The Berlage

The Berlage will present at the AFFR a series of animated shorts developed as part of The Community, the collective thesis project completed in January 2026.

Seven Episodes for The Community centers on the design of a master plan transforming the former Northland Shopping Center in Southfield, Michigan, into a mixed-use urban development. The episodes form a composite portrait of everyday life within this proposed neighborhood across a decade. Each episode follows a different resident, housing type, and moment in time, unfolding over the course of a single day while collectively spanning the seven days of a week. Constructed entirely from animated architectural drawings, each episode translates a design proposal into a lived narrative from the perspective of its resident. Through this shift in perspective, the episodes test how architectural design decisions – of layout, access, threshold, proximity, and enclosure – structure routine and shape the passage from street to dwelling, from collective space to interior life.

This event takes place in the foyer of LantarenVenster, is unticketed and free of charge.

Link to the festival