Territories of Times
Guyot Nina
Founded in 2023 by Blerta Axhija and Nina Guyot, collectif vendredi is a Geneva-based practice exploring contemporary architecture and urbanism through a socially, ecologically, and politically engaged lens. Working at the intersection of disciplines, the collective develops sensitive and site-specific responses that go beyond traditional design frameworks.
Their work begins with immersive field research to understand local dynamics and continues as an open-ended process where ideas are tested, adjusted, and collectively refined. They are particularly active in the Praille Acacias Vernets (PAV) area in Geneva, where they lead the PAV living room, a curated programme of public events and editorial work, and are the AMO team for the Acacias 1 development zone.
Their approach is both experimental and pragmatic, activating places through temporary or durable interventions that foster appropriation, public engagement, and sustainable transformation. Mostly active in Switzerland, collectif vendredi operates at multiple scales, always grounded in the specificities of place and the involvement of local communities and actors.
Territories of Times is a performative framework designed to inhabit and activate urban transition processes before the built environment takes shape. As cities and urban landscapes evolve, transforming the built environment faces new challenges. These call for a shift in urban planning practices and tools. The layering of transformations and uses over time introduces geological, historical and social complexity that, in light of climate and social emergencies, can no longer be ignored.
Transforming these complex landscapes requires an analysis that begins with the ground and integrates multiple layers: not only built but also experiential, narrative, and memorial. This evolution calls for a redefinition of urbanism and tools that enable more flexible, inclusive, and caring projects.
Rather than focusing on architectural form, Territories of Times explores how spatial culture is shaped by temporal rhythms, performative acts, and collective presence. It invites in-situ experimentation, not to produce a final result, but to generate situated knowledge, uncover latent narratives, and create moments of public encounter within a territory suspended between planning and transformation.
Territories of Times is an ongoing research developed within the project PAV living room, in a redevelopment area in Geneva. The project proposes an experiential approach through in-situ interventions and an annual magazine. By exploring the present state of the territory, the city’s image emerges through construction and lived experience, allowing constant adaptation to the evolving needs of both landscape and society.
Its core idea, using time to prototype future urban conditions, is entirely context-dependent. As such, it can be adapted or scaled to other areas in collaboration with new partners. Through LINA, we aim to share and expand this methodology, learn from others, and collectively push the boundaries of what architecture can do when it prioritizes time and process over form.