USA

The Benchmark School is a private elementary school in Media, Pennsylvania noted for tailoring its curriculum to the learning styles of its students. SHoP was asked to create an innovation laboratory as a small, freestanding addition to an existing campus building. Recognizing that the new structure itself could operate as a teaching tool, SHoP designed it to embody and exhibit many of the processes and techniques that the students themselves discover in their own experimentation with various 3D modeling and printing tools and platforms.

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan’s education culture is built in a way that after graduation from high school those who are capable of having to move to Baku for university education and eventually to start a “better” life there. It is mostly because, unfortunately, there are not many opportunities for young people in the other districts of the country and the decentralization process is very slow in the regions. The situation makes many young people leave their life behind and start a new beginning in a huge and gray city. Many things do not translate the same when you move from a district where life is slower, nature is beautiful and green, people are kinder and know each other and most importantly there is a sense of community around the neighborhood you used to live in. In return, Baku is very hectic, the weather is toxic, people always rush somewhere and the high buildings and city infrastructure leave you with minimum contact with people and nature. Most women who have mental health problems such as general anxiety and depression find it hard to adapt to a new toxic environment. Most women also feel more insecure about their safety and security in Baku due to the higher chances of harassment compared to the regions. The sense of being a “stranger” to a big city you newly moved in also adds up to the general anxiety and mental health problems. Some spaces help to relax and find peace such as the shore of the Caspian Sea. However, it is getting increasingly crowded and dirtier every other day. Conditions in the country leave many young people with little to no choice but to move to the capital city at some point in their lives. The city design with its many problems from transport to overpopulation makes it hard for most to adapt.

Azerbaijan

The movie is about nature preservation and how human and animal habitats could co-exist together. In this area where the movie is filmed, people have free access to give a visit and be in touch with animals. The interviewer explains the importance of the preservation of animal species and nature. Baku is a very busy and noisy city. Sometimes people want to escape the chaos of the city, but unfortunately, there are not very well-designed parks or other places where people can be easily in contact with nature. The filmed site is one of the examples where people could visit and be in touch with nature. Although Baku does not have the best nature scene, other regions of Azerbaijan are covered with beautiful nature and green areas. However, another problem is about access to these places. Sometimes they charge unreasonable prices for entrance tickets, or you need to take a seat at a facility (cafe, restaurant, etc) around the place (which charges a lot) in order to have access to nature. Escaping the noise of a big city and finding peace in public natural places is every citizen’s right. Restrictions on access and lousy design (as well as location) of parks in Baku are other urban problems of many.

Albania

Contemporary urban life plays in fast-forward. People use public space mainly as a medium to get from place to place, not as a destination. They practically share the space with each other, but they rarely use it to connect. That lack of connection creates alienation that ends up in exclusion. What would happen if we could simply pause for a moment and connect with what surround us and actually experience the space and the people in it? Wouldn't it be nice to meet you?

Azerbaijan

Ali Malikov, a well-known LGBTI+ activist, is the film's main character. In the background voice, they explain how cities are LGBTI+ exclusive and there is no safe space for queer people.

Albania

The architect without qualities is a personal story about the controversies of contemporary architectural practices –especially the ones working on an international level– and the clash of their activities with an architect’s personal ethical values. The author reports its own experience of working on a massive masterplan development in Tirana and seeing the subsequent real-estate development. The experience brought him to question his role in the construction industry and more in general the role of the contemporary architects in the wellbeing of the citizens. Through an exploration of its own project the author tries to shift from a tormented egocentric intellectual posture to one based on listening and direct contacts with the others.