The Future of Architecture - Talk #5: Agritecture with Mangaliso Mtetwa
Architecture and agriculture - fields as old as civilization itself. Looking at food security on a global scale, is there a way in which we could bring ideas of subsistence farming into our urban areas? And could it possibly be an unexplored avenue for architects to investigate further? In our interview with Mangaliso Mtetwa, an architect and ambassador for ‘Agritecture’, we tackle these questions and more:
About the Guest:
Mangaliso Mtetwa is an Architect at the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development in Pretoria, South Africa. A graduate from University of Pretoria, his work focuses on mixed use developments, residential, retail and industrial architecture. He likes to call it ‘Simplistic Complexity’, blurring the boundaries between Architecture and Landscape through an exploration of concepts that are shaped by strong site responses and employ architecture as the harbinger of a holistic sustainable future - environmental, social and economic. As he has demonstrated through his work, he believes that architecture has the power to change the future of the world, and has a crucial role to play in the paradigm shifts that are the world is experiencing.
Chapters
1. 0:00 - Introduction
2. 1:00 - What is 'agritecture'?
3. 3:05 - What made you choose an architectural solution to food production?
4. 05:50 - What, in your opinion, is architecture's role in the socio-economics of a place?
5. 09:55 - Architecture & agriculture - how do you think this age old partnership could take us into the future?
6. 12:00 - Do you think there is long-term feasibility to the abovementioned partnerships?
7. 15:00 - Which is the most promising of these potential technologies?
8. 20:48 - After looking at the potential of Architecture to integrate with agriculture, to create this sort of agritecture, what do you think prevents this branch from becoming a mainstream approach to design?
9. 28:28 - Section walkthrough
10. 36:52 - What would you say regenerative design or 'space' is?
11. 38:05 - With your project being a product of the Future of Architecture, where do you see its future going?
Cite this video:
Harvard Reference:
1. AN ARCHITECT. 2021.The Future of Architecture - Talk 5: Agritecture with Mangaliso Mtetwa. [ONLINE VIDEO] Available at: • The Future of Architecture - Talk #5: Agri... (Accessed: dd/mm/yyyy)
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