UNA

Architecture Studio

UNLESS

Non-Profit Agency for Change

UNA
UNA is an international architecture studio driven by a strong cultural agenda. Operating at multiple scales with projects ranging from contemporary art foundations to exhibition designs, private houses and publications, UNA’s work is informed by critical research. Based in Hamburg and Venice, where the office built its foundation on the legacy of FWR Associati, UNA introduces radical thinking within historically charged sites. UNA is fuelled by the relentless curiosity and determination of its team and its founder, Giulia Foscari, which also led to the establishment of UNA’s non-profit alter ego, UNLESS.

Under Construction

While we work on our building sites as the Anish Kapoor Foundation and the Yang Tse Art Foundation, we are in the process of “constructing” also a new website that reflects our collaborative, research-based design process. Should you like to receive information on our projects while we are off-line please share your details below.
UNA
UNLESS is a non-profit agency for change that brings together interdisciplinary experts to conduct research on extreme environments threatened by the planetary crisis. The pilot project of UNLESS focusses on the Antarctic, a Global Commons we collectively neglect despite its pivotal role in the global ecosystem. Founded by Giulia Foscari, UNLESS’ collaborative practice engages specialists from the fields of aeronautics, anthropology, architecture, biology, chemistry, climate change, economics, engineering, geoscience, glaciology, history, law, literature, logistics, medicine, physics, political science, science, sociology, technology, and the visual arts. Based in Hamburg, UNLESS operates alongside its alter ego, UNA.

Antarctic resolution

Accounting for approximately 10% of the land mass of Planet Earth, the Antarctic is a Global Commons we collectively neglect. Far from being a pristine natural landscape, the continent is a contested territory which conceals resources that might prove irresistible in a world with ever- increasing population growth. The 26 quadrillion tons of ice accumulated on its bedrock, equivalent to around 70 % of the fresh water on our planet, represent at once the most significant repository of scientific data available, providing crucial information for future environmental policies, and the greatest menace to global coastal settlements threatened by the rise in sea levels induced by anthropogenic global warming.

Antarctic Resolution advocates the construction of a high-resolution image, focussing on the continent’s unique geography, unparalleled scientific potential, contemporary geopolitical significance, experimental governance system, and extreme inhabitation model. Revealing the intricate web of growing economic and strategic interests, tensions, and international rivalries which are enveloped in darkness, as is the continent for six months of the year, Antarctic Resolution aspires to launch a platform in which citizens can undertake a true Antarctic resolution and engage in a unanimous effort – independent of nation – to shape the future of the Antarctic and, in turn, of our planet.