Matthias Rick — Team

Project

The Promising Land

Liverpool, United Kingdom
2009

Raumlabor approached this project with the questions: is reinventing the history of a place a good idea, when the current accepted history isn't helping the present situation? Finding, as in our case, no suitable point of departure/entry for a solution to apparent urbanistic problems, is it possible through the interweaving of truth, urban legend and invention to inspire regional pride in the inhabitants of a desolated residential area? And when this (hi)story is presented in a positive light, could it get the ball rolling? Is it possible by reinventing a history to create a new perspective for a site which has undergone a century of urban catastrophes?

Project

DIE EXPEDITION

Sankt-Pölten, Austria
2009 – 2011

In St. Pölten, the regional capital city from Lower Austria - not far from Vienna - an expedition is being prepared. Where to? What for? What will we look for and discover? Who will take part? These are questions that raumlaborberlin will discuss with the inhabitants of the city. We are inviting the inhabitants of St. Pölten to prepare with us an Expedition. To advise us, looking for a research goal and the path to take, choosing a way of transportation, drawing maps, inventing tools and equipment, bring together the perfect expedition team and develop a good structure.

Project

"Glow-Lounge" GLOW: Forum of Light in Art and Architecture

Eindhoven, Netherlands
2008

Invited by the „GLOW“ festival, raumlabor designed together with plastique-fantastique in cooperation with Designhuis-Eindhoven, the „GLOW-Lounge“ festival centre. A light object out of 600 crates. Unique in the Netherlands, for the third successive time the center of Eindhoven is the stage and podium for „GLOW: Forum of Light in Art and Architecture“. We placed the center, a gateway to the public space, in the middle of an pedestrian refuge island between the PSV-Stadium and the headquarter of the Phillips company. The transformation of the site, the pneumatic spatial mantle gives up space for concerts, spontaneous readings as soon as performance and dj-appearance. Guests like Moxxs (NL) and Silas Bieri (illeist, CH). Catering concept by Designhuis-Eindhoven.

Project

Hovercraft - Lifting Modernism

Paris, France
2008

The "Fondation Suisse" is the most prominent dormitory of modern times. To mark the 75th anniversary in november 2008 raumlaborberlin was commissioned to find a temporary solution for a recurring problem: the missing space for big festivities. In summer the "piloti" called terrace underneath the building would have been perfect, but in november it was too cold. We proposed to wrap the space with an inflatable, translucent membrane and thereby transform the semi public ambient to semiprivate. For three days the pneumatic hall gave home to concerts, speeches, dinners, a conference and a party.

Project

P2 Residence

Berlin, Germany
2008

For the "house of imagination" raumlabor berlin interlaces two architectural ideas of living space in Torstrasse 166: A 1:1 modell of a Plattenbau flat type P2 which is living reality in Halle-Neustadt and many cities of the former GDR is built into a Gründerzeit flat. Both models date from a time of mass production of living space, the Gründerzeit as a market driven approach, the P2 flat as a government-controlled approach.

Project

Megastructure Reloaded

Berlin, Germany
2008

„Die Ausstellung MEGASTRUCTURE RELOADED intendiert dabei keine rein dokumentarische Darstellung, die Ideen der Megastrukturalisten sollen vielmehr auf ihre Aktualität und Tauglichkeit für die städtebaulichen Probleme der Gegenwart befragt werden. Dabei zielen wir sowohl auf die Verbindung von Architektur/ Raumkonstrukten und bildender Kunst ab, die für die Entwürfe so bezeichnend ist, als auch auf genuin architektonisch-städtebauliche Fragestellungen.“

Project

architecture beyond building - stick on city

Venezia, Italy
2008

One day this summer, one of the godfathers of visionary architecture payed a visit to our studio in Berlin. Dennis Crompton - member and archivist of the group archigram. Amazing, fanciful, quixotic. Undoubtfully they are among our architect-heroes. Dennis talked with us about the scrapyard of visions, the city as responsive system, interactive buildings, good intentions, imaginary cities and the art of architecture that cannot fail. Stick on city is a responsive drawing, made to be permanently renewed. It is a 12mx2,5m training ground for utopians. Built and unbuilt iconic architectural designs assembled in an imaginary landscape. Visitors can take a tour, then add their own vision by drawing in and simply sticking it into the city!

Project

Überlandboot

Senftenberg, Germany
2008

An artificial lake landscape is emerging on the site of a former open cast mine in the south Lusatia area. The “Overland Boat” is a mobile lookout platform from which the construction of the canal that will connect the Senftenberg and Geierswald lakes can be observed by visitors and residents. The boat will be transferred to the most interesting parts of the canal’s construction while it is being built. It will be put into the water at a celebratory ceremony once the canal has been completed.

Project

Das System

Heidelberg, Germany
2008

The System is a labyrinthine structure made of 223 doors from buildings that have been demolished in Halle-Neustadt. It opens up spaces to the visitors in unexpected ways, reflecting diverse aspects of our work.

Project

La ciudad imprevista

Madrid, Spain
2007

Construction of a catalytic structure intended to reveal new appropriation and functional potentials within public space tested and debated with residents and users. We appropriated a fenced-in empty lot in the Lavapies district of Madrid and transformed it into a public Japanese garden with stage and teahouse.

Project

Wo ist Hoogvliet

Hoogvliet/Rotterdam, Netherlands
2007

An expedition based on field trips and interviews in Hoogvliet between July and September. The outcome was a small photo booklet, a guided tour through Hoogvliet to the discovered places and a city map. Individuals can use this guide to go on their own tours of discovery. This is the profile of the restructuring process of a Dutch suburb.

Project

Silver Pearl

Rostock, Germany
2007

“Silver Pearl Congress Centre and Spa” was a temporary hotel and festival centre for “Art goes Heiligendamm”. In appearance it alluded to the profile of the Hotel Kempinski, Heiligendamm, “The White Pearl”, where the 2007 G8 summit took place. It had a spa, a sauna, a golf course, comfortable slumber suites with a view of the sea and a security fence. There you could do what was prohibited in Heiligendamm: proclaim your opinion, demonstrate at the fence and relax.

Project

Duismülsen

Essen/Mülheim, Germany
2007

“Duismülsen” is a newly founded imaginary linear model city along the underground line U18 from Duisburg via Mülheim to Essen. We offered residents the chance to look at their own home area from an unusual perspective by taking part in a guided tour through Duismülsen.

Project

UTOPIE 18

Essen/Mülheim, Germany
2007

Urban allure or simply madness? The film “U(topie) 18” throws new light onto a thirthy-year-old utopia: the underground line U18 that has connected the cities of Essen and Mülheim since 1977. This model line that runs along the central strip of the A40 has seven stations. Planners, politicians and actors are asked of their intentions in interviews. These reports confront the everyday realities and hopes of today’s residents and users.

Project

Giardini Treasure Map

Venezia, Italy
2006

A one-week workshop in the French pavilion of the Architecture Biennale this is an exhibition garden in which a biennale takes place early each autumn. It remains empty the rest of the year totally empty? No, it’s full of leftovers from past exhibitions, enough to build a house and all its comfort. Everything can be had for free in the Giardini: materials, furniture, water, electricity. The “Treasure Map” shows this hidden potential, where it is to be found and how it can be accessed.