• The purpose of the Intermediate National Contact Meeting

The INCM is the place where the NC’s get together and create themselves as a group. It is held each year in November, at a time when we still remember the good and bad sides of the previous Summer School and are able to evaluate it, and at a point when there is still time for adjusting the next. Apart from being a platform of discussion and exchange of practical information, the INCM is the big mixer where the NC’s get shaken and stirred.

To have a well-functioning group of NC’s is essential to EASA, since it is the NC’s who throughout the year are the ambassadors for the continued EASA spirit at the schools of architecture of Europe. At the INCM we get to know each other through discussing, laughing, working and partying. By hosting this meeting in Denmark it is our aim to revitalize the spirit of the NC group by creating an inspiring, challenging and well-organized meeting.

We also intend to revoke the tradition for a one or two-day workshop during the INCM. This enables us to leave discussions for a while, and to make a bit of practical or theoretical work with a focus on a specific topic. This year’s workshop will focus on the process of revitalization of the town of Nexø, and include some of the contacts our reconnaissance has brought us.

• Your INCM organising team 2002

Kasper Jørgensen, NC from Aarhus School of Architecture Since 1999 Michael Blikdal, NC from Aarhus School of Architecture Since 2001 Britta Daugaard, former NC of Aarhus School of Architecture 1997 to 1999. Anton Ryslinge, NC of Copenhagen School of Architecture since 1997. Assisted by volunteers from either of the two schools.

• Bornholm, in the middle of the sea

Bornholm is one of the 400 Danish islands, and is the easternmost point of Denmark. Bornholm has 44.000 inhabitants, and covers an area of 587 square kilometres. Moreover, it is the only place in flat Denmark where rocks are part of the geology. At Bornholm we are going to be accommodated in the town of Nexø, a former industrial fishing town, now a place struggling to redefine itself in a changing world.

• The theme, Nexø and the rebirth of an industrial town

Situated in the middle of the Eastern Sea, the main economic activity apart from agriculture has always been the fishing industry. From the distant past until recently, catching and processing fish employed a large proportion of the people of the island. Nexø where we will be staying is typical for this activity. It has the biggest fishing harbour on the island, with considerable facilities for industrial processing. For decades, the strategy of the fishing industry has been to develop into a more detailed processing industry. It is typical that it’s a Bornholm based fishing company that produces fish products for the entire European market of McDonalds. However, today things are changing. In recent years, due to the pressure of over-fishing, the populations of fish are decreasing drastically. The fishing industry is in a crisis, and so is the economic foundation of Bornholm. These days, many people employed in the fishing industry are struggling to redefine their lives, and so is the town of Nexø.

One of the attempts in this process towards new and inspiring ways of living and making an income is the creation of a Centre of Innovations in Nexø. By the assistance of the Aarhus School of Architecture, an old furniture factory is just now being redesigned as a combined office space, open workshop landscape and conference centre. We are going to be accommodated as the first guests in the newly refurbished facilities, and in this way place ourselves in the middle of the discussion about how to revitalize a town like Nexø; the theme for our one-day workshop. The more detailed program for the workshop will be ready when you get there.

• Accommodation and practical information

Bring sleeping bags and plenty of warm clothes! It is no secret that November in Denmark is something that most Danes just try to forget. However, for the courageous NC visiting this little Scandinavian pearl for the first time, November no doubt has its own rough charm to be discovered. So pack your sweaters, Wellingtons and raincoats, and for the true northern experience why not…your swimming trunks. Remember that there are Danes swimming in the sea all year round.

• Getting there and away

We plan to arrange common transport with a ferry from Copenhagen and back.