2112Ai (Architectural Intelligence) 100YC (100-Year City)

RESEARCH BACKGROUND: Maribor, a Slovenian city of 100,000, was the 2012 European Capital of Culture. As part of this historical and global program, 2112Ai was developed as an international, trans-disciplinary project under the direction of Tom Kovac. One strand of this project was the 2112Ai exhibition at Maribor Urban Space Gallery, a show curated by selecting 45 relevant urban and architectural proposals produced by participants in the research project. This was part of a broader collaborative endeavour that instigated a global network of visionaries and progressive institutions, with some of the world's most innovative architects, to engage with Maribor. Over 1000 people (400 students from 11 countries, 23 institutions and 37 studio leaders along with architects, advisors, mentors and key stakeholders) produced over 100 projects. RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION: Maribor was once defined by its steel industry and the manufacture of trains, cars and trucks but these industries collapsed in the 1960s and 1970s as Maribor transitioned from communism to socialism to a nascent capitalism. Responding to briefs from the Maribor City Architect and from the city's mayor and deputy mayor, 2112Ai produced new knowledge for Maribor as a future hub for transport, infrastructure and tourism. The project identified: (1) new strategies for modelling emergent design research practice; and (2) trans-disciplinary thinking and online collaborative practice as core requirements for future innovation. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE: Kovac was awarded $160K grant by the prestigious European Union. The project was selected for exhibition in the Australian Pavilion and the Slovenian Pavilion at the 13th Venice Biennale - widely regarded as the world's most important international contemporary arts event. 2112Ai was also shortlisted as finalist for the 2013 Premier's Design Awards (Service Design) which recognise and award designers and businesses in Victoria using exemplar design.