Press Release 15 oct

Architecture, responsibility and rethinking the space in which we live: Timișoara Architecture Biennial – Beta 2020 – continues the series of planned events, both in person and online.
Timișoara Architecture Biennial launched on September 25 and is ongoing until October 25 in the Romanian capital city and online. For its third edition, the festival has been designed to inspire the general public as well as professionals in the field of construction and architecture to take care of the planet as we develop and manage our cities. This includes learning to look at what we already have through observing and mapping local resources.
The main exhibit of Beta 2020, “Enough is Enough”, remains open until October 25th and can be viewed at the Public Transport Museum “Corneliu Miklosi” (Bd. Take Ionescu 56), from Monday to Sunday, between 10:00 – 20:00. The show presents dozens of projects—local and international—by architects who have had enough of waiting for “top-down” solutions and who found their own ways of using what already exists: Why use too much when enough will do? A guided tour is scheduled Thursday, October 15, to present the current trends in the practice of environmentally responsible architecture. A guided tour by the curators of the exhibition will close the biennial on October 25.
Meanwhile, the exhibition “Forgotten E L E M E N T S. About the architecture of Nicolae Porumbescu”, can be viewed at Palatul Poștelor, until October 25, between 15:00 – 21:00. There, the entire work of the architect is brought into the present through modern photography, in an attempt to generate new and different discussions about a complex, powerful, praised, but also controversial, lifework.
In addition, numerous documentaries on the future of architecture and ongoing discussions on “what should be the role (and responsibilities) of an architect nowadays” keep unfolding:
October 17: The online conference “Future of Architecture Practice, Today” will aim at raising awareness of the urgent challenges we are facing in today’s world and exploring solutions. The event is part of the Future Architecture program.
October 18: Those who want to discover the history of the oldest neighborhood of Timișoara and its immediate vicinity are invited to an architecture guided tour, through Unirii Square, Sfântul Gheorghe Square, Libertății Square and Victoriei Square. On the same day, Theresia Bastion (Galeria Corp D), will welcome the public for the exhibition opening of “New Tradition. At a table with architecture and art from South Tyrol”, an exhibit whose concept rests upon the well-known hospitality of South Tyrol by expressing its cultural and multilingual character, suggesting an invitation at the common table.
October 19: Architects and professionals will not want to miss “What One-Planet Prosperity offers to architects”, a webinar about the powerful impact of retrofitting old structures to accelerate the efficient transformation of cities into sustainability paradigms. The conversation, which will dedicate plenty of time to questions from the audience, will be led by Mathis Wackernagel, co-creator of the Ecological Footprint accounting methodology and founder of Global Footprint Network, the think-tank behind the annual Earth Overshoot Day campaign. He will argue that “One Planet” is not a metaphor but a description; not a goal, but rather a recognition of our context which acknowledges the limited ecological budget our planet makes available.
October 24: The online jury conference of Beta Competition 2020, one of the biennial main events. The Competition was open to participants from three neighboring countries (Romania – Hungary – Serbia) and was addressed to all those who contribute to the generation of quality architecture within the Euroregion. The exhibition can be found in Libertății Square, until October 21st.
Access to the events of the biennial is free of charge, but participation requires registration. Details about the program and participation requirements, can be found at: betacity.eu
About the Timișoara Architecture Biennial Beta 2020
The festival is organized by the Romanian Order of Architects – Timiș Territorial Branch and The City Hall of the Municipality of Timișoara – the Culture House of the Municipality of Timișoara.
Organizing team / Beta Team 2020: Alexandra Maria Rigler, Alexandru Todirică, Alexandra Trofin, Anamaria Goie, Dariana Pau, David Alexandru Dumitrescu, Dragoș Nistor, Emanuela Cristescu, Nicoleta Postolache, Romina Popescu
Funders: Romanian Order of Architects – Architecture Stamp, Administration of the National Cultural Fund, The City Hall of the Municipality of Timișoara – the Culture House of the Municipality of Timișoara.
With the support of: Public Transport Museum “Corneliu Miklosi”, RETIM Ecologic Service SA, Lipoplast, Romanian Design Week, , Cemacon, Xella | Ytong, Timiș County Council, Banat University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine “King Mihai I of Romania”
Media partners: Agerpres, Epiteszforum, Igloo, IQads, Modernism, Radio Guerrilla, SMARK, Zeppelin, Tvr Timișoara
A cultural project co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund (AFCN).
The project does not necessarily represent the position of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the project results can be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the beneficiary of the funding.