Temporary Tecture. Structures of Necessity.

KOSMOS Architects are pleased to announce the publication of their new book, (Con) Temporary (Archi) Tecture. Structures of Necessity. It is published by Birkhäuser Publishing House and supported by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia.

This publication offers a fresh and compelling perspective on the often-overlooked world of temporary infrastructure. These utilitarian structures—such as scaffolding, temporary supports, elements of protection and navigation, as well as climatic and event infrastructure—ensure the functioning of multiple processes essential to contemporary society, while often remaining under-reflected in social perceptions and academic discourse.

By crossing out “Archi” in the “Architecture” and highlighting “Temporary” in the word Contemporary, the book emphasizes its focus on temporary structures that lack declared authorship and are characterized more as a practice rather than project. In this sense, these construction solutions can be perceived as a form of contemporary vernacular.

The book reveals the inherent ingenuity of these structures and their capacity to respond dynamically to immediate needs with minimal waste and maximum efficiency. This new approach shows that these “structures of necessity” offer an architectural language from which architects can learn—particularly in terms of adaptability, the use of local resources, circular economy principles, and conceptual radicalism— arguably pointing toward a new type of architectural order.

Ultimately, the book raises the question: How permanent should architectural solutions be in a continuously changing world?

By examining the logic of these ubiquitous and quotidian infrastructures, the book explores what contemporary architecture can learn from the temporary structures.

The book has contributions by Jan De Vylder, Charlotte Malterre-Barthes and Philip Ursprung.

(Con) Temporary (Archi) Tecture. Structures of Necessity is available for pre-order now the official website of Birkhäuser Publishing House and on Amazon books.

To announce the publication, KOSMOS architects are planning a series of book launch events in different locations, including: Zürich, Geneva, Graz, Vienna. Stay tuned on the social media or subscribe to kosmos.arch.media@gmail.com

Project team
KOSMOS Architects: Kitaev Artem, Slonimskiy Leonid / Essays contributors: Jan De Vylder, Charlotte Malterre-Barthes, Philip Ursprung / Project management: Sara Lusic-Alavanja,  Katharina Kulke, Irina Slonimskaia, Baharak Tajbakhsh / Production: Amelie Solbrig / Layout & graphic design: Ksenia Dubrovskaya.