KOOZ Ecofollia proposes an alternative management of “commons” on small to medium-sized plots found within the urban fabric. What does the project define as commons?

LYDIA TERKENLI | GEORGIA KARAKOSTA | NEFELI METAXIOTIThe project defines as “commons” those spaces that are produced collectively by people, through a set of emancipatory practices and imaginary alternatives of sharing. Such practices are based on self-managed cooperation, mutual involvement and negotiation within and against current forms of order in today’s cities.¹

It’s important to understand the distinction between common space and the notions of public and private space. Common space is shaped through grassroots initiatives, while providing outlets for unexpected encounters, informal events and alternative activities outside the increasingly controlled and privatised “open” urban space. The commons is managed collaboratively by all; it is always open to newcomers in an effort to support the evolving community and unfold new forms of social relations.

KOOZHow does the project approach the potential of urban soils?

LT | GK | NM A crucial concern while working on the project was how to manage the urban soils in the Anthropocene and assess the potential for their recovery through natural processes. It is important to note the ways in which our immersion in industrial capitalist production over the years has made a drastic change to what we now call urban soils. Intensified urbanisation and the constant need to produce bigger profits has led to a lack of attention towards environmental impacts. The human footprint is so vastly expanded that soils in urbanised environments are usually deeply affected and often experience the loss of many inherent functions, such as supporting plant life, water infiltration and storing organic carbon. In this context, the attempt to rewild urban soils can be a challenge.

However, Ecofollia’s approach to urban soils revolves around recognising their ecological value and potential to be reclaimed by nature. In small to medium pockets of land, rewilding processes combined with community support could make this potential a reality. Nature can indeed begin to reclaim the urban soils, but human intervention — such as reintroducing native plant species or adding organic materials and beneficial microbes — is essential to enhance recovery.

However, rewilding is a slow process. It requires allowing nature to lead at its own pace, which could take decades or even centuries. This potential of urban soils is feasible, but its visible results may only be enjoyed by future generations. In order for things to work, commoners must dedicate time to maintaining the system in consideration of future residents. It is an ongoing process and should, therefore, be so closely linked to the concept of eco-pedagogy.

It is primarily a matter of care and watching things grow, which, over time, fosters a relationship of engagement between the commoners and the evolving urban Grove. This is where the significance of commons comes into play, completing this imaginary ecological potential. Rewilding presupposes an ever-expanding inclusive community that will transfer and enrich the practices of ecology.

KOOZSpecifically, Ecofollia focuses on designing specific architectural facilities to support a Grove with a community that is developed in and around rewilding, embracing an experimental and collaborative eco-management of commons that aims to develop a new eco-pedagogy. What informed the architectural facilities that you proposes? How do they interact and relate to the ground?

LT | GK | NMThe architectural facilities in Ecofollia stem from the needs of the existing community of the site while also supporting the Grove. Locals are already appropriating the space with self-built seating, kiosks for markets and small gardens. The structures and objects we propose — although they perform specific functions — remain deliberately ambiguous and with the possibility for mutation, in order to create the conditions for the unexpected to happen. A set of open and multipurpose structures is proposed to host ongoing life of the community, including communal spaces for assemblies, observation platforms, educational spaces, seedbeds and workshops. These facilities — whether above ground or integrated into the landscape — act as mediators between the built and natural environment, allowing for learning, community gathering and collaboration, and creating a direct link between architecture, community, and nature.

Regarding the design, what informed it was mostly the aspiration of challenging the unpredictable. Passing from the city to the Grove should mean passing into a world that is uncanny, but not alien; a worldin complete opposition to the clearly organised and designed environment of the city. The choice of materials determined the design of the structures as well: our raw materials are largely reclaimed, second hand and waste matter that can be found in a junkyard or even on the plot itself, as well as ecological materials, like mycelium. Therefore, the structure's design is nothing but the basis for mutations, additions and innovative experimental interventions by the community based on the technique of bricolage and craftsmanship. None of the structures ends in design; rather they are dynamic, leaving a wide range of contingencies for changes, responding to the wishes of its users and the different cycles of its life over time.

In a parallel bid towards the extraordinary, a series of small, peculiar objects appear lost in the grove among the dense foliage. Some appear to be forgotten remnants, while others function as strange machines that require interaction to activate their mechanism. They may become temporary shelters or watering holes for grove creatures; still others are activated by wind, sun, or water in response to environmental sustainability practices.

All these facilities are designed to be low-impact, sustainable, and supportive of natural processes, including rainwater collection and filtration system, compostations, biomass boilers and seed banks. The interaction with the ground involves minimal disturbance and integration with natural water cycles. Most of them are above-ground structures, like the Seedbed and the Kiosks, but on-ground facilities are proposed as well, which use foundations that minimise soil disturbance or use the remnants of the previous human activity — like the Platform, that utilises the remnant of the old tobacco warehouse base as a host for adapting portable and ephemeral equipment. Some facilities straddle both categories, such as semi-elevated structures that touch the ground lightly but which are anchored in a way that preserves the underlying soil and plant ecosystems.

These design choices aim to create a balance between humans and nature, producing a common space that can be both a thriving natural environment and a space for communal learning and interaction.

KOOZIn her project for greater Geneva, Paola Viganò explores the potential of soil and labour. Beyond the environmental impact of soil regeneration, what are the social and pedagogical opportunities offered by a renewed relationship to the ground?

LT | GK | NM In Paola Viganò’s work, the regeneration of soils is more than an environmental concern; it represents an opportunity to redefine our social relations to land, labour, and the commons. Her project suggests a rethinking of the urban soils as an ecosystem where humans and non-humans collaboratively participate.

Although Ecofollia’s focus on small-scale rewilding contrasts with Viganò’s larger, more systematic ecological restoration, the common points of both approaches are the soil recovery and the community engagement. The renewed relationship of city dwellers with the ground provides significant social opportunities. Soil regeneration, framed as a community effort, transforms the ground into a shared space, where rewilding becomes a shared responsibility. Opportunities arise for fostering new forms of social organisation, participation, and learning that are deeply rooted in a shared, collective care for the land.

In this sense, labour is not merely about productivity; when redefined as collective and ecological work, it transforms from a purely economic activity to a type of non-formal education. By engaging with the ground, people can learn not only about ecology but also about cooperation, resilience, and the importance of communal efforts in sustaining both natural systems and human communities.

At the same time, soil recovery becomes a powerful pedagogical tool. The ground serves as a living classroom; the idea of eco-pedagogy derives from the concept of the greek verb “άγω”, which means to lead, to transfer. In the context of the Grove, it refers to leading to a new way of thinking, behaving and educating (ourselves) about the environment, as well as a culture of mutual participation in a specific and constantly evolving common place. Through direct interaction with the soil, commoners can gain holistic awareness through a hands-on understanding of ecological processes, such as nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, and rainwater filtration.

This pedagogical opportunity is enhanced by the participation of the two schools located within the plot, which we propose to be transformed into eco-educational schools (following a similar logic to specialised arts, sports and technical academies). The interaction between the schools and the proposed Grove creates a symbiotic relationship, where education supports ecological recovery, and the evolving grove provides ongoing opportunities for experiential learning. Students might be involved in activities such as planting native species or engaging in soil restoration techniques, all of which allow them to witness and participate in this ongoing process.

In short, the expanding community and the two schools are integral to the goals of the project. They provide the structural and educational framework necessary to cultivate the next generation of eco-conscious citizens, while the Grove offers a tangible, living space for the community to engage in learning and collective ecological action.

KOOZ What literature did you explore throughout the project?

LT | GK | NM Throughout our project, we engaged in deep research on theory, practical knowledge, real-world examples and imaginative literature that helped to shape our approach. Foundation for our initial ideas was the exploration of commons and the right to the city. Henri Lefebvre’s work The Right to the City and Sotiris Stavridis’ Common Space: The City as Commons were particularly influential, guiding our thinking on the collective reappropriation of urban spaces by their inhabitants and on the role of shared spaces for the community.

Doreen Massey’s Philosophy and Politics of Spatiality provided a critical lens for understanding the complex interplay between space and power; Murray Bookchin’s The Ecology of Freedom was also significant for understanding how ecological and social issues are intertwined.

Our research also involved studies on forest botany and ecology. We collaborated closely with foresters, discussing suitable endemic species for the rewilding process and exploring the methods and challenges involved. We wanted to make sure that our proposal was grounded in practical expertise.

In addition to our ecological studies, we explored how sustainable systems really work, such as rainwater filtration, hydroponic systems, and composting. This was a significant factor that influenced our design choices. Valentina Karga’s work on self-sufficiency techniques and grassroots technologies for sustainability gave us valuable feedback on how these systems can be effective and how a circuit of knowledge is possible. Also, real-world projects like the Floating University in Berlin was a case-study for us. Its focus on community-driven approaches to urban space, sustainability, and collaboration provided a practical model for how our ideas could be realised.

Last, we drew a lot of inspiration while imagining Ecofollia from Ursula Le Guin's descriptions in her work, The Word for World is Forest. The rethinking of the relationship between human and nature, as well as the narrative of resistance against exploitation that it offers, provoked many thoughts and ideas that deeply influenced our project.

KOOZ What is the potential of this approach in redefining the relationship between urban and natural?

LT | GK | NM Cities, as we know them, stand in opposition to nature. They are an artificial and social construction based on domination and oppression, that reflect the exploitation over the natural word, as Bookchin argues.² Urban environments have long been designed to separate humans from nature, legitimising their domination over it.

What we want to achieve and hope to provoke with Ecofollia is redefining the relationship between nature and culture. Ecofollia challenges the dichotomy that separates them by weaving nature into the very fabric of urban life; integrating ecological spaces into the urban matrix rather than treating them as separate entities. This approach creates a fluid continuity between urban and natural spaces, in which both realms coexist in a mutually beneficial relationship.

Contrary to systemic attempts to dominate nature, we envision to conceive nature and human beings as a whole in constant evolution. As social ecologists have suggested, “human beings do not exist outside of nature, in a realm entirely on their own, but develop cultures within the larger world of nature”.³ Our vision is to transform urban spaces into ecological ecosystems that promote social and organic reconciliation, leading to what Bookchin called “free nature”. A non-antagonistic relationship to the natural world; an ecological society based on inclusivity and self-management communities.

In other words, Ecofollia proposes an experimental process of non-disciplinary learning and education on the transformation of the relationship between the man-made and natural environment, setting the seeds for coming into being a new "natureculture".⁴ It envisions a parallel world of natural expression within the urban, where the boundaries between city and nature dissolve, inviting the unexpected and extraordinary to sprout in the heart of the urban landscape.

Bios

Lydia Terkenli is a junior architect and a recent graduate of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece. In 2022, she studied for one semester at the Polytechnic University in Valencia, Spain. Previous work includes designing scenography for children's theatrical plays and developing multimedia educational tools for children with mental and visual challenges. Currently based in Madrid, she is interning at Husos Arquitecturas, where she had the opportunity to collaborate in the "Natures of Hope" exhibition of the 2024 Biennale of Rotterdam.

Georgia Karakosta holds a Master’s degree in Architecture from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. She also studied at Università di Bologna as an Erasmus student. Her work lies at the intersection of art, craftsmanship, participatory architecture, and urban intervention. Currently, she is doing an internship at the architecture and art collective Colectivo Warehouse in Lisbon, where she has taken an active part in participatory design projects and urban installations. She likes to explore experimental forms of living that examine human’s relationship with nature. Most of her free time you’ll find her in the mountains.

Nefeli Metaxiotirecently graduated from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki completing the Architecture’s master’s degree. She is mostly interested in the urbanised city space, in appropriation practices, spatial reproduction and the footprint of power structures, theoretically but in practice too, through design processes and hands-on constructions. Besides her academic work, she’s worked before as a freelancer for architectural renderings and as a Head Graphic Designer for greek congresses.

Federica Zambeletti is the founder and managing director of KoozArch. She is an architect, researcher and digital curator whose interests lie at the intersection between art, architecture and regenerative practices. In 2015 Federica founded KoozArch with the ambition of creating a space where to research, explore and discuss architecture beyond the limits of its built form. Parallel to her work at KoozArch, Federica is Architect at the architecture studio UNA and researcher at the non-profit agency for change UNLESS where she is project manager of the research "Antarctic Resolution". Federica is an Architectural Association School of Architecture in London alumni.