INSIDERs' interventions in The Oberhaus

The Oberhaus is an initiative by the Oberhausen based artists group kitev, with the aim to develop an artistic approach to upgrade a neglected 12-storey building in the center of Oberhausen, while fostering the intercultural dialogue between current and future inhabitants to create a self-organised living among them.

During a four-day field trip & workshop guided by Jan Körbes from REFUNC, the students collected material found in the direct environment of The Oberhaus and designed four collective 'services' in the building together with the inhabitants. These new collective 'services' aim to support the inhabitants, most of whom have a refugee background, to create a stronger 'sense of belonging' in their new ‘Heimat’.

Socially relevant spatial assignments for INSIDE students

In its curriculum, INSIDE emphasises the cultural and social challenges in interior architecture and places its thematic focus on socially relevant spatial assignments. INSIDE students use their position to shape the relation between the space that relates most directly to people and the world that surrounds them. In reality, designed spaces, from apartment buildings to public spaces, do not always spontaneously function the way the initiators intended. Due to unexpected changes in the use or users of the specific space, or the circumstances around it, spaces can lose their original integrity and get corrupted.

This year, various components of the INSIDE programme research the qualities, or the lack of qualities of corrupted space. INSIDE aims at taking the 'dirty reality' of the built environment as a point of departure for designing spatial change. The basic assumption is that especially in adapting the built environment to its real circumstances, a society can show her unique strength and creativity.

Participating INSIDE Master Interior Architecture students:
Jack Bardwell - Lotti Gostič - Hande Öğün - Hangping Yang - Adriel Quiroz Silva - Laura Frias Munoz del Cerro - Huaxin Zhang - Yunkyung Lee - Daniele Valentino - I-Chieh Liu - Zara Bennett - Jinaa Baek - Janneke Derksen - Shinyoung Kang - Pichaya Puapoomcharoen - Yuan-Chun Liu