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X IDEAS

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CITIZENS FOR SELF-RELIANCE
Marjetica Potrc mit nova stran, Studio for Architecture
Ljubljana 2005

The former Palace of the Republic building is reused and upgraded. The upper half of the building is residential and the lower part is devoted to business and entertainment. The self-sustainable technologies located on the roof of the building make a visual statement about self-reliance and control over natural resources. The equipment on the roof is used and controlled primarily by the residents. Any excess of the energy produced on the location is shared with the city. This way, the residents perform the fundamental act of citizenship: as individuals, they take an active part in sharing their infrastructure with the greater community.

The proposal recognizes the decline of the social state and the decrease in public funding, as well as the shift from multiculturalism to a society where consolidated territories are desired and where private initiative is on the rise. It takes into account current European policies, such as support of the local.

What is important for the multicultural Berlin of today, and what will it look like in two decades? Will the territories occupied by different ethnic and income groups be consolidated in PLU (People Like Us) urban entities? How soon will the German population become a minority within the city? What kind of changes will the diminishment of the middle class bring? When the city gives less, individuals take initiative: taking control over natural resources, such as water, is one example of this. Self-sustainability makes the citizens self-reliant and makes their contribution to the city a conscious act.

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