February on Shelter: The Architecture Channel is set to captivate audiences with a diverse array of premieres. New series include What Does It Take To Build A House, Paradigma Olivetti and No Building As Usual.
Explore an architect’s commitment to make everyday spaces better through innovative design; follow the upwards trajectory of an iconic design company after the passing of its founder; and discover the alternative building methods that can deliver affordable & sustainable housing, this February on SHELTER.
New to Shelter this February:
HAVING THE BEST YOU CAN GET: WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BUILD A HOUSE
How and why should architecture affect and improve everyday life?
Join Piers Taylor in conversation with architect Sarah Wigglesworth, and see how her work aims to improve the lives of everyday people, in their everyday worlds; in WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE A BUILDING.
Focusing on Wigglesworth’s socially and environmentally minded approach to her work, encapsulated within the groundbreaking Stock Orchard Street house and studio, this short documentary captures her commitment to making everyday spaces better; through innovative design.
Wigglesworth discusses her belief that architecture can be a powerful force for positive change, challenging societal models that link worthiness to affordability.
“I want to make everyday worlds better; the worlds we inhabit all the time. Where civic life is played out against this backdrop of things you encounter in your everyday world.”
“I think it’s a right of everybody, to have the best thing you can get.”
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BUILD A HOUSE (27 mins) UK 2021 – Available February 5
CARRYING THE DESIGN BATON: PARADIGMA OLIVETTI
A unique, trailblazing and complex figure in the world of design, Adriano Olivetti established an industry-leading corporate culture at his company of innovation and a deep care for quality and design.
And thanks to the foundations he established, the company continued to grow and innovate throughout the changes and challenges of the 20th century.
PARADIGMA OLIVETTI explores the challenges the Olivetti Company faced after his passing, and the designers who dedicated their lives to continuing the Olivetti quest for excellence.
In an era marked by rapid innovations; the transition from mechanical technology to electronics, and into the IT and telecommunication era, this feature-documentary follows the designers and company that merged utility and quality with the emotion senses.
“They were never frightened even by the most transgressive proposals. ”
“Everyone was part of this thing that objectively fascinated you.”
“To always go in-depth, was the Olivetti method.”
“Everything has to be designed excellently, even if it was just the wastebasket.”
PARADIGMA OLIVETTI (88 mins) Italy 2020 – Available February 12
BUILDING WITH CIRCULAR SYSTEMS: NO BUILDING AS USUAL
Can efficient, stylish and sustainable architecture help combat the need for housing and climate change at once?
NO BUILDING AS USUAL addresses the urgent climate challenge in architecture by documenting the construction of Nest House; a sustainable home built for two elderly individuals in the Gloucestershire countryside.
This short documentary showcases a collaborative effort involving 12 students from underrepresented backgrounds with minimal construction experience. Built using the U-Build construction system, a method so simple anyone can take part using only a mallet and a drill, the students camped on site as they completed the construction.
“The business-as-usual model is archaic, it doesn’t work, we can’t work like that; and it’s blowing our carbon budget.”
“How we can build that is in context with the local environment.”
NO BUILDING AS USUAL (15 mins) UK 2022 – Available February 19
