Interview #24 aiming spaces
Please introduce yourself:
© Victor Dupont
Asal Mohtashami is a Luxembourgish-Iranian architect based in Copenhagen with a degree BArch from the Technical University of Munich and a MArch from the Royal Danish in Academy of Fine Arts. She works within the realm of intersectional feminist architecture and urbanism and is part of Building Diversity, a NGO promoting diversity and equality in the architectural field and the built environment.
#1 Describe your work in three words.
-Engaging
-Reflective
-Diverse
#2 You have been running aiming spaces for three years now. How did you come up with the name and concept behind it?
When I started my architectural firm, it had a different name (AIM-byliv, aiming urban life). After some time I decided to refine the name and update my firm’s visual identity at the same time. That’s where I got in touch with Mie and Heidi from URWELCOME, a feminist graphic design studio based in Aarhus. We discussed possible company names. When we decided on AIMING SPACES, we were all three thinking, that it’s really capturing the essence of how I work and tackle my projects. The name is reflecting upon the fact that aiming, creating, shaping spaces is a process and is active. Some actions such as user involvement, community engagement and project management might not be visible, but are nevertheless very crucial for creating architecture. We as architects aim for spaces, but the aim can constantly be changing. AIMING SPACES reflects in many ways, how I position myself as an architect and urbanist.
#3 Together with COurban and Urban 13 you worked on the project “BUENS TORV”. Can you tell us a bit about the project?
I was part of the co-working community Urban13, a cultural hub, which is located under a highway bridge (Bispeengbuen). The area under Bispeengbuen was an unsafe and dilapidated space before its development in 2017/18 and the local inhabitants were afraid to pass through it. At the start of 2020, COurban conducted an investigation for the urban space under Bispeengbuen and traced/mapped out the circulation flow of users and bypasses and the duration of their stay. Only 15% of women stayed in this area for a longer period of time. It made clear that there were challenges, which needed to be addressed. We decided therefore to actively implement feminist urban planning principles, by taking into account the needs of the local girls and women using the space on a daily basis.
Buens Torv (collaborative project with COurban and Urban 13, © aiming spaces
Out of the investigation and further research, we as a multidisciplinary team (cultural stakeholders, anthropologists and architects), developed three principles deriving from the identified challenges and developed design proposals:
1. Orientation: A wayfinding intervention connecting the entire area. We developed a yellow, dynamic and playful line, lightening up the concrete landscape, which then also highlighted the urban gathering space in different colours. We involved the local stakeholders in order to define the final colours.
2. Programming of some urban spaces: Those spaces got activated through temporary art installations such as light installations or art exhibitions.
3. Intimate spaces: The local stakeholders, especially the Street Café for girls run by Street Society, lacked a gathering space after or during their training sessions outside of the space. We developed the idea of a mini-community house as a Green house under the bridge, that would create a flexible hub for the local stakeholders and create a space, which can open or close off, depending on the purpose of the gathering.
These interventions have been developed from 2020-2022 with the budget we had and have been carefully adapted involving the local stakeholders. This project shaped my future path and opened up my journey of defining and approaching inclusive architecture/urban planning.
#4 What characterizes intersectional feminist urban architecture and planning?
Intersectional feminist architecture and urban planning falls into the category of inclusive architecture and urban planning, but describes more thoroughly the approach and method of our practice.
A good quote for describing feminist urban planning would be the following: “Developed as a reaction to traditional planning processes that were shaped by patriarchal values, with an intention to facilitate equitable access to the benefits and opportunities.” –Dutton et al., 2022 (source). By counteracting those traditional and patriarchal values, we as practitioners are able to create equitable spaces for all marginalised groups.
Panelist in “Talk om Feministisk design” organised by NORM Consulting and part of Talk Town Festival, © Christine Bjerke
Intersectionality has been coined by US activist and lawyer Kimberlé Crenshaw in the 1980s and describes the fact, that we as humans have different lived experiences and identities which “intersect” and shape the way we experience discrimination and inequality.
By combining both intersectionality and feminism, different perspectives and lived experiences come together in order to develop tools to create inclusive spaces. AIMING SPACES is currently working on a set of tools in order to define further, how intersectional feminism is understood in an architectural and urban context.
#5 You conducted participatory workshop with local girls. How did you perceive the workshops and what were the results of this format?
The participatory workshops for Buens Torv have been developed as informal gatherings through out the local girls training session with Street Society under Bisspeengbuen and as well as part of workshops where we used analogue and digital tools. Initially they were planned as mini-festivals in order to involve different types of local users, but we needed to scale it down due to covid-19.
What we concluded was, that it is important to reach out to the users in the easiest way, in order for them to participate. Instead of us telling them when and how they should come and expect them to attend a long workshop, we wanted to get to know to them and understand their everyday life. We developed some short form exercises, which wouldn’t take too long and we tried as well to incorporate gathering and leisure time.
Building Workshop conducted by Log Ladies for the youth project ‘Flækken' in Northern Copenhagen, © aiming spaces
#6 What are your next steps?
With regard to my practice, I want to scale up the type of projects I am working on. Recently I assessed municipalities and now I am reaching out to developers and bigger firms. My aim is that AIMING SPACES will be the practice, clients reach out to, if they want to implement inclusive architecture and urban planning with an intersectional feminist approach. We want to consult, mediate and facilitate different types of projects and are currently developing different types of collaborations with public and private stakeholders.
#7 How do you see the role of an architect in today's society?
Throughout my studies I got confronted with the image of the star architect (and the same occurring references of often male architects) “the overambitious, smartest, most creative architect”. I felt that I wouldn’t fit in and had a hard time identifying myself with the stereotypes associated with being an architect.
I always thought I was on my own, but a few years after I graduated, I came across an initiative, which developed into a group called Building Diversity, a Copenhagen-based NGO promoting diversity and equality in the architectural field and the built environment. We started with 6 people (I joined in March 2021) and are now over 36 members. One of the topics, which we investigated was to question the current understanding of the role of the architect and unfolded collectively the multitude of what the profession can offer. Through generous grants by the Danish Arts Foundation and Dreyers Fond, we published (as editors) Who is the architect?. Instead of us predefining the chapters beforehand, we invited contributors through an Open Call, asking them how they perceive the role of the architect. What we were able to determine was, that many of them foresee a more collaborative approach to architectural practices and more diversity among the practitioners.
© Margarita Kaucikaite
Throughout my experience at AIMING SPACES and Building Diversity, I see the role of the architect under constant change. Furthermore, I believe it is important to enable equal access for the upcoming generations to be part of the architectural field. In Denmark, but also in many other countries, the students in architectural institutions are homogenous and coming from higher social classes. A study conducted by VIVE shows that the architectural education in the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen is among the second most unequal educations in Denmark. If we want to have a diverse built environment, we need to have architects with a diverse background.
#8 How does your environment influence your work?
This is a very interesting question, since my immediate surroundings (where I work) are really important for me in order to flourish and be motivated. I need the right mixture of being surrounded by people, but at the same time having enough peace and quiet in order to focus. Right now I am sharing an office with six people where we spent a lot of time helping each other out or just having a good time. The social aspect is really important to me and helps me times of intense work.
#9 Three things that inspire you at the moment:
Wayfinding intervention for Buens Torv project, © aiming spaces
Being part of Building Diversity. I learned so much both on a personal, but as well professional level.
To see that the architectural field puts more emphasis on inclusive design.
My partner, friends and colleagues with whom I share the same values and who inspire me.
#10 What do you currently read, watch, listen to?
I just read “Hässlichkeit” by Moshtari Hilal, an inspiring book about why ugliness isn’t objective and is defined by societal, colonialist values. It really opened up my mind and I really like how she mixes different types of formats (essays, poems, art works) in the book. A lot of the things she wrote about herself, are things I can relate to as someone with Middle Eastern roots.
Right now I am reading Moussa Mchangama’s book “Tekster om hjem” (Texts about home), which just came out a month ago. Moussa writes about his upbringing as a mixed-raised boy in white society and why he thinks an intersectional perspective is crucial in order to understand diversity. The way he writes is touching, honest and leaves no room for interpretation.
Next on my reading list are “Schwarzer Rolli, Hornbrille: Plädoyer für einen Wandel in der Planungskultur” by Karin Hartman and “We Should All Be Feminists” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Photo Credits: © Victor Dupont, © Christine Bjerke, © Margarita Kaucikaite, © aiming spaces, Interview Caroline Steffen