Rosa Vanina, chef and co-founder of the restaurant "Pianoterra" in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. She takes us on a passionate journey, telling us about her experience as a cellist and a chef, between Italy and France. On the joy of conversing across the counter and welcoming neighbours and regular customers of all sorts, in a space thought by architects for cooking and sharing, reaching out into the city.

Episode 10 of the PIONIRA Podcast. Find out more on: https://pioniraproject.com/pianoterra/. 

The Kinder Insel is part of the "Museum Insel Hombroich" on the outskirts of Cologne. Together with her husband, Oliver Kruse, Patricia Hepp designed the kindergarden "Kinder Insel Hombroich" in 1999, and created and furnished a corresponding architecture for it. The architecture plays an important role in the educational concept. According to the motto "art parallel to nature", special emphasis is placed on the creative education of the children and the exploration of nature, and close cooperation is maintained with visual artists and musicians.

For more information and photographs visit: https://pioniraproject.com/kinderinsel-hombroich

We spoke to Christian Wittmann about social structures, architectural motors that drive community and his outlook for living together comfortably in old age.  Wittmann is one of the founding members and head of the association "BesserGemeinsamLeben" in Friesenhausen, Germany.  Their concepts for senior co-housing are based on a strong sense of community and follow an Italian example, which could easily be applied to other rural scenarios.

Find out more on: https://pioniraproject.com/friesenhausen.

Wilhelm Schubert, former head of the Bavarian Horticulture and Viticulture Institute, spoke to us about various forms of social- and urban gardening (Gartenbau) and the pioneering "Ökosoziale Siedlung" in Bamberg, Germany. This architectural project combines various forms of generous gardens with seasonal living and is a project worth exploring. PIONIRA had a full garden immersion and we are excited to pass this collected knowledge on to you.

For more information and photographs visit: www.pioniraproject.com/wilhelm-schubert-gartenbau

Anika Gruender and Florian Kirfel spoke to us about their move to the German countryside in Thüringen and about opening up an architecture practice there. Next to recuperating the old castle of the small village, they planned and built a wooden shed for leisure and stay.

PIONIRA is excited to share this interview - find out more via
https://pioniraproject.com/gruender-kirfel

Lucia Lienhard-Giesinger and her husband Daniel spoke to us about initiating the "Bosna Quilt Werkstatt" in Bregenz, Austria.  The first Bosna Quilts were made in a refugee hostel in Vorarlberg, Austria in 1993. At the time, local artists tried various ways of giving employment to the women who had fled from Bosnia during the ongoing war. The Bosna Quilt Werkstatt was initiated by Lucia Lienhard-Giesinger, with about 30 women contributing at the start. The project that has grown and expanded since. 

Find out more on: www.pioniraproject.com/bosna-quilt
or: http://bosnaquilt.at/en/background/

Florian Nagler spoke to us about his drive to work wisely with the natural resources our planet offers. Primarily this constitutes questioning our own standards and wishes, what we really need to live comfortably and how to use especially natural resources appropriately. Next to his research project "Einfach Bauen", focussing on three houses built of wood, concrete and bricks, he gave examples from his practice and his university life as a Professor at TUM.

PIONIRA is excited to share this interview - find out more via www.pioniraproject.com/florian-nagler

PIONIRA in conversation with Niklas Fanelsa, a young architect and founder of Atelier Fanelsa. After beginning work in their office in Kreuzberg, Berlin, they opened a satellite office in Gerswalde, Uckermark, to work locally on projects in the region. We spoke to Niklas about the potential and future of rural areas, new narratives to be written from within, the beauty and essence of crafts and how to learn from the countryside.

Find out more on: https://pioniraproject.com/niklas-fanelsa

Rudolf Plochmann is the forest manager for an extensive part of Bavarian forest near lake Starnberg, south of Munich, in the region of Bad Tölz. We spoke to him about various topics, such as the sustainable management of a forest, the particular qualities of wood, who this is distributed to and the essence of the forest's atmosphere.

This first episode is all about the beginnings of PIONIRA. Lena and Charlotte speak about their motivation and goals behind the project as a short introduction to the upcoming interview podcast.