MEJAN ARC

Mejan Arc is a forum for post-master’s education in architecture and urban planning that investigates ongoing societal changes connected to an architectural and urban discourse. Mejan Arc offers one-year courses on a post-master’s level in three disciplines: Resources/ Architecture, Architectural Conservation and Art & Architecture. The common goal of Mejan Arc is to engage in society by generating relevant and tangible projects, as well as creating professional networks that extend outside the academic realm. Projects that are initiated at Mejan Arc often become independent platforms that continue to develop autonomously.

The three disciplines within Mejan Arc share an interest in the city, its history and identity, social aspects and future urban possibilities all in relation to climate and resources. Both Resources/ Architecture, Architectural Conservation and Art & Architecture have produced a number of projects the last few years founded both on current international discourses as well as on artistic practices. The courses utilize methods of research and design to explore the potential of urban environments in an unpredictable world of increasing social division and uneven distribution of resources. How can the city and its diverse life forms, environments, architecture and history all interact and be harnessed to achieve sustainable solutions? In the ongoing debate on urban futures we need to have an understanding of for whom and for what kind of life we imagine an urban future. Who is the city for? How can we, as urban actors, work together to greater understand the complexities of contemporary cities? How can we use our joint knowledge to create a just and sustainable urban environment?

Mejan Arc looks outside the Eurocentric discourse and primarily investigates cities exhibiting other structures and qualities than western ones, since it is here that urban expansion is taking place presently and will continue to do so in the future. Study trips have become an important part of the research for all three courses. Collaborations with local institutions, NGO’s, activists and practitioners enable us to integrate the foreign gaze with contextualized dialogue. Mejan Arc emphasizes the importance of comparable urban studies and the value of working with a specific context and its unique needs. Avoiding generalizations is a fundamental attitude, both while researching as well as in the practical work of producing innovative urban solutions. The courses have a strong interdisciplinary approach, which includes the selection of students from diverse professions as well as methods for how knowledge is generated - from experts of varied backgrounds and a methodological framework based on multiple approaches to problem solving. This environment creates conditions for participants from differing disciplines to engage in a critical discussion together, developing new ideas and approaches. The practical work is important in all three courses and the city is investigated through research-, art- and design-based methods.

Resources/ Architecture and Architectural Conservation are one year full-time courses granting 60 academic credits. Art & Architecture is a part-time course that grants 30 academic credits, followed by a full-time project term. All courses are post-master’s courses admitting 20 students each. The academic credits can partly be counted towards a PhD degree.