Haris Piplaš is a researcher and lecturer at Urban-Think Tank, the Chair for Architecture and Urban Design at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, where he teaches Urban Design I/II and coordinates the project Reactivate Sarajevo. This project was presented at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale with the exhibition ''Sarajevo Now: People's Museum'' that he was in charge of as curator. The exhibition presented the potentials of urban development of Sarajevo and a proposal for the transformation of the Historical Museum and Marijin Dvor neighbourhood based on a new urban design concept for public spaces and role of museums in the 21st century. 

Reactivate Sarajevo – urban and social transformations

Haris Piplaš was born in Sarajevo in 1984. A childhood in the war-torn Sarajevo had a great impact on decisions Haris made regarding his studies and the pursuit of a scientific and professional career. He graduated in Landscape Architecture from the University of Architecture in Sarajevo as the best student of his generation and completed his post-graduate studies in Germany, interdisciplinary urban design studies at the Faculty of Architecture of the Technical University in Berlin. 

Arrival to Zurich

''The war in Sarajevo made me see its urban landscape and the surrounding nature in a completely different way. Back then, every building had a different meaning and I saw the buildings and streets of the city in a completely different way. Later on, I thought a lot about urban space and in which way it could be changed. This was also the reason why I decided to study landscape architecture in Sarajevo, which led me to post-graduate studies in Berlin and later on to research work at Politecnico di Milano and practical work at Danish and German companies. When I already had my bags packed to go to Boston for post-research studies at Harvard, a series of circumstances lead me to Zurich at the end of 2011, to the Urban-Think Tank Chair lead by professors Alfred Billembourg and Hubert Klumpner. I decided to join this team, because they were truly doing something new and progressive and in a very integrative way, which corresponded with my ideas and visions.

Urban-Think Tank follows an approach of general understanding of the social context in creating urban solutions. We are interested in the history of a city and its political organisation, social, environmental and economic context, because without understanding these aspects we can neither understand the society nor create adequate urban solutions that will truly match the real needs of citizens. In this case, it is important to stress that we have a different approach than the one usually applied in our wider profession, where an architect is frequently isolated in the micro-profession and rarely participates in social processes. Our integrative approach, which has been honoured with awards several times and has become a new trend in this profession, includes cooperation with partners from the field science, culture, the private sector, governmental and non-governmental organisations, and we apply it in the framework of projects ranging from Detroit, over Chinese and Latin American agglomerates, to Cape Town, Athens and Oslo. By working on projects throughout the world and being a member of various committees, juries and expert teams, I acquired the necessary experience and then suggested a project in Bosnia and Herzegovina.''

Development of the project Reactivate Sarajevo

''The new project I suggested to my colleagues from the Urban-Think Tank Chair was focusing on Sarajevo as a geographical and very symbolic centre of Southeast Europe. We started with an analysis of various buildings and public spaces in Sarajevo. We also organised a study trip and a large forum at Dom mladih Skenderija in May 2015, where we gathered professionals from different fields, and focused on three key topics for the transformation of a city: sustainable development, creative industry and cultural management. We analysed the history and current urban planning of the city, all of its important buildings, squares and public spaces, and we focused on the current events in the city, its resources and transformation potentials.

Our conclusion was that Sarajevo might not need many new buildings, new museums and opera houses, because even already existing buildings cannot be properly maintained. Museums and public cultural buildings are either closed or facing a particularly difficult financial situation. In such a situation it would be absolutely pointless to suggest any new and expensive projects that someone else should implement and pay for. We have analysed all of this, and we particularly focused on solutions for buildings from the socialist period, because these buildings bear the greatest realistic potential for adaptation and transformation in the current social circumstances.

The final selection for our urban transformation project was the Historical Museum as one of the most symbolic buildings in Sarajevo. It used to be the Museum of Revolution, which presented the national liberation fight in WWII and the socialist revolution, and after the war in the 1990s it was renamed to the Historical Museum and its content was adapted. The Historical Museum is currently facing a series of difficulties, from financing and restructuring issues to an uncertain future of both its employees and the institution itself. The situation of this museum is a symbol of transformation of the whole society of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the current political and social reality of the city and country.

The idea was thus born to offer a revitalisation and activation plan for the Historical Museum in cooperation with the company Baier Bischofberger Architekten with a view to transform it into a public space where citizens could gather, and exhibitions and various social events could be organised. The project had three basic goals: to ensure a fast and cost-effective conservation of the existing building until the funds for its full restructuring are ensured, to secure bottom-up social processes related to museum activities and to transform this institution into an active urban centre.''

Participation in the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale

''The topic of the Venice Architecture Biennale was 'Reporting from the front', and the project Reactivate Sarajevo and the Historical Museum were a perfect fit. Thanks to the mayor of Venice, we received a large pavilion of 700 m2 for the exhibition, one of the largest pavilions at the Biennale. The participation took place under the auspices of Matica BiH from Zurich, which made it possible to activate the diaspora of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Switzerland and beyond. We have not only presented ideas for the transformation of the museum and Marijin Dvor neighbourhood, but also the City of Sarajevo and the context of the whole region. Pictures taken by Jim Marshall, who showed the transformation of Sarajevo in the period 1996-2012 by taking photos of buildings from the same angle and thus documenting their change, were exhibited. Pictures by Charlie Koolhaas, showing the daily life of the people of Sarajevo, were also shown, just as the sketches of Top lista nadrealista and movies by two additional authors. The pavilion thus contained numerous elements that could explain the situation in the field and the resources available in Sarajevo and how to activate them. Colleagues from 20 countries cooperated on the pavilion, and we also had great support from our colleagues from Novi Sad, Priština, Skoplje, Podgorica, Zagreb and Belgrade.

At the opening of the exhibition, there were many guests and famous persons. The reactions were quite strong. Our project was brutally honest. We did not want to provoke sentimentality and regret in people, since the intention, given our current circumstances and reality, was to show the situation of the city as it was, with the idea that it could be changed. We fit perfectly in the topic of the Biennale, Reporting from the Front. We have shown that it is necessary to understand the whole context of an area, go in the field and work for true users of buildings, suggest a transformation of the urban landscape and thus also initiate a social transformation.

Such an approach is a new global trend in the discourse on urbanism and architecture and for this reason, we were a novelty in Venice. We offered a very realistic project with so many different perspectives and numerous visitors, experts and the media were interested in seeing that at the Biennale. By presenting a small country, given the fact that it was the first time that Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in the Venice Biennale since its independence, we became a widely discussed topic at the Biennale''.

Motivation

''I think that my generation, which grew up during the war and post-war period, strongly wishes to change the current situation. Some speak about the pre-war social idyll, others about war suffering, others only list problems and criticise, and what is actually needed is to identify the existing resources for changes, include interested persons and make changes.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the whole Balkan region, are at a stage where we have to show that we have overcome the war and post-war trauma and that we are ready to organise a better life. The time of donations and complaints is over – today we have to work. I wish to continue working, to participate in the social transformation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. After 20 years, we can no longer wait for someone else to resolve our issues or reset a certain social and political situation we had before. The situation we face today is as it is and we have to change it. Our project gathered a great alliance of people for this: ETH as the lead project partner, renowned experts from the whole world, institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Switzerland and the diaspora of Bosnia and Herzegovina through cooperation with Matica BiH. 

There are many professional and talented persons that are part of the diaspora of Bosnia and Herzegovina that invested their knowledge, time and resources in our project and are willing to continue participating in the development of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and they are a truly important factor for further knowledge and experience transfer between Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina''.

Reactions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the implementation of Reactivate Sarajevo

''You know, to be granted the approval and organise the 1984 Winter Olympics was the unattainable dream, but then it happened. In spite of the existing bad economic situation and political vacuum in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we have to introduce a critical dialogue and work on changes. I am well aware that some persons profit from the existing economic and political status quo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, thus sabotaging progress and critical dialogue. However, I am also aware of the fact that there are many persons who wish to see changes. They are very professional and have visions. The most encouraging thing is to see this vital energy among our colleagues and friends in Sarajevo, but also the energy of people from the whole world, who are participating in our project. Such persons make me an inveterate optimist. There is a strong creative potential in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which might be subdued in the daily fight for survival, but we have incorporated it now and its activation will continue. 

The Historical Museum is owned by the City of Sarajevo and there is an on-going internal dialogue on the future status of the museum. We submitted our project for a temporary conservation and protection of the museum and its further transformation. The future of the museum depends on the political reality on site. The Biennale exhibits are displayed at the Historical Museum. In the meantime, we are developing the first urban development scenarios for Sarajevo that focus on its central part, we train students, organise various forums, study trips and exchanges. We also organised a large symposium at the Sarajevo City Hall, which was a follow-up on our activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2015 and the 2016 Venice Biennale endeavour. We continue our work and dialogue with our colleagues in Sarajevo, who are excellent partners and very motivated for cooperation. Our project is less than 2 years old and it already shows that progress can be made''.

The project Reactivate Sarajevo was made possible by ETH Zurich, Matica BiH, SECO/State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, SNSF/Swiss National Science Foundation, Embassy of Switzerland to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Baier Bischofberger Architekten, University of Sarajevo (students and staff of the Faculty of Architecture), Sarajevo City Administration, Office of the Mayor of the City of Venice and the Foundation La Terra Nostra.

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For further information please visit the following websites:

http://www.reactivate-sarajevo.com
http://u-tt.com/project/the-peoples-museum/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ReactivateSarajevo

Links: 
Reactivate Sarajevo Intro film
Reactivate Sarajevo Museum film