Systems

Most conceptions of the urban environment share a clear distinction between cities and countryside. This separation has become increasingly entrenched throughout history with urban densification. Today, more than half of the world’s population lives in cities. This figure could reach two thirds by 2050. ChartierDalix believes that urban resilience will require greater flexibility in organizing space by encouraging diversity at different scales. This means imagining buildings which can support natural environments and guarantee that they flourish.

ChartierDalix approaches this problem by designing overlapping functions and new twists on customary rules as a way to envision the cities of tomorrow. Their installation of the ecological within the built environment offers an opportunity to call into question architectural fundamentals: the ground, the wall, and the roof. According to ChartierDalix, “when we walk on a roof, it becomes the ground. When we model its topography, it becomes a small piece of geography.” Rethinking the relationship between the city dweller and nature is an opportunity to create a civic organization that revolves around a relationship with the ground and the earth, one that forces us to question our understanding of time, the uncertain, and fragility. In this way, ChartierDalix encourages us to reconnect with experience by observing, doing, and readjusting their practices along the way, rather than deciding everything from the outset.