51N4E – Negotiating Infrastructure

The fourth edition of the Chapters series by Belgian architecture firm 51N4E proposes a fresh approach to urban design, using infrastructure as a spark for collective thinking about what we value and invest in as a society. Developed with Newrope, it blends research and practice to explore how infrastructural boundary objects – elements that both structure space and encourage new uses – can play a key role in shaping cities. Drawing on eight 51N4E projects in Central Europe and four design themes from Newrope (intimacy, pattern, performance, togetherness), the book examines how each project responds to its local context, creating spaces that are stable yet adaptable over time.