October School 2025 – Common Ground

 

Over the course of five intensive days in Brussels, 120 students, teachers, and practitioners from our chair Act of Building at RWTH Aachen—together with participants from the KU Leuven Faculty of Architecture, Building Beyond Borders, the Estonian Academy of Arts, and TU Wien—came together to explore what regenerative architecture can mean for the future of the built environment.

 

This international collaboration invited participants to rethink how we learn, how we build, and how we take responsibility for the materials that shape our world.

 

Learning Through Materials

 

Throughout the week, students engaged deeply with bio- and geo-sourced materials by way of visits, lectures, and three hands-on workshop tracks:

 

Atelier SITE engaged directly with real-scale construction through on-site experimentation. Participant learned to produce and apply earth-based materials to larger structures, using techniques such as plastering, light-earth wall infill, and other natural building methods. This atelier connected material experimentation with full-scale application, offering insight into the realities of regenerative constructions.

 

Atelier LAB dived into the science and art of earth materials. Participants studied granulometry, biofibres, and the behaviour of natural components through small-scale testing. The atelier introduced methods for analysing and assessing soil for its potential in construction—uncovering the transformative processes that turn raw earth into building materials, pushing the boundaries of conventional material practices.

 

Atelier PROTO explored spatial design through hands-on experimentation. Participants worked with bamboo to build a dome structure and test various connecting elements, effectively “sketching” in three dimensions.

The ideas, insights, and relationships formed during this week offer a glimpse into a more regenerative architectural future—one shaped by curiosity, responsibility, and collaboration.

 

Co-financed by Erasmus+, a program of the European Union.

October School 2025 – Common Ground

 

Over the course of five intensive days in Brussels, 120 students, teachers, and practitioners from our chair Act of Building at RWTH Aachen—together with participants from the KU Leuven Faculty of Architecture, Building Beyond Borders, the Estonian Academy of Arts, and TU Wien—came together to explore what regenerative architecture can mean for the future of the built environment.

 

This international collaboration invited participants to rethink how we learn, how we build, and how we take responsibility for the materials that shape our world.

 

Learning Through Materials

 

Throughout the week, students engaged deeply with bio- and geo-sourced materials by way of visits, lectures, and three hands-on workshop tracks:

 

Atelier SITE engaged directly with real-scale construction through on-site experimentation. Participant learned to produce and apply earth-based materials to larger structures, using techniques such as plastering, light-earth wall infill, and other natural building methods. This atelier connected material experimentation with full-scale application, offering insight into the realities of regenerative constructions.

 

Atelier LAB dived into the science and art of earth materials. Participants studied granulometry, biofibres, and the behaviour of natural components through small-scale testing. The atelier introduced methods for analysing and assessing soil for its potential in construction—uncovering the transformative processes that turn raw earth into building materials, pushing the boundaries of conventional material practices.

 

Atelier PROTO explored spatial design through hands-on experimentation. Participants worked with bamboo to build a dome structure and test various connecting elements, effectively “sketching” in three dimensions.

The ideas, insights, and relationships formed during this week offer a glimpse into a more regenerative architectural future—one shaped by curiosity, responsibility, and collaboration.

 

Co-financed by Erasmus+, a program of the European Union.