Assemble

de Angelika Fitz, Katharina Ritter, Architekturzentrum Wien

Assemble: How we build' offers a first comprehensive insight into the work and projects of the London-based architecture collective Assemble. How we build, how things are made and materials are assembled, reflects the social, economic and political conditions of a society. Changing the status-quo by community action is a focal point in the work of Assemble, who have developed a signature blend of social activation, poetic spaces and ecological and economic sustainability. Assemble's 18 members started their collaboration in 2010, following their graduation from Cambridge University. Their portfolio comprises diverse projects such as a temporary cinema at a former petrol station, affordable workspaces for artists, the foundation of social enterprises, the revitalization of a former working-class neighbourhood, or designing a new art gallery for Goldsmiths, University of London. In 2015, Assemble was awarded with Turner Prize, the first architects to win Europe's most prestigious distinction for contemporary art. Assemble: How we build features ten selected projects to demonstrate the collective's working methods. Further essays provide background information and reflect on Assemble's objectives and philosophy.