EAAE Annual Conference Proceedings

Imprint, Presidents' Messages & Mission

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Embark on the journey towards a more graceful future today! Our dynamic ecosystem is in perpetual evolution. As architects and planners, we play a pivotal role in shaping it. In educating aspiring architects, planners and de- signers, as well as in conducting research on all facets of the built environ- ment, there is a pressing need to prioritize sufficiency and embrace interdis- ciplinary approaches as never before. We eagerly anticipate a multitude of perspectives, bold collaborations and profound revelations as we convene for our annual gathering in Münster: Let us engage in open dialogue, spark- ing inspiration and mutual enrichment.

Speakers, Call for Abstracts, Program

Joachim Schultz-Granberg, Mellina Blatt — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Rethinking positions in architectural education, research and practice. Call for papers and concepts for the 2024 EAAE Conference in Münster.

Astronaut William Anders’s spontaneous enthusiastic reaction on December 24, 1968 during the Apollo 8 mission led to one of the most influential photo- graphs ever taken.2 Showing the Earth as a beautiful, vulnerable and seemingly self-contained system from far beyond its boundaries inspired environmental movements around the globe.

While scientists and environmentalists raised the awareness of our planetary limitations, the Club of Rome report “Limits to Growth” being their most promi- nent statement, architectural practice and academia largely remained confined within the predominant image of architectural production of “less is more”...

LESS form, more performance: Holistic programming of climate responsive architecture

Prof. Jürgen Reichardt — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Holistic design and engineering approaches offer the potential to realize strategies aimed at “form follows performance”. Such strategies serve to integrate multiple component parameters, especially those oriented on climate responsibility. As a result, the focus widens, from individual requirements of a single building or structure to agglomerations of building structures, influenced by specific local climate and site factors. The basis for such strategies are synergetic programming approaches that encompass the resulting project life cycle in its entirety. The underlying programming “grammar” includes aspects of site, climate, design, construction, execution, operation, maintenance, renovation, reuse and others. We strongly suggest that the balancing of parameters (geography, ecology, technology, volume, energy, envelope, floor plan / section, material and ventilation) must be distinctively programmed, creatively designed, efficiently engineered and generally optimized. This systematically spans the very beginning of a project and the entire planning, building and life cycle process. The holistic aim is to achieve a comprehensively optimized solution that is practical, climate responsive and sustainable. Finally, the underlying programming grammar of the project should minimize the amount of disturbances to the existing ecology and the carbon footprint, based on a rigorous, yet responsive checklist.1

The call for papers was intended to motivate research in terms of better “bal- ancing” these aspects of a programming grammar in architectural education. This includes, but isn’t limited to questions as follows:

Are holistic programming approaches already included in international architectural and planning curricula and what related teaching concepts and tools find use?
What cognitive skills do students need to demonstrate in order to acquire network skills and teamwork ability?
Does the aim of balancing art, beauty, programming and performance lead to confusion or even conflict?
Which (digital) tools do students need to propose performance-based design and engineering solutions?
Should we develop more "app-type“ teaching methods for an increasingly integrated architectural and engineering education?

Transforming architectural education: Focus on the preliminary design phase exploring architectural creativity: 3 workshops experience

Ewa Stachura, Amos Bar-Eli — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper advances innovations for the preliminary design phase, which is the core of an architecture student’s creativity and self-development toward professional responsibility. Hence, an experimental didactic module consisting of three workshops running separately or as a series is proposed for a course curriculum.

“From Form to Form” delves into creativity as a foundational element in the de- sign process, cultivating inspiration and honing essential skills in model-build- ing, discourse analysis, and photography. The “Listen to the City” workshop serves as the guiding principle, which fosters a deep understanding of urban environments and the intricate web of social, cultural, and historical factors that shape them. Through these immersive city exploration and self-dis- covery exercises, students develop a mindset attuned to the complexities of urban intervention by mediating competing interests and narratives to create sustainable environments. Finally, the “VirtuSquare” student design workshop transcends the boundaries of reality, juxtaposing the familiar (known) with the remote (unknown). Participants use contemporary tools of observation and representation, navigating the blurred lines between the tangible and the virtual to anticipate bold and imaginative design solutions.

The workshops facilitate a holistic approach to architectural creation, equipping participants with practical skills, creative insight, attuned mindset and techno- logical fluency.

“Avantgarde or uncool?”: Lessons learned from developing a prototype serious game on long- term building perspectives

Fabian Kastner, Orkun Kasap, Stéphane Magnenant — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In Switzerland, despite policy efforts to transition to a high-quality built envi- ronment, current practices can be characterized as unsustainable. Regarding the potential of engaging tools that enable informed dialogue about revaluing existing buildings, compelling digital approaches targeting the next generation of built environment professionals are thus far lacking. This paper showcases empirical research on the iterative development of a serious game prototype to meet outreach targets. The prototype’s learning objective is to enable players to experiment with long-term perspectives of existing buildings. In essence, this paper emphasizes the role of a transdisciplinary approach to game devel- opment and the relevance of situating gaming experiences. Feedback from playtesting sessions with a specified younger target audience is utilized to improve the interface of a previously developed prototype. Three interface re- quirements for game-based digital building simulation models were identified and implemented. Future research could use the adapted prototype to explore a creation-based gaming approach that focuses on learning while creating games. Thus, the prototype offers a two-way didactic potential (gaming and game creation). Finally, the integration of a set of building values in a playful way is reflected in using the example of the alleged conflict between building preservation and “sustainable” refurbishment (depicted as deep renovation). The prototype deployment within an exhibition set up at the Museum für Ge- staltung in Zurich (Switzerland) in 2023 allows us to validate a workflow to de- sign serious games for didactic purposes. This workflow can be used in further game development projects or studies.

Neighborhood-oriented and regenerative programming in teaching

Carsten Schade, Johannes Staudt, Arno Denk, Werner Lang — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The Interdisciplinary Project (IDP) is a central teaching format of the master’s degree program “Resource-efficient and Sustainable Building” at the Technical University of Munich. The paper presents the IDP design studio as a case study for a transformative approach to sustainable building design. It introduces the “neighborhood-oriented and regenerative programming” approach: First, students analyze sustainability aspects at the neighborhood level and develop an urban vision. Then, they combine it with the building analysis of an existing building to develop a building transformation concept. This forms the basis for creating mixed-use, resilient building designs with added value for the neighborhood.

The paper demonstrates the pivotal role of programming in the design process, linking urban-scale issues to building design. This way, collaborative programming can incorporate considerations of human well-being and planetary boundaries to address global challenges. A systemic approach supports dealing with high complexity. To recognize interdependencies for building concepts and design, skills of interdisciplinary collaboration such as communication and conflict management are crucial.

LESS utopia: Architectural visions and future demands (student workshop)

Prof. Daniel Blum, Chantal Keyvork — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

“Imagine there ́s no heaven It's easy if you try
No hell below us
above us, only sky

[...]
Imagine all the people Living life in peace ... “

John Lennon’s song “Imagine”, arguably one of the best pop songs of all times(1), is essentially an enumeration of absences. These absences, however, suggest new possibilities, alternative societies and systems: new utopias.

UTOPIA, the OU-TOPOS, this “place that cannot be”2 is liberated from probabilities and reasonabilities – it is a place of ideas and ideals.

In times of crises UTOPIAS boom, as they provide a dialectic service of comfort and empowerment: We escape reality by imagining alternative worlds and orders – this gives us comfort. At the same time, through this escape, we gain trust and confidence in the idea that a better reality is possible. This notion provides us with guidance and power for change.

If LESS IS MUST – which utopias slumber in LESS? In John Lennon’s song, the paradigm of less goes beyond renunciation and deficiency. It elevates and liberates – it creates an abundance of possibilities.

In the framework of the 2024 EAAE conference in Münster, we invited participants to discuss how utopias or scenarios of less can contribute to our common effort to overcome the multiple crises we face today.

Anomàli

Polina Blinova, Fancesco Sbrighi, Lanhua Weng — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Anomàli mirrors the symbiotic efficiency of an ant colony, embracing “less is enough” as a design strategy for responsible stewardship. We explore architecture that preserves our built fabric while safeguarding resources, environment and culture:

Less addition, more subtraction (the role of the architect): Architects focus on reducing energy and material use within planetary boundaries. Buildings are valuable resources, prioritized for repurposing rather than demolition and expansion.

Less permanent, more maintenance (a common built environment). Architecture embraces change, with adaptable, lightweight structures designed to return to the earth. Community participation in bio-based maintenance fosters resilience and deepens our connection to the built environment.

Less property, more cooperation (a social contract): Sharing strengthens belonging and expands access to resources. Possessing less individually, we gain more through cooperation and care for all living beings.

Less necessity, more contingency (an individual role): Rather than extracting endlessly, we prioritize preservation to ensure abundance for future generations, redefining our relationship with resources beyond mere utility.

Advanced landscapes in public space: Spontaneous, wild, unexpected. New paradigms for open spaces of European cities

Adriano Dessì — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Landscape is a concept that increasingly experiences advancement in public space design.

But we also know that the most important public spaces in Europe - such as Piazza del Campo in Siena, Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, the Buttes-Chaumont Park in Paris, and so on - had historically already been pieces of a pre-existing landscape that has been incorporated by the city.

The basic relationship between nature and urban open space – ecological, morphological, and social, at the same time - is a quality of European public space that has been progressively lost. Yet, in fact, in the European city the possibility exists to find its ancient – and never forgotten – relation with the natural dimension. It is precisely defined by the deep comprehension of its system of public and private open spaces, in their typological and morphological structure, and ultimately down to their material features.

The paper briefly retraces this relationship and proposes certain contemporary cases in which the MUST connecting the public spaces to the original landscape could be interpreted as a new way of imagining and designing the European city. Is its consequence the LESS of human presence, materials, and architecture?

Drawing as a prelude to an uncertain future

Josep Eixerés - Ros, Marcel·lí Rosaleny - Gamón — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In the face of the advance of new artificial intelligence technologies, it is worth considering how these systems impact and construct our environment. Facing the polarized vision that the change of paradigm provokes, it is revealing to understand the historical progression of utopian visions. This is less the case from the point of view of nostalgia, but instead should be viewed as a construct capable of originating new ideas. The article focuses on the duality between the real represented by the somatic act of analogue drawing versus a seductive hyperreality that confuses formal appearance with content. It is illustrative to discover that the tool is meaningless when control exceeds a voluntary act.

New concepts in freehand drawing education at architectural faculties

Beata Makowska — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The paper discusses the attempt to adjust the syllabus for freehand drawing courses taught to students of landscape architecture at the Faculty of Architecture Cracow University of Technology in Poland and the International School of Engineering at Tianjin Chengjian University in China. This adjustment addresses the changing needs and future requirements in architectural practice. New concepts in freehand drawing education (less: routine, schematic thinking, fragmentary knowledge) were introduced in order to teach students the most important competences. New sketching topics are based on problem-solving skills (analytical and creative thinking, flexibility), the cross-sectional character of architectural education, critical thinking, awareness and individual responsibility, as well as elements of play. Sketching develops valuable skills that are extremely important for contemporary practice. They ensure fast decision-making, cognitive economy, independence from rules, incessant interaction with imagination, which are especially important at early stages of design. Therefore, this technique can still be a driving force of innovation, open- ing new perspectives in a drawing-based approach to the education of future architects.

LESS new, more preservation: Ideational and typological rethinking of existing buildings

Prof. Kazu Blumfeld Hanada, Prof. Kirsten Schemel, Prof. Manuel Thesing — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In the future, the essential and most significant part of architectural work will be the preservation and maintenance, the adaptation and reuse, and the further development or continued transformation of existing spaces. Experts largely agree on this. If we intend to meet the climate targets we have set ourselves, we will only be able to create new spaces to a very limited extent. Even a high recycling rate and a radical shift to renewable and circular building materials cannot change this.

To date, very few building regulations and standards in European countries adequately reflect the specific and complex requirements of this field. Likewise, only a few architecture faculties address this crucial future design task in their curricula with the necessary depth and complexity.

In architecture — and especially in architectural education — the dialogical examination, alteration, or improvement of an existing building requires more differentiated analysis and, in some cases, alternative design approaches. It also necessitates posing a new set of questions.

This EAAE panel therefore addressed the following key topics and presented new methods and examples of best practice:

How can design approaches convey the necessary know-how regarding the different forms of historical and ideational relevance — from banal func- tional buildings to listed contemporary heritage — and foster sensitivity to the identity and specificity of an existing building?
How can specific design and technical expertise in dealing with physical assets — especially in terms of preservation, repair, and further develop- ment — be taught and integrated in the design process with regard to feasibility?
Is there a need for additional specialists, or for specific technical knowledge, tools, or methods?
Which intelligent and poetic strategies and specific methods can we apply in our design approach to existing buildings, and how can we, as designers, engage in a dialogue with them?

bauHOF NGS: A design-build laboratory for sustainable constructions and collective actions

Tim Simon-Meyer, Luise Leon Elbern, Julius Tischler, Sebastian Schröter — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In response to the pressing demand for sustainable spatial practices and for systematic change, we propose an experimental effort that challenges traditional approaches in architectural education and research, fostering sustainability, inclusivity and collaborative decision-making. Situated in the rural area of Niedergrunstedt, our project “bauhHof NGS’’ revitalizes a historic farm, transforming it into a design-build laboratory for minimal and mobile constructions and multidisciplinary exchange.

Emphasizing transparent negotiation and the importance of local resources, including material, physical and social knowledge, "bauhHof NGS" seeks to establish a platform that encourages interaction among students, the local community, and various urban and rural realities.

Through a series of workshops, expert inputs and community events, we test diverse and interdisciplinary approaches and methods for co-creation. The students learn how to approach, communicate and deal with different needs and ideas within their group and how to integrate and negotiate different visions by partnering with various stakeholders, including neighbors, technical experts and policymakers.

We never see anything clearly: On the aesthetic qualities of an unfinished whole

Heiner Verhaeg, Holger Hoffmann — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

We propose this paper as a response to the conference panel topic Design. LESS revolves around the concept of the “non-finito” and effects of unfinish- edness as an important aesthetic condition for contemporary architectural projects.

It briefly formulates a theoretical background for a conceptual relation of unfin- ishedness, refinement and wholeness in order to then outline an architectural strategy, which in turn is based on the combination of disciplinary knowledge and computational methods.

The processes and results described point to an architecture that continues a long tradition of both appreciation of found conditions and elaborate methods for iterative refinement. We propose a design approach based on the increas- ing scarcity, or ‘less-ness’, of materials that favors the aesthetic richness of trac- es, imperfection and unfinishedness over the modernist concept of the pristine, perfect and novel.

Tracing adaptive reuse in the city for a situated know-how: A research study on Ankara as an archive of reused buildings

Türkay Coşkun Seray — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Handbooks and atlases of adaptive reuse predominantly discuss and illustrate architectural examples in a case study format with a practice-focused ap- proach. However, examining reused buildings collectively rather than individu- ally prompts critical attention to what is already in the urban fabric and cultivates a care-based approach to built heritage in response to the changing face of an architectural practice focused more and more on transformation. Operating with a research-based approach, the course on traces, transformations and disappearances suggests digging into the city of Ankara as an experimental archive of adaptive reuse.

Students are engaged in acts of tracing, mapping and indexing in order to form a collective archive of reused buildings by navigating through sites, archives, design practices, memories and ephemera. This research study situated in the very city that the students live in opens the possibility of experiencing ex- isting buildings in their post-reuse periods. It thus expands the understanding of adaptive reuse not as a design intervention but as a process by fostering a comprehensive assessment of sustainability.

The transmission of intangible values in vernacular architecture: The case of the Valencian barraca

Marcel·lí Rosaleny-Gamon, Josep Eixerés-Ros — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In recent years, the study of vernacular architecture has gained relevance among some professionals in the field of architecture. These professionals have understood the importance of the lessons in environmental, sociocultural and economic responsibility that this type of architecture offers. They believe that recovering past ways of life and construction techniques could be key to addressing the challenges that future generations will face.

These lessons are generally based on basic survival principles and, above all, on the rational exploitation of available resources in a specific region. Additionally, there is a desire, or even a need, for the communities inhabiting these territories to be self-sufficient and autonomous. This is due to the limitations imposed by ways of life with lower technological development, which unintentionally lead to a more responsible and sustainable community.

These attitudes, which result in certain ways of building, are fundamentally based on the intangible values of these vernacular communities. Thus, in a discipline with such a close relationship to the material, the recovery of these intangible values could be essential when it comes to developing new ways of building or living in a certain region and thereby addressing the global changes we already face every day.

LESS routine, breaking new ground: New concepts in architectural education

Prof. Kristina Sträter, Prof. J. Schultz-Granberg — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Architectural teaching is as much about the content that we teach as it is about the tasks and questions that students work on. Against the background of current challenges, it becomes clear that studying architecture should be less about the fulfilment of duties or the achievement of best possible grades. Instead, students are increasingly required to demonstrate a heightened awareness of social responsibility and problem-solving skills. How can lecturers and professors organize curricula so that students are encouraged to take individual responsibility to greater degrees? Which skills are needed to meet the state- of-the-art and future requirements of architectural practice?

By its focus on pedagogical concepts, this panel reinforced the cross-sectional character of education for all topical fields in teaching architecture. In the context of the EAAE Congress, we invited contributions on new and unfamiliar pathways and concepts in architectural teaching according to the following topics:

Me or us: How do we prepare students for the new challenges they will have to master as future architects?
Co-operations: Can pressing issues be solved by a single actor? How important is teamwork and how can it be strengthened?
What are the assessment criteria we use to award grades? Is individual grading appropriate and does it motivate students? How can learning be fun?
Which project partners do we involve in teaching?
Regulations: How do we escape the mania of standardization and guidelines?

Bestand der Dinge – A summer school as a condensed approach to teaching and learning

Sorana Rădulescu — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The summer school “Bestand der Dinge”, which took place in Berlin in September 2023, introduced a novel approach that went beyond the traditional academic context. It was the result of a collaboration between baunetz CAMPUS, the German online portal for the academic world of architecture, and Prof. Jan Kampshoff of the Technical University of Berlin. With 30 students from various German and Austrian universities in attendance, the summer school challenged participants to explore the intricacies of working with the existing built fabric – an aspect that is often overlooked in the curricula of architecture schools. Positioning itself at the intersection of architectural production and its critical communication, it opened a space for negotiating pressing issues within the discipline and explored the role of architecture in a world where transformation rather than new construction is the primary goal. A variety of teaching methods and the expertise of numerous guests and mentors enhanced the learning experience. The paper discusses the potential of such a condensed format to catalyze change and elaborates on the main questions posed and on the teaching methods used. The baunetz CAMPUS summer school will become an annual event, with the next iteration scheduled for September 2024 in Wuppertal.

Gamification of education: Overcoming conflicting sustainability goals in a playful way

Margarete Olender — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper examines the use of a simulation game to implement Target Sustainability Design (TSD), a method promoting collaboration within multidisciplinary teams in construction projects. TSD addresses the conflict between minimizing costs and implementing social and ecological measures, integrating stakeholders in creating cost-efficient and sustainable buildings. The simulation game serves as a tool to teach TSD by replicating construction project processes, engaging students in two rounds of designing and building towers. The TSD process involves three steps: set targets, design to targets and build to targets. Students play the roles of different stakeholders, while time constraints simulate real-world conditions. Data from professional participants and students alike showed the game effectively taught TSD principles, improved collaboration and supported the achievement of sustainable goals in construction projects. However, limitations include a small sample size and potential bias from students’ pre-existing sustainability knowledge. Despite this, the paper highlights the importance of clear targets and multidisciplinary collaboration in achieving sustainability goals in real-life projects.

Compassionate conversations in architecture: An educational experiment in the field of adaptive reuse

Els Hannes — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper reports the outcomes of an educational experiment (set-up, execution and evaluation) in the master program ‘Adaptive Reuse’ and exchange programs at the faculty of Architecture and Arts of Hasselt University in Belgium during the first semester of 2023-2024. The framework of “non-violent com- munication” (NVC), also called “compassionate communication”, as developed by Rosenberg was introduced to a mixed group of 32 international students. The aim was to improve their intercultural communication skills while building a frame of reference in adaptive reuse. Students learn how to use NVC as a lens for human interaction and for spatial transformation projects simultaneously. The paper explains NVC and its relevance to (interior) architects. Next, it reports how NVC was introduced gradually in consecutive classes and field assignments of the “Study Visits” course. Some results are highlighted, and a critical evaluation is shared. The paper concludes that linking NVC principles with architectural language seems to enhance (interior) architecture students’ understanding of NVC as such, and raise awareness regarding their ability to actively contribute to empatic design.

Architects for Future goes Hochschule

Elisabeth Broermann, Jan Kampshoff, Linda Hildebrand, Kim Tran — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Architects for Future have articulated 10 demands for a transition of the building and construction sector to sustainable practices. This shift must be embedded and construction sector. This shift must be embedded in educational programs, and we need to establish new networks and teaching initiatives.Together for the the building transition, the “Bauwende”!

Since 2019 Architects for Future has been the leading voice in the movement for the Bauwende in Germany. More and more people are joining our cause, which has now become international. In 2023 we were invited to hold a visiting which has now become international. In 2023, we were invited to hold a visiting professorship in “Architecture for Future” at TU Berlin, where we integrated Bauwende in the architectural curriculum. In 2024, we launched a new network of professors who are committed to incorporating the Bauwende into their courses. We also started a new hybrid lecture and dialogue series, with 13 universities participating and 22 experts providing insights on the 10 demands of Architects for Future. Each week, we reached over 750 students.

We intentionally sought to introduce the topics of the Bauwende and the climate movement into education to raise students’ awareness and knowledge, while also encouraging political engagement to some extent. Architecture is far more political than many realize, but these connections have yet to be adequately addressed in academic programs.

LESS in structure: Efficiencies in construction, technology and economy

Prof. Tim Elser — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In general, the term “efficiency” describes the relationship between the means used and the results achieved. In structural engineering and construction, efficiency criteria are often used for purposes of optimization, for example, to build at a minimum of financial investment or as quickly as possible.

Due to the fact that the construction industry causes 40 % of global CO2 emissions, the CO2 efficiency of buildings and especially their structure is of particular importance. Engineering constructions with adequate materials, budgets or space efficiency is not necessarily in line with global CO2 emission targets aimed at limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. Thus, efficiency in structural terms requires a new definition in the context of climate change in order to play a central role for holistic approaches to architectural education.

The category “efficiency” welcomed papers that present new insights and approaches in line with this new concept of CO2 efficiency in planning processes aimed at the optimization of structures and the construction of buildings.

Related and new approaches address the following questions:

How can low-tech materials, related engineering skills and traditional craftsmanship contribute to building with regional materials and construction methods?
How can structural capacities and quality requirements be achieved in the reuse of materials and building elements?
How can we balance “heavyweight” and “lightweight” structures and, thus, the advantages and disadvantages of hybrid construction types?
Which approaches are suitable to compare criteria of “high-tech” and “low- tech” building technologies?
Which tools are suitable to compare and optimize the CO2 footprint of buildings, their structures and their material characteristics?
Which design criteria related to CO (such as kg CO e/m2 or EUR/kg CO 222

e) are appropriate for new building projects?
Is building nothing a better option than building something?

Approaching structures through studies of natural geometries and optimization technologies

Irmgard Lochner Aldinger — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Reintegrating architecture and structural engineering through new design tools offers a way to embrace a ‘less is best’ philosophy in response to resource constraints. It proposes teaching architects and engineers to design more with less, inspired by nature’s optimization processes.

The concept of biomimetics is pivotal in using modern design methodologies to replicate natural processes. Through topology optimization, structures can be designed efficiently, minimizing material use. This method, common in the transportation industry for economic reasons, is also encouraged in building design to reduce material usage.

Several studies are presented: vertical cantilevers modeled after cacti, shell structures known for their material efficiency, and insect nests that exhibit varied functional and climate-responsive designs. These examples demonstrate nature-inspired efficient structural geometries.

Teaching architecture and engineering with shared tools such as topology optimization fosters collaboration. It combines the visualization of optimized material distribution and the assessment of structural efficiency, bridging the gap between aesthetic and functional design.

The paper stipulates that such interdisciplinary approaches can merge the disciplines of architecture and engineering, leveraging the aesthetics of efficient design to create sustainable structures.

Architectural tactics for visualizing embodied carbon

Malini Srivastava, Mike Christenson Christenson — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

New presentation methods offer a way to address resource scarcity and embodied carbon in building design. They emphasize that understanding em- bodied carbon requires not just quantitative metrics but also representational tools that link the conceptual design, building materials, construction methods and carbon footprint of architectural projects. The authors investigate various representational options —general, discipline-specific, and project-specific— highlighting how they facilitate understanding and engagement with embod- ied carbon.

This paper examines how representational tools help architects understand how conceptual design choices impact the carbon footprint of their designs.

We propose incorporating 3D methods to visualize the impact of embodied carbon of individual building components. The paper explores this approach in a graduate-level architecture class, where students develop design variations for a 1938 building by showing the carbon footprint. This educational approach underscores the importance of this new aspect in building design and the new skills required in practice, in order to make climate and resource conscious de- cisions in architectural projects.

Matrix analysis of modular systems for vertical expansion

Maria Piqueras Blasco, Ivan Cabrera i Fausto — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

ncreasing the efficiency of the footprint of existing buildings instead of con- structing new ones involves adding rooftop extensions to residential structures in urban areas, optimizing existing architecture. Given the constraints of some buildings due to their age, the approach relies on prefabricated, lightweight modular systems. These systems are eco-friendly, they optimize energy and material use, and they offer social benefits by creating new housing in an inner city environment.

The paper specifically focuses on volumetric modular units, a type of prefab- ricated construction, where components are produced in controlled environ- ments and then assembled on-site. This contrasts with traditional building methods of on-site construction, offering benefits in terms of efficiency and quality.

The paper establishes criteria to assess the suitability of different modular sys- tems for vertical expansion, considering factors such as material use, structural systems, efficiency, flexibility, time, costs and sustainability. A 3x3 matrix sup- ports scoring these systems, ultimately identifying the best options for increas- ing building height.

Steel portal frame and cross-laminated timber panel systems emerge as top choices, recognized for their robust structural response and adaptability.

LESS is happiness: Sufficiency and good life in urban design

Prof. Dr. Verena Butt, Prof. J. Schultz-Granberg, Prof. Sielke Schwager — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Thus far, the strategies of efficiency and consistency alone were hardly capable of reducing the consumption of resources in the overall ecological balance of the construction industry. Therefore, sufficiency – a rather undervalued sustainability pathway – comes into play, especially in the wider field of urban design and under consideration of societal aspects. However, in urban design education, the concept of sufficiency has only received fleeting recognition and application. This panel looked for contributions on teaching formats that deal with notions of “lifestyles of restraint” or more comprehensive approaches of transforming urban environments in relation to sufficiency. This led to the focal question and subsequent topics to be explored:

How can sufficiency play a role in the teaching of urban design as a parameter conditioning both the production of space and the integration of people?

How can education incorporate strategies for incentivizing certain behaviours oriented on sufficiency in urban design?
How can sufficiency be conceived as a benefit, instead of a sacrifice?
To which degree can user-based urban design or the inclusion of DIY-methods become vectors for sufficiency?
How can we define design criteria for “sufficiency”, “happiness” and “good life” in urban design?
How can the design of scenarios communicate appealing “lifestyles of restraint” for users of architecture?
Which methods of utopian prototyping are capable of envisioning lifestyles of sufficiency and happiness attractive to future users?
To what extent can architectural education be charged with futures literacy?

Sufficiency in rapidly urbanising regions – Coproduction of neighbourhoods as an alternative strategy for sustainable urban design

Dr. Manuel Giralt — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In order to address the challenges of future architectural education, it is necessary to consider the concept of sufficiency as a part of a wider approach to sustainable urban development. In the global context of climate change, it is essential to include the role of rapidly urbanising regions in the discussion. This offers the opportunity to implement new strategies of sufficiency at a larger scale, with the potential to create long-lasting positive impacts regarding resource consumption and social development.

The number of inhabitants of informal settlements in the global south is expected to increase significantly by 2050. Various experts are demanding the recognition of the informal sector as the predominant form of future urban space production, by anticipating the development of self-built settlements and by incorporating them into formal planning processes.

The concept of coproduced neighbourhoods adopts the above-mentioned approach of anticipation and develops it further into the “Incremental City” strategy, a hybrid urban development model that brings together aspects of top-down planning and bottom-up self-organisation, as well as providing ample space for informal self-building.

LESS land_more space Designing virtual space for architectural education and practice

Michela Barosio, Elena Vigliocco — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The topic “Architecture and urban spaces” is totally absent from the list of peer review evaluation panels of the European Research Council (ERC). “Architec- ture” appears twice, the first mention associated with civil engineering and the second understood as “Computer Architecture” in the Panel with the evocative name “PE6_1 Computer architecture, pervasive computing, ubiquitous computing”.

The observation that the digital world has its own Architecture is associated with the concept of ubiquity. It characterizes the digital network and apparently goes beyond the concept of (urban) space. The digital world, the net, does not cancel space, on the contrary – it transfers it into another dimension, making it usable in another way, allowing experiences of ubiquity. This so-called virtual space requires an architectural design of its spatial dimension which, if not urban, we should at least determine as a public, collective or shared dimension.

The progressive dematerialization of the project process has led to a wide range and types of spaces for architectural design: online platforms, repositories, archives are comparable to contemporary design offices, libraries, galleries, meeting and conference rooms. How to design those spaces in order to make them more effective and collaborative?

Collaborative governance in integrative architectural and urban planning

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper presents an interdisciplinary educational unit. It aims to connect contemporary knowledge on collaborative governance with knowledge on integrative architectural and urban planning. These thoughts and working methods are already on the borders of professions, and they are also interdisciplinary. They are connected through the criteria of sustainable development in the pursuit of achieving a citizen- and community-oriented and more integrated society. We believe that the related learning principle contributes to reducing misunderstandings and developing new and suitable methods for transferring good design into the built environment, by using citizen participation as a driver of intentions and a test for decisions. Students can learn how governance principles can be implemented, supported and influenced, all with the goal of making informed (evidence-based) decisions about changes in our built environment.

Architecture students gain a better understanding of the functioning of the society in the context of which they attempt to design. Such insights enable them to better communicate in their professional work. Specifically, when we talk about stakeholders of the civil sector, students are introduced to particIpatory methods, in order to better integrate the needs of the community into functional, formative and constructive solutions. Special attention is paid to the possibilities and ways of involving citizens in the detection of real problems, the selection of adequate solutions and the successful use of spatial artifacts. This ultimately contributes to the development of the cooperation skills needed to adequately deal with the multiple crises the world faces today.

Post natural urban regeneration design – Applying renewable energy communities in disused military areas

Karla Cavallari Rodrigues, Alessandro Gaiani, Alessandro Massarente — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Transforming urban environments in relation to sustainability and sufficiency requires developing, through an interdisciplinary approach, methodologies and tools for evaluating and valorizing certain abandoned spaces in the city: for example, areas in disuse linked to pre-existing military complexes that have significant dimensions and strategic positions.

In their interactions with territorial structures, military areas often reveal their links with networks that have characterized their transformation over time, due to historical strategic and military assets that have defined their urban form.

A case study in Bologna was conducted within a research project (The architectural design process in the digital transition. An interdisciplinary approach to the evaluation and valorization of “discarded” spaces in cities. FIRD 2023 Department of Architecture University of Ferrara, Principal Investigator A. Massarente, with K. Cavallari, G. Emmi, C. Erdmann Goldoni, E. Guidetti, A. Gaiani, M. Patamia, V. Radi, A. Tessari, 2023-2024). It was complemented by teaching activity, based on which we will develop possible different urban regeneration strategies leading to new scenarios.

LESS waste: Circularity and urban mining

Visiting Prof. Neil Winstanley, Prof. Dr. Anja Rosen — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

By consuming enormous amounts of resources, humankind has created a gigantic anthropogenic stockpile of raw materials. Around 15 billion tons of mineral raw materials, metals, wood, plastics and other materials are embedded in German buildings alone. The strategy of urban mining makes use of these materials to continue building with them. However, this can be difficult. Buildings, especially those erected after World War II, weren’t planned to become “urban mines”. Traditional craftsmanship commonly reused items and, for the most part, natural materials. Since the beginning of industrialization, the building sector has followed the linear system of “take - make - waste”. Achieving a circular economy is a key strategy for sustainable development in the Earth’s circular system. Circular construction must, therefore, be an integral part of the training of architects. It must also underpin a new basic understanding in every approach to sustainable design and construction.

For the EAAE conference, we invited contributions and discussions on how circular construction is integrated into teaching at European universities. The focus was on the following key questions:

Is circular construction included in curricula and which concepts are used to teach it?
Which new skills do students need to acquire in order to be able to propose circular constructions?
Which hurdles complicate planning with pre-used components or secondary raw materials?
Which solutions to challenges of reuse in architecture can we communi- cate to prospective architects during their training?

Possible further topics include:

Which legal aspects need to be taught in construction management edu- cation?
Which tools do prospective architects need to be familiar with in order to be able to assess the impact of their work on climate and resource protection?
What contribution can AI and digitalization make to promoting urban mining and the circular economy in the construction industry?
How do topics of urban mining and the circular economy affect teaching?

Designing with alternative resources : An educational practice review

Pelin Asa, Stefan Neuhaeuser, Sakiko Noda, Inka Mai, Kerstin Wolff — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Within a series of design seminars, we explored physical prototyping and digi- tal tools to study the reduction of material use and the utilization of overlooked resources in architecture in light of the ongoing concerns related to timber resources. The first subject examined was material reuse in timber construc- tion. This course introduced digital tools and design methods to study the building systems that can be achieved by using reclaimed timber. By working on full scale prototypes, the students investigated the properties of this irregu- lar material first-hand. A second seminar focused on developing new design methods for insect- and fungus-infected timber as an overlooked construction material. Using digital design and fabrication tools, the students experimented with infected and irregular timber stock to design novel components that can be obtained from diseased logs.

The results of these seminars demonstrated different applications for what can be achieved with alternative sources of timber through smart design choices. This paper reflects on the learning outcomes and presents teaching methods to integrate biomaterials (re)use and resource management in design educa- tion.

Pyramidal circularity against the background of individualized standardization

Kirsten E. Hollmann-Schröter — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In architecture and building construction, a planning task is defined by multi-criteria requirements that are not necessarily directly linked to each other and therefore lead to increased complexity during the planning process. In order to simplify the overall workflow during the different phases, students should be provided with measures and tools to cope with the complexity of parameters within the entire architectural task. This is achieved by linking a system concept with a cycle-oriented approach for the construction and reversibility of buildings. Methodologically, the strategy of “Individualized Standardization” is used, which requires a balanced implementation of standardization and individualization for the development of future-proof constructions. The research results in the transition towards a new principle of circularity - a “Pyramidal Circularity”. New interfaces are identified that ensure a distinct relationship between the system and adaptation planning based on digitalization and automation. A strategy for a circular construction process is provided based on six innovative interfaces. As a result, a workflow for future architectural education is proposed.

Exploring circular construction: Insights into research-oriented teaching and learning

Daniela Konrad — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Sustainability can benefit greatly from a circular economy, due to the potential of avoiding waste and thus limiting the consumption of finite resources – or at best avoiding the latter altogether. To strengthen research-oriented learning on prevailing topics, a series of elective modules was initiated at the chair of Sustainable Planning and Building in the Urban Context, School of Architecture Bremen. The aim of the first module was to understand which theoretical and practical knowledge is available on circular construction and how learnings can be applied to future architectural design. Four key findings guide our future research-oriented teaching on circular construction:

(1) To comprehensively analyze and understand reference projects, research methods such as on-site analyses and stakeholder interviews need to be inte- grated. (2) Research should focus more on the origin, transportation, and stor- age of building materials and components. (3) The degree of circularity needs to be quantified in order to better compare knowledge gained in theory and practice. (4) Follow-up modules on the application of theoretical knowledge with emphasis on the design of single material and reversible construction de- tails are essential.

bauHof NGS – Poetics of circular construction

Tim Simon-Meyer, Luise Leon Elbern, Julius Tischler, Sebastian Schröter — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The project “bauHof NGS” challenges conventional architectural approaches by adopting the concept of “form follows availability” and circular design methodologies. These methodologies allow students to move beyond the traditional linear process of design and construction, where design typically precedes materials selection. Instead, they engaged in a reciprocal relationship where the materials themselves influence and shape the design.

Through this interaction between body and materials, questions relevant to the design are negotiated and decisions are made that are represented in drawings or models, and vis-à-vis. This hands-on approach broadens students’ understanding of circularity across dimensions of materials, construction and society based on real-world experiences. The necessity of rethinking the conventional linear model of production, use and disposal was a key focus throughout the semester.

These learning experiences challenge the traditional hierarchical relationship between design and construction, theory and practice, planning and execution. They go beyond conventional classroom teaching to prepare students to make a meaningful contribution to creating a more resilient built environment.