Architecture after Architecture: spatial practice in the face of the climate emergency
Lead Research Organisation:
University of the Arts London
Department Name: Central Saint Martin's College
Abstract
'Architecture after Architecture' investigates the way in which the architectural profession, and other practitioners working in the field of the built environment, might operate in the face of the climate emergency. Living with climate emergency demands systemic change to our economies, behaviours and social structures - all of which have profound implications for approaches to our built environment. Where most research concerning architecture and the environment concentrates on technical and material responses, mainly relating to carbon reduction, this project looks at the cultural and economic contexts of the climate emergency, and the implications these have for spatial practice (a term that designates multiple ways of operating in the production of the built and natural environment). It investigates in particular the urgent need to reconsider assumptions of growth, extraction and progress on which orthodox economics is based - and which the modern project of architecture both signalled and was founded on. The aim of the project is to investigate what happens to architecture after some of those principles are challenged by the demands arising from the climate emergency.
The 'Architecture after Architecture' project is led by a UK-German team of architects and academics based in Central Saint Martins (University of the Arts London) and the Technische Universität Braunschweig, collaborating internationally with economists, sociologists, designers, artists, writers and journalists to imagine the future of spatial practices. It starts with cultural, economic and political discourses around the climate emergency as they relate to spatial practice. It will also gather evidence from contemporary spatial practice to analyse approaches that might be relevant to facing it. Because climate impacts on wider societal contexts, the project will also explore non-spatial conditions, such as those outlined in the various versions of the Green New Deal (GND). The final stage of the project takes these analyses, and projects future scenarios into which new forms of spatial practice are placed. It asks the questions: What are the spatial implications of the systemic changes arising from the climate emergency, and what role may architects and spatial agents play in the envisioning and co-design of these spatial conditions?
The primary objective of the project is to develop scenarios for new forms of spatial practice in the context of the climate emergency. These will have broad relevance to architects and other professionals (planners, geographers, policy makers) working in spatial production, built, natural and social. It will achieve this through employing innovative methods of research, including through scenario-building workshops with multi-disciplinary groups. It will also build an open-access database of 100 international examples of how practitioners are using various approaches in the face of the climate emergency.
The 'Architecture after Architecture' project is led by a UK-German team of architects and academics based in Central Saint Martins (University of the Arts London) and the Technische Universität Braunschweig, collaborating internationally with economists, sociologists, designers, artists, writers and journalists to imagine the future of spatial practices. It starts with cultural, economic and political discourses around the climate emergency as they relate to spatial practice. It will also gather evidence from contemporary spatial practice to analyse approaches that might be relevant to facing it. Because climate impacts on wider societal contexts, the project will also explore non-spatial conditions, such as those outlined in the various versions of the Green New Deal (GND). The final stage of the project takes these analyses, and projects future scenarios into which new forms of spatial practice are placed. It asks the questions: What are the spatial implications of the systemic changes arising from the climate emergency, and what role may architects and spatial agents play in the envisioning and co-design of these spatial conditions?
The primary objective of the project is to develop scenarios for new forms of spatial practice in the context of the climate emergency. These will have broad relevance to architects and other professionals (planners, geographers, policy makers) working in spatial production, built, natural and social. It will achieve this through employing innovative methods of research, including through scenario-building workshops with multi-disciplinary groups. It will also build an open-access database of 100 international examples of how practitioners are using various approaches in the face of the climate emergency.
Publications
Bovelett S
(2022)
MOULD 021
MOULD
(2021)
Architecture after Architecture: A conversation with MOULD
in PLAT
Powis A
(2022)
CLIMATE
Powis A
(2022)
EXTRACTION
Powis A
(2022)
EXTRACTION
Sarah Bovelett
(2023)
Architecture is Climate: Chronograms of Architecturfe
in eflux
Summers B
(2022)
Field Notes on Design Activism: 2
in Places Journal
Voelcker B
(2022)
CARE
Voelcker B
(2022)
FUTURES
| Title | Architecture is Climate: Exhibition and Residency |
| Description | Architecture is Climate was a two-week exhibition and residency at the Lethaby Gallery, Kings Cross, which is attached to Central Saint Martins. It was organised by members of MOULD, the research collective made up of the AHRC project contributors. MOULD invited four other collectives to occupy the exhibition space for two days, and to organise events. The exhibition announcement read: Architecture is Climate is a programme of residencies in the Lethaby Gallery by architecture research collective MOULD in collaboration with Soft Agency, Climate and Cities, Anthropocene Architecture School and Civic Square. It begins by tracing architecture's relationship with the causes of climate breakdown. In particular, it argues that architecture needs to address its reliance on extractivist practices that propel climate breakdown. An evolving programme of interventions and workshops, propose ways in which architecture might become part of the wider systemic change that puts climate first. Architecture is Climate invites you to be part of reimagining spatial practices by focusing on positive change, that can happen from within cracks in the present system. A reorientation of architecture can have radical potential in reformulating social and spatial configurations to better serve climate justice. To say that architecture is climate means that other possible architectures are also other possible climates. Overall, we hosted 34 separate events in the two-week period, bringing in a broad external audience (the two ticketed evening events were sold out). The exhibition was presented as a work in progress, documenting the process and provisional outcomes of the research, in order to explain the methods and concepts that were used. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | The exhibition reached both internal and external audiences. Internally, members of MOULD gave guided tours to students at Central Saint Martins from across a range of programmes. Externally the events and exhibitions reached diverse audiences, with each of the five collectives bringing in their own constituency. Many of the attendees talked of how much they had gleaned from the exhibition/event. One result was that MOULD were invited to bring part of the exhibition to the 2023 Architecture Fringe in Scotland. |
| URL | https://www.arts.ac.uk/colleges/central-saint-martins/whats-on-at-csm/lethaby-gallery/architecture-i... |
| Title | COP26 Posters |
| Description | A series of posters produced for COP26 |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Impact | Posters were initially displayed during a parade through London as part of UAL's Carnival of Crisis. They were subsequently deposited in the CSM museum, where they are being used as teaching materials. |
| URL | http://mould.earth/mld006-9 |
| Description | The grant is not yet finished and so our findings are still provisional. However, based on the feedback from external audiences, we can report back progress against the stated objective as follows: To develop scenarios for new forms of spatial practice in the context of the climate emergency. These will have broad relevance to architects and other professionals (planners, geographers, policy makers) working in spatial production - built, natural and social. This work is still in progress, but our workshops with practitioners in the UK and Germany are developing tools for professionals to engage with their own scenarios To develop tools, narratives and approaches that spatial practitioners might deploy in the face of the climate emergency These tools are now designed, and will be an important part of the website to be launched in autumn 2023 To collect global examples of both spatial and non-spatial approaches to facing the climate emergency and the conditions it invokes, particularly in relation to economic systems. This work is now substantially complete with over 100 examples now collected, documented and incorporated in a database. This will then form an important part of the website. To analyse the cultural, economic and social constitution of the climate emergency in relation to spatial production, and draw conclusions for spatial practice from this analysis. This work is now complete, and is most clearly documented in the diagram that we were commissioned to produce as part of the Jencks Foundation/eflux Chronograms of Architecture project. To develop and record innovative forms of speculative and projective research, which engage with, and imagine, socio-spatial scenarios that may arise under the climate emergency. This work is substantially complete, and recorded in a series of pamphlets that we have published. |
| Exploitation Route | To early to say with confidence, but early feedback from external audiences suggests that there is a demand and need for the outcomes of our research, with a number of prestigious invitations to disseminate the provisional results of the project. |
| Sectors | Construction,Creative Economy,Environment |
| Description | The project has not yet finished, and so any findings and their impact are provisional. However, we can report the following. Members of the research team have been invited to contribute to a set of prestigious, non-academic projects, all of which arise directly from the project research and further disseminate it. 1. Invited contribution to main catalogue of 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale (the largest architectural event in the world) 2. Invited to write keynote article for the 1500 issue of the Architectural Review (UK's most established international architectural magazine) 3. Invited contribution to eflux and Jencks Foundation Chronograms project. eflux is the largest architectural culture website in the world, with peer reviewed content. These all indicate that the findings of the project are already reaching wider audiences. In addition, as part of the research plan we are engaging professional audiences through workshops that test the provisional outcomes of the project. These workshops are of mutual benefit. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2023 |
| Sector | Construction,Creative Economy,Environment |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Policy & public services |
| Description | ARCC-EAAE 2022 Keynote JEREMY TILL |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Keynote lecture for ARCC-EAAE 2022 conference in Miami - on the theme of Resilient City. (delivered remotely) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://youtu.be/i_GysDh5WrE |
| Description | Advisory Group Meeting 1 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | First advisory group meeting with international panel of experts from built environment professions and academia. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Advisory Group Meeting 2 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Second advisory group meeting with international panel of experts from built environment professions and academia. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Architecture is Climate: A Conversation with MOULD |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | In this evening event as part of our exhibition/residency series Architecture is Climate, members of the research team presented our ongoing project work to an audience of educators, students, and practitioners. Responses from the audience led to an interesting discussion. The event was recorded for online streaming. Practitioners in attendance were interested in us running workshops at their practices. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Becca Voelcker on BBC Radio 3 Free Thinking |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Becca Voelcker was invited as a panel member on BBC Radio 3's Free Thinking programme, hosted by Matthew Sweet, in a programme called "Slow film and ecology". Becca referred to the research project during her contribution. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00182c3 |
| Description | Climate conversation workshop 1 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | First climate conversation workshop hosted by GTAS. Following and introduction to the research project, invited guests briefly talk about their own practice in relation to climate emergency. Followed by a discussion based on structured questions regarding the possible challenges that each guest faces in her/his/their own practice with regards to, for example, (interdisciplinary) collaborations or external policies (e.g. governmental / national or European) or other factors. We talk about experiences in relation to things that go "wrong", might pose threats to future developments or could in any other way prove challenging. A third line of enquiry will engage in questions about 'scaling' and we will want to ask you about what 'scaling' means to you and how you might pursue it (e.g. through building of networks, professional contexts, etc.). Finally, we hear about the role / importance of research to your practice and how you advance your knowledge base. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Climate conversation workshop 2 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Second climate conversation workshop hosted by GTAS. Following and introduction to the research project, invited guests briefly talk about their own practice in relation to climate emergency. Followed by a discussion based on structured questions regarding the possible challenges that each guest faces in her/his/their own practice with regards to, for example, (interdisciplinary) collaborations or external policies (e.g. governmental / national or European) or other factors. We talk about experiences in relation to things that go "wrong", might pose threats to future developments or could in any other way prove challenging. A third line of enquiry will engage in questions about 'scaling' and we will want to ask you about what 'scaling' means to you and how you might pursue it (e.g. through building of networks, professional contexts, etc.). Finally, we hear about the role / importance of research to your practice and how you advance your knowledge base. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Conference presentation by Christina Serifi and Anthony Powis |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Radically-Open Participatory Practice in the Face of the Climate Emergency, for conference in Athens |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Design is Climate lecture (Design Museum) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | An invited keynote lecture at the design museum in London as part of the design challenge collaborative unit hosted by Chelsea Camberwell and Wimbledon school of art. A large audience of ~200 students engaged with the talk which focussed on how climate breakdown presents a challenge to existing frameworks of design. Tutors also responded well suggesting they would rethink some of their vocabulary in particular. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Initiating Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Initiating workshop for the research project with an expert panel from academia, education, built environment professions, and associated roles (activism, journalism). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Instagram - written and visual dissemination of project activities |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Instagram - written and visual dissemination of project activities |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022 |
| URL | https://www.instagram.com/mould_earth/?hl=en |
| Description | Introductory Podcast for the project website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The podcast introduced the research project and team for a lay audience and is available on the project website to continue to offer an overview of the project as it progresses |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | http://mould.earth/mld001 |
| Description | Jeremy Till: Keynote Lecture for ENHR Annual Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Jeremy Till gave invited keynote to the annual ENHR (European Network of Housing Research) in Barcelona, presenting the Architecture after Architecture project. The response was very divided. Half the audience were upset to the point of anger at the challenge presented to the status quo, while the other half (generally the younger) were grateful for the force of the critique. One Danish member of the audience later reported that she had taken the ideas back to the emerging Danish commission on the future of the profession. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.habitatge.barcelona/en/noticia/barcelona-will-be-the-scene-of-enhr-platforms-internation... |
| Description | Keynote lecture at Australian Architecture conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Jeremy Till was invited to deliver final keynote lecture at the ArchiTeam conference. ArchiTeam is Australia's leading representative of small, medium and emerging architects and architecture practices. ArchiTeam holds a National Conference every 2 years. The theme for the 2021 ArchiTeam Conference was Trajectories, with an online and physical audience of over 350, mainly architects. Jeremy presented a talk called "Architecture after Architecture", setting the premise of the research project. Audience feedback was positive: i.e this email: Hey Jeremy I only tuned in to the conference to get CPD points...a requirement to stay registered as an architect in Australia. It was a dreary day and then you popped up and gave me lots to smile about....finally someone with something sensible (and considered....and provocative...) to say. Our group loved you laying into 'sustainable architecture' as a term. And your take on growth as criminal!? Fantastic. Look at the Melbourne skyline??? The work of criminals (architects and developers and politicians). This is a country founded on corruption...lies and deceit. We don't stand a chance..... And we know it.... Look out for 'Respair' being stolen and used by the sanctimonious 'sustainable design set' here in Melbourne. Thanks again. Brilliant presentation. (I hope you tuned out of the panel discussion.....) Clinton |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.architeam.net.au/2021-architeam-conference |
| Description | Lecture by Jeremy Till to Institute of Architecture / die Angewandte Vienna |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Lecture on Architecture after Architecture to Institute of Architecture / die Angewandte Vienna |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Lecture by Jeremy Till: Politechnico di Milano |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Lecture by Jeremy Till in his role as Visiting Professor at Department of Architecture, Politechnico di Milano, January 2023. Lecture was to over 100 PG students and their lecturers/professors, and introduced the studio that Till also ran based on the Architecture after Architecture project. Many of the audience said afterwards that this was the first time issues of climate had been so clearly set out at Polimi. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.dastu.polimi.it/minds-2023-milano-international-design-studio/ |
| Description | Lecture to Escola de Arquitetura, Arte e Design Universidade do Minho "Architectural Research in the face of the climate emergency" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Lecture to the postgraduate community of this Portuguese university, applying the arguments of the Architecture after Architecture project to architectural research |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Podcast by Jeremy Till as part of 'Architecture Talk' series |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Jeremy Till was invited on to the 'Architecture Talk' podcast hosted by Vikram Prakash from the University of Washington, Seattle, US. The podcast has a wide (over 2k) audience, and in this episode Jeremy set out the 'Architecture after Architecture' project and its recent developments. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.architecturetalk.org/home/136jt |
| Description | Podcast for the project website - Care and Architecture |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The podcast discussed Care and Ethics as they relate to architecture, and contained interviews with three guests (architects and theorists) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | http://mould.earth/mld-011 |
| Description | Presentation and debate participation for BBC/ AHRC by Becca Voelcker (New Generation Thinkers scheme) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | New Generation Thinkers Scheme, Final Round |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | http://mould.earth/histories-of-the-future-filming-climates-in-crisis |
| Description | Presentation to Architecture Students at Northumbria University - Becca Voelcker, Christina Serifi, Anthony Powis |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Talk on Architecture After Architecture for undergraduate architecture students |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Project website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Mould /Architecture after Architecture project website with updates, writings, images and podcasts |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022 |
| URL | http://mould.earth/ |
| Description | Talk delivered online by Jeremy Till to Miami University Ohio (US) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Talk delivered on Architecture After Architecture |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Talk delivered online for University of the West of England |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Around 20 academics attended a talk in which the team presented our research project and showed slides |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Team presentation at AHRA Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Project team members gave a presentation and ran a workshop at the annual AHRA (Architectural Humanities Research Association) conference. The team presented the outline of the research project and then ran a two hour workshop reflecting on the implications for architectural education. The in-person audience was small, but supplemented with a larger online audience from Europe and the US. The session was followed up with requests for further collaboration from US participants. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://ahra2022convening.com/Program |
| Description | Urgency, Growth, and Spatial Practice |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Conference Paper at 'Growth/Emergency: Re-Imagining Cities, Economies and Ecologies in the Time of the Anthropocene' hosted by UCL Urban Lab and Institute for Advanced Studies. International audience |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.ucl.ac.uk/institute-of-advanced-studies/news/2022/apr/growthemergency-re-imagining-citie... |