Sustainable Design Lab

The Sustainable Design Lab tackles a very current topic in an experimental way. This year the course will contribute to the ongoing research project From "Baukultur" to "Umbaukultur" - from a culture of demolition and replacement to a culture of care and repair.  

Students will turn into researchers, and investigate the throw-away culture in the construction sector: a culture that favors the demolition of existing buildings and new construction over reuse. While this phenomenon is something we encounter on a daily basis, the deeper reasons behind it often remain unclear. Why do demolitions continue when the environmental impact of the construction sector is so evident? What are the real reasons behind it? These are some of the questions we will attempt to address. 

Students will work in pairs, focusing on a case study of their choice. They will be asked to present the case - a project of replacement (demolition + new construction) - by analyzing its design, interviewing the owners and professionals involved, studying the regulatory framework that made it possible, calculating its environmental cost, and finally proposing an alternative solution in place of the demolition that was carried out.

Classes will be organized as seminars, in which students will be asked to present the progress of their research: attendance is crucial.

The course aims to help students be conscious and responsible in their design projects: to understand how to achieve the maximum positive impact on society with the minimum negative impact on the environment. To become researchers, initiators, and activists for the common good.

In presence

30% Lectures
70% Practice

Group work