The multi-year research project “Cohabitation: A manifesto for solidarity between animals and humans in urban space” was initiated by ARCH+ in collaboration with Silent Green. Cohabitation describes “life with” – life in urban space that includes not only humans, but also other resident species that have so far received little attention and acceptance in urban planning and architecture. Questions such as “Do animals have a right to the city?” and “How can animals become equal partners in urban space?” are on the agenda. In terms of a sustainable, future-oriented city, solidarity with all living beings, which influence each other in complex ways and exist as a consistent unit, is a fundamental pillar of cohabitation. The exhibition promoted a visualization of the future cohabitation of non-human and human species in cities and highlighted the development of the city in the individual stages: Anthropocity – Ecocity – Zoopolis. Using different artistic and design approaches, the human-animal relationship was captured and reinterpreted by 30 participating actors.

Sound installation: “Not so Silent Green” (June 5-6, 2021; 12pm-8pm)

Studio Animal-Aided Design was represented in the exhibition with the sound installation “Not so Silent Green”. In the domed hall of the former crematorium, a sound installation was conceived that acoustically brings back birdcalls of species that became extinct in Berlin. The location of the installation, which was a ceremonial hall and columbarium in the days of the crematorium, was chosen for its symbolic power: The term columbarium is derived from the Latin columbarium, meaning dovecote, and today is mostly used to describe a storage facility for urns and coffins. The preserved voices of extinct birds were brought to life for exhibition visitors through the immersive sound installation.

Concept: Thomas E. Hauck in collaboration with Marc Frohn (FAR frohn&rojas)

Sound installation: Zoë Mc Pherson, Vincent Vidal, Simulacro

Discussion: Architecture of Cohabitation I (June 5, 2021; 6 pm)

In the exhibition’s discourse program, Thomas E. Hauck, Marc Frohn and Zoë Mc Pherson, moderated by Peter Spillmann, discussed what an architecture of cohabitation could look like.

Architecture of Cohabitation I (June 5, 2021; 6 pm) – Available via the following link:

Urban exploration: Organismic democracy: regulatory regimes in Wedding

(August 27, 2021; 4 – 6 pm; meeting point: entrance to the library at Luisenbad, Badstraße 39, 13357 Berlin)

Together with Marianne Ramsay-Sonneck (Club Real), Georg Reinhard (Club Real) and Maike Weißpflug (Museum für Naturkunde Berlin), Thomas E. Hauck led a tour around the site of Berlin’s first organism democracy on Osloer Straße and presented the concept. The urban exploration “Organismendemokratie: Ordnungsregime im Wedding” can be listened to via the ARCH+ podcast.