This seminar will examine the process of building- what we build with as well as how we build - we will explore how we can design with responsibility towards the environment by rethinking the way we build today. In the course students will develop an individual manifesto stating a point of view.

The predominant model for sourcing materials relies heavily on finite resources - in a time of rising prices on common building materials as well as extensive extraction, more alternatives are key. New materials can enter the building market if we increase our knowledge, through means of prefabrication, updated material cultures and regulations. We will discuss the role of the industry and the architect as a key player in this development, with its capacity to scale-up and introduce alternatives.

Take for instance wood and its journey from a traditional building material to a fully industrialized product with efficient production and prefabrication techniques. This course will reverse-read this journey and speculate on how it can be applied to other materials. We will discuss ways to re-introduce forgotten techniques of building with clay, hemp and straw among others. 

This seminar will go beyond the surface and provide knowledge on how we can take responsibility for the materials before, during and after their assembly, as well as how we can become active agents and initiate a more dynamic way of building.