Creation from Catastrophe: How architecture rebuilds communities

From plans to reconfigure London after the Great Fire of 1666 to contemporary responses to earthquakes and tsunamis, Creation from Catastrophe questions the fragility of architecture, our relationship to nature, and the power of architects to change.

Destruction and devastation present unique opportunities to radically rethink our environment. ‘Creation from Catastrophe – How architecture rebuilds communities’, sponsored by Ruskin Air Management, explores the varying ways that cities and communities have been re-imagined in the aftermath of natural or man-made disasters. From masterplans to reconfigure London after the Great Fire of 1666 to contemporary responses to earthquakes and tsunamis, Creation from Catastrophe poses questions about the fragility of architecture, our relationship to nature, and the power of architects to instigate change.

Through an eclectic array of drawings, photographs, film, books and models, the exhibition asks whether we are facing a paradigm shift in the way that cities and communities recover from destruction – from top down planning to a ground up approach. Original material will be brought to the UK for the first time, from architects working across the world, including Pakistan, Japan, Chile, Portugal and Nepal.

Starting with the five alternative plans for London produced after the Great Fire of 1666, the exhibition takes the viewer on a journey through 18th century Lisbon, 19th century Chicago, 20th century Skopje, ending up in current day Nepal, Nigeria, Japan, Chile, Pakistan and USA. Key historical works from the RIBA Collections will be on display for the first time, including the five original plans for rebuilding London after the Great Fire of London, which has its 350th anniversary in 2016. The exhibition will weave a narrative about the shift from a tabula rasa approach (blank slate) created by a sole author, to a more collaborative way of working that relies on local expertise, materials and community spirit. The latter approach inevitably results in an altered role for architectural authorship with architects acting as community facilitators, educators, builders and designers.

Curated by freelance curator Jes Fernie with assistance from Stephanie Sutton, Curatorial Programmes Coordinator at RIBA, the exhibition is designed by Aberrant Architecture, a young, London-based practice run by David Chambers and Kevin Haley. The exhibition design boldly reflects the changing approach to rethinking cities after a disaster, through use of a Perspex grid structure and cork, and includes a viewing platform from which visitors can assume an elevated view of the material on show.