The Line of Dissent

The Line of Dissent: An architectural-political vision for an open European Union

Stoschek, Dominik (TU Delft Architecture and the Built Environment)

Vrachliotis, Georg (mentor)
Pohl, D. (graduation committee)
van der Meel, H.L. (graduation committee)

Delft University of Technology

Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences | Explorelab

2023-01-25

At the EU Parliament in Brussels, deliberation and decision-making processes are stuck in an ever-turning hamster wheel designed to reach unanimous compromises. The architecture of the so-called Consensusland provides spatial settings exclusively designed for the purpose of reaching compromises and not offering room where discussions and conflicts can be discussed open-endedly. What is supposed to be a building for exchange and deliberation rather nourishes an atmosphere of complete consensus.
The Line of Dissent offers both, an urbanistic and architectural approach to institutionalize a citizen's assembly integrated into the existing parliament's complex. By exploring different spatial settings and sequences, a myriad of assembly and information spaces is being created. Here, the participants of the citizen’s assembly are enabled to come up with thoughts and ideas on the future of the EU where an architecture characterised by transparency and openness nourishes an atmosphere of dissent. The design seeks to blur the borders between the public and the political realm to enhance the permeability of both spheres and to eventually lower the threshold for citizens willing to engage in the decision-making processes on an European level.

EU
assembly
politics
dissent
Brussels
EU-quarter
EU-parliament
deliberation
public realm
decision-making

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:f917553d-597a-473a-be3d-f80c955e7588

50.838784, 4.374792

Student theses

master thesis

© 2023 Dominik Stoschek