Symposia
Building a Planetary Solution: Regenerative Architectural Strategies for a Planet in Crisis
The lifecycle of the built environment—the production, operation, and, ultimately, disposal of buildings and infrastructure (and their aggregation as towns and cities)—currently accounts for nearly half of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, more than half of solid waste generation, and nearly three quarters of energy consumption. These statistics fail to capture the range of systemic challenges we face as a consequence of our unique but ubiquitous capacity to produce and consume the artifacts of our industriousness. As we approach this critical planetary threshold, what scientists describe as a “climate tipping point,” how can architects and their colleagues in the building sector mitigate or even reverse the ecological and atmospheric impacts of the work? What if, instead of continuing to deplete and degrade our planet’s natural ecosystems—its forests, peatlands, wetlands—the making of global buildings and cities could become a force to incentivize their restoration, reverse climate change, and enhance biodiversity?
Over the course of this three-day symposium organized by Alan Organschi, a diverse array of leading thinkers and makers from the climate, ecosystem, and construction sciences, from industrial ecology and manufacturing, design and engineering, finance and policy will convene to examine, debate, and discuss the materials, means, methods, and potential benefits of a new regenerative paradigm for the building sector.
Symposia at the Yale School of Architecture are supported in part by the J. Irwin Miller Fund.
Thursday, February 20
Regenerative Building Tours and Workshops
- Horse Island Coastal Research Station Tour
- Regenerative New Haven Tour of Advanced Timber and Bio-Based Construction
- Community Engagement through Design Build Education: The Jim Vlock First Year Building Project
- Regenerative Minerals and Biomass: Regional Bio and Circular Material Innovations
- Ongoing Experimentation and Research: Project from Yale Center for Ecosystems in Architecture
Friday, February 21
Hastings Hall
Introduction and Welcome, 10:00 a.m. Alan Organschi, Yale School of Architecture Building Lab; Gray Organschi Architecture
Our Terrestrial Challenge: Barriers and Benefits to System Change, 10:15 a.m.
Karen Seto, Yale School of the Environment
Philipp Misselwitz, Bauhaus Earth; Technische Universität Berlin
Barbara Reck, Yale Center for Industrial Ecology
Phillip G. Bernstein, Yale School of Architecture
Anna Dyson, Yale Center for Ecosystems in Architecture, Yale School of Architecture
Resilient Forests, Responsive Structures: Signals from Natural Systems, 1:00 p.m.
Marc Palahí, Circular Bioeconomy Alliance; Lombard Odier
Andrew Waugh, Waugh Thistleton
Tanya Luthi, Timberlab
Kiel Moe, Architect
Lindsay Wikstrom, Mattaforma
End of Waste? Circular Economic Substitutions / New Raw Material, 3:00 p.m.
Eva Gladek, Metabolic
Catherine DeWolf, ETH Zurich
Jennifer Russell, Virginia Tech
Christian Gäth, Bauhaus Earth
Barbara Reck, Yale Center for Industrial Ecology
Keynote Conversation: Architecture, Science, and Planetary Governance, 6:30 p.m.
President Maurie McInnis, Yale University
Vice Provost Julie Zimmerman, Yale University
Dean Deborah Berke, Yale School of Architecture
Alan Organschi, Yale School of Architecture Building Lab; Gray Organschi Architecture
Saturday, February 21
Hastings Hall
Introduction, 10:00 a.m.
Paul Anastas, Yale Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering
Re-Governing the Commons: New and Neglected Knowledge Networks, 10:30 a.m.
Indy Johar, Dark Matter Labs
Sara Kuebbing, Yale Applied Science Synthesis Program
Vyjayanthi Rao, New School for Social Research; Yale University
Ana María Durán Calisto, Yale School of Architecture
Enabling Conditions for System Change, 1:00 p.m.
Mark Wishnie, BTG Pactual
David Lewis, LTL Architects; Parsons School of Constructed Environments
Daniel Ibañez, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia
Matti Kuittinen, Aalto University
Closing Remarks
Alan Organschi, Yale School of Architecture Building Lab; Gray Organschi Architecture
Building a Planetary Solution: Regenerative Biomaterial Strategies for a Planet in Crisis is supported by the J. Irwin Miller Fund.