Sarajevo Youth Centre 2021

Almost 25 years after the end of the bosnian war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo is still visibly suffering from the consequences. However, as the slowly recovering city grows, especially among Sarajevo's youth a desire for space to unfold and develop together is emerging.

In a workshop with Bosnian students, we would therefore like to develop design approaches for a new youth centre, which is meant to form the cornerstone of a social centre in the new town of Sarajevo on the site of a home for the elderly destroyed in the war. With a student dormitory in the immediate vicinity, rooms for studying, workshops and exhibitions are also to be created here.

For this purpose, 2 block events are offered - one week in Sarajevo and one week in Stuttgart. Due to the still uncertain situation, no fixed excursion dates can be given yet, but 2 dates during the lecture-free period in March/April, shortly before the beginning of the summer semester 2021, are planned.
Within the framework of the course, mixed groups of 2 Bosnian and 2 German students will work on sketchy, impromptu designs for new forms of youth lounges and student work spaces on the outskirts of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian capital. In addition, each participant will give a presentation on design relevant topics.

The seminar will be supervised by staff from both universities. Participation in both block events in Stuttgart and Sarajevo is a prerequisite.

About the online teaching:

The aim of our annual Sarajevo workshop is to spend a week sitting around a table in each of the two cities and to develop stand-up designs in internationally mixed groups. The teaching programme is supplemented in both weeks with various excursions on relevant topics. Of course this is a bit difficult to achieve in the current times but we are still trying our best.

Due to the corona pandemic, the seminar has been postponed from the summer semester 2020 to the winter semester 20/21 and we hope to be able to conduct our exchange at least in this semester until April 2021. Under which restrictions and hygiene measures this is possible is still being discussed, and also the feasibility of day trips is not certain yet. All meetings and presentations in advance will take place digitally via Web-Ex, the 2 workshop weeks are planned as face-to-face teaching. If no excursion is possible in 2021, other solutions will be discussed together.