The Architects’ Journal Architecture News & Buildings
New year, new horizons. Climate Champions is going abroad in search of fresh approaches to ecological architecture.
First up are two episodes from our fascinating discussion with Stuttgart-based French architect, author, curator and teacher Dominique Gauzin-Müller. Dominique is the curator of TERRAFIBRA, an exhibition at the Pavillon de l’Arsenal in Paris, on show until February 27.
In this episode Dominique describes the growing ‘frugal’ architecture movement in France which has seen over 6,000 straw buildings built in the past 10 years. She also shares with us current research in ‘poured earth’, which she sees as the way forward as an alternative to concrete.
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About Dominique Gauzin-Müller
Author of numerous books on bio-renewable materials and former editor of French journal Ecologik, Dominique Gauzin-Müller was a proponent of timber architecture long before it became the material of choice to tackle climate emergency. She is a co-author of France’s frugal architecture manifesto, launched in 2018.
Dominique recently founded the global TERRAFIBRA Awards to recognise and promote what she calls post-carbon architecture: buildings made with regenerative materials such as earth, straw, bamboo, and hemp. She teaches at the Strasbourg National School of Architecture and is an Honorary Associate Professor of the UNESCO Chair of Earthen Architecture, Building Cultures and Sustainable Development.
Show notes: Projects and resources mentioned in this episode
Source:Ce Wang
Rammed earth walls and bamboo at Terra Centre, KUST campus, China (2017) by One University One Village Team, Lead architect Edward Ng (Hong Kong) – featured in the TERRAFIBRA ARCHITECTURE exhibition
TERRAFIBRA ARCHITECTURE exhibition, Pavillon de l’Arsenal, Paris
OFF du Développement Durable (Off du DD)
ACAN Natural Materials Group YouTube channel
Cartography project of local resources
ENSTIB – National School of Woodworking Technologies and Industries, Epinal, France
Material Cultures Circular Biobased Construction report for North East & Yorkshire Energy Hub and York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership
CRAterre – International Institute for Earth Construction, Grenoble, France
Guillaume Habert, ETH, Zurich
Source:Pierre-Yves Brunaud
CEB Compressed earth blocks at Cultural Centre Aria, France (2017) by Atelier Philippe Madec
Philippe Madec Mediathèque using poured earth (on site)
Biganos ecodistrict near Bordeaux
amàco French research centre for natural materials
Credits
Climate Champions is produced in association with ACAN, the Architects’ Climate Action Network
Podcast produced and edited by Concept Culture
Music: Edmilson do Pífano, Forró de dois Amigos. Interpretation: Felipe Tanaka e banda Balaio de Baião