REPAIRING FOR PLURALITY
Visions and Theories
Call for contributions

BACKGROUND
A particularly critical condition characterizes the hydraulic infrastructure assets in the oldest developed countries due to advanced age, obsolescence, risk, and increasing need for maintenance. In times of climate change, this condition becomes even more relevant for worsening extreme conditions and intensifying the stress to which infrastructure is subjected. Moreover, all this happens against a backdrop of crisis, exacerbated by economic and demographic imbalance, making it impossible to keep effectively active such a vast, stratified, and complex reality.
The practice of maintenance thus assumes a fundamental role in allowing this heritage to survive. However, it also represents an open field of innovative possibilities to formulate plural hypotheses for the care of the landscape. This task will happen considering each intervention to improve architectonic quality and functional options, enhancing habitability systemic, relational, and ecological values. Consequently, maintenance may become a process capable of identifying a new operational space for waterscape design responding to the needs of increasingly fragile environments, territories, and economies.

CALL
The call is addressed both to the academic and professional fields to collect a catalog of strategic visions and theories on plural creative hypotheses of waterscapes maintenance in times of multiple crises. The aim is to receive contributions from a vast interdisciplinary background of experts involved in designing contemporary infrastructure, landscape, and environment, exploring how a standard maintenance process can open to otherness and landscape.

The call consists of two alternative proposals:

A - Visual contribution.
The goal is assuming an existing waterscape component that requires maintenance (i.e., bridge, bank, lock, retaining wall, reservoir, etc.) or a waterscape transect (including several parts). The aim is to describe it in its context and offer a strategic future vision regarding its plural possibilities (retrofitting, re-contextualizing, integrating, extending, improving, etc.). Comparing existing and forecasting will show a journey in rethinking infrastructural components landscape meaning and function.

B - Theoretical contribution.
The goal is to present theories, researches, or case studies in waterscapes, focusing on extending the plural possibilities of maintenance processes.
Topics can include but are not limited to: maintenance necessity; creative possibilities of maintenance; maintenance and landscape quality; maintenance and architectonical quality; maintenance and plurality; maintenance in fragile contexts; maintenance and ecology/environment; creative/plural/innovative experiences of maintenance; maintenance impossibility; history of maintenance/ philosophy of maintenance; etc

DELIVERIES
For the Visual Contribution (A), are required two drawings showing: a) the existing condition; b) the transformation after plural maintenance. Representation methods and techniques are free, but only Black and white drawings are admitted. Each drawing should fit in a 18x18 cm square page / 300dpi resolution / maximum quality .jpg format / B&W. Please also provide a caption of max 100 words + contact details + affiliation + short bio. The official language is English.
All the selected contributions will be presented in an instant onsite+virtual exhibition during the final research conference at Politecnico di Milano+online and included in the atlas to be published before the end of 2022. The official language is English.

For the theoretical contribution (B), the call consists of two stages. For the first stage it is required Title + 5 keywords + abstract of 300-500 words of the proposed contribution + references + contact details + affiliation + short bio. The selected authors will be required to prepare a full 3500 words paper to be presented at the final research conference at Politecnico di Milano+online and published before the end of 2022. The official language is English.

DEADLINES
Please, for both the calls (A/B), submit the required materials in a .zip archive or WeTransfer to the organizer [andrea.oldani(at)polimi.it] before the 10th January 2022. The authors of the selected contributions will be informed at the beginning of February. Final papers for B contribution will be required before the end of March.

CONTACT
Andrea Oldani, arch. phd.
Assistant professor in Landscape Architecture
Department of Architecture and Urban Studies
Politecnico di Milano
andrea.oldani(at)polimi.it