"In issue 258 of ARCH+, Germany's leading magazine for architecture and urbanism discourse, an excerpt from Key Notes on the Unruly City is featured in German translation. This text appears alongside radical urban initiatives, engaging with how we reimagine inhabiting and interacting with cities. AN-BUILDING BERLIN (Chapter 1, Key Notes on the Unruly City) is a project by Adam Kraft, a maker and researcher whose work explores urban transgressions. Through his practice, Adam creates tools and refuges inspired by spaces where possibilities intersect—places where façades crumble, and radical imaginaries take root. His work delves into the tension between built and natural, planned and spontaneous. The narrative begins with Adam’s unsolicited discovery of an overgrown Berlin space hidden behind a giant photorealistic tarpaulin. What seems a typical urban block reveals itself as a chaotic wilderness—an evolving ecosystem of plants, animals, and abandoned materials. Here, constructed and natural elements intertwine, exposing the unruly core beneath urban development. Adam’s engagement with this forgotten “hinterland” centers on co-inhabitation—respecting the untamed ecosystem rather than exploiting it. He integrates its processes into his work, fostering reciprocity rather than imposing control. Adam’s involvement deepens with AN-BAU, a covert study space 16 meters above ground within a scaffold structure. Built from scavenged materials, An-Bau is a “building without a building,” resisting formal architecture in favor of adaptability and openness. It critiques conventional norms while offering a platform for collective engagement. By reimagining the site and inviting participation, Adam encourages reflective, non-hierarchical interaction with the city, prioritizing collaboration over domination. The video documents Adam’s transformation of the AN-BAU space into a vibrant hub for radical collective imagination. Read about it in ARCH+ (258), or grab Key Notes on the Unruly City to explore the full story! @archplusnet Photography by @mischaleinkauf #archplus #adamkraft #mischaleinkauf #a5press #anbau #anakademie #anarchitecture #a5press #undercommons"
