch the video at Bauhaus of the Seas Youtube.
More about the New European Bauhaus and Bauhaus of the Seas
Nuno Jardim Nunes, CMU Portugal Co-Director since 2018, president of ITI/ LARSyS, and Head of IST Department of Computer Science and Engineering leads the working group from Técnico that the European Commission has selected as one of the official partners of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative. This creative initiative is a bridge between the world of science and technology and the world of art and culture.
“Técnico is very well positioned to contribute to NEB’s technological solutions. We are very strong in areas such as digital technologies, mobility, new materials, energy, sustainability, circular economy, innovation, etc. This initiative will allow us to put this knowledge at the service of new citizenship, in the context of a network created from the coastal urban environments and the challenges of our relationship with the sea”, said Professor Nuno Nunes, in an interview shared at Técnico website on the Bauhaus of the Seas initiative where he also highlighted that “Lisbon can be one of the first Lighthouse Cities of the NEB initiative at European level and Técnico can be one of the leading European academic institutions”.
According to Nunes, considering the importance that NEB has gained “many opportunities will come from this partnership. In addition to the main funding call, which will finance the five European networks, “other funding opportunities of great importance will be available for almost all Técnico research units”.
More at: https://tecnico.ulisboa.pt/en/news/tecnico-becomes-a-partner-of-the-new-european-bauhaus-initiative/
