"Living in the City and Its Transitions" Series #2: Jean & Aline Harari

In 2026, the Quartus Endowment for Architecture continues its lecture series entitled “Living in the city and its transitions”.

At the next event organized as part of this second season, architects Jean and Aline Harari will speak:

Survival Architecture – A Disciplinary Challenge
 “In ‘these disjointed times,’ what role is still assigned to architecture? Is it not itself ‘out of joint’—dislocated, dismembered—caught between that which displays itself and revels in its own spectacle, and those less ostentatious forms that stubbornly persist, against all odds, in pursuing other goals: those of common causes.”
The architecture we champion is, first and foremost, a battle against adversity. Against what threatens its integrity, its relevance—dare we say, its truth. For architecture is not a given for all time. It can disappear, and there are many signs that it is in peril. The unbelievable proliferation of shoddy constructions, unworthy buildings, and suburban areas devoid of any quality—under the pretext that they lie on the outskirts of cities—amply attests to this phenomenon of disappearance and attrition. This is where the “non-places” of the modern city have sprung up.
Housing lies at the heart of the discipline; it is its primary purpose, the cornerstone of its legitimacy and collective utility. It is in this very realm that it is under threat and that we must restore its dignity and generosity; it must reconnect with its mission to build the city—or at the very least, to refrain from destroying it. This is the meaning we believe we must give to our profession.”

Admission free, subject to availability.
Online registration (registration does not guarantee access).