This experimental workshop was organised at a women’s monastery in Sweden designed by the Dutch architect and theorist Dom Hans van der Laan. Facing declining numbers of nuns, the monastery was experiencing economic difficulties and seeking ways to reconnect with nearby communities. A group of master’s students from KTH was invited to spend several days at this remote rural site and speculate on the future of the unique architectural ensemble.

Rather than focusing on redesign, the curator proposed that the students concentrate on developing a brief for an imaginary international competition — in other words, on strategies of use and the definition of a future program. The workshop participants thus found themselves in an unusual position: instead of responding to an assignment formulated by others, they were asked to articulate a design brief for someone else.

This format has since been tested in a number of workshops and became a fundamental  component of the September School project in 2024–2025.