Alison Brooks, Principal and Creative Director of Alison Brooks Architects and Jacob Kurek, Partner of Henning Larsen Architects have delivered an impressive lecture on "Performance Spaces" at the World Architecture Festival 2017, as the second of part of thematic sessions of the event.

In a 40-min session, Alison Brooks evaluated the concept of performance not just over "a housing concept", she also discussed the topic of performance as "a social space" that stimulate social experience and experimental spaces.

Brooks presented four different types of projects designed by Alison Brooks Architects, including The Smile installation exhibited at the London Design Festival last year and Ely Court in London, United Kingdom as a civic condenser.

"We try to design generosity in our projects, particularly, in terms of flexible structurality" said Alison Brooks. "We always try to create open facades that related to the front street with openness and high ceilings or large open spaces."

"We always push the boundaries of design for spaces more than the client's brief that we asked from us," Brooks added.

In the second part of the session, Jacob Kurek from Henning Larsen Architects, presented his studio's major projects to show how they designed successful performance spaces, including Moesgaard Museum in Denmark and Harpa Concert and Conference Centre in Iceland.

Kurek explored the multiple ways of performance spaces by presenting that how buildings - if they are designed well - performed unexpectedly apart from a client's brief.

Brooks and Kurek explained that how their designs create multi-functionality for the future use in different spaces. Especially, Kurek highlighted that how does architecture perform in extreme climatic conditions? and what lessons can be learned about copying with heat and cold?

"To design successful volumetric relations and spaces performing in all levels, you need to push the boundaries of technological tools rather than you already have," said Jacob Kurek.

"To reach your target, you need to do more scientific analyses on the projects and you should work with all modelling alternatives," he added. 

World Architecture Community is media partner for this year's World Architecture Festival. Read on for more information about the seminar programme and awards shortlist...

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