FF Grounded Futures
The two research modules Grounded Futures are conducted within the framework of the BIT HABITAT project in Barcelona and explore regenerative approaches to architecture through experimental material research and 1:1 prototyping. Students may take each module independently, but together they form a consecutive sequence: the winter semester WS 2526 focuses on material experimentation and testing, while the summer semester SS 26 translates these findings into a collaborative design-and-build workshop in Barcelona.
“Global human-made mass exceeds all living biomass” (Milo et al., Nature, 2020). Our ecosystems are today defined more by man-made than natural materials – particularly in cities. Yet we continue to extract and produce from primary resources in a linear model. This project proposes a different view: to see the city as an anthropocenic quarry, composed of sediments of man-made materials and metabolic “waste” that can be re-mined, reassembled, and reimagined as resources for architecture. Approaching urban secondary resources in the same way as natural primary ones — through research, testing, and design — is not only an environmental imperative but an architectural decision that will define the look, feel, and function of our built environment.
The Forschungsfeld Grounded Futures is the first of two consecutive research modules conducted within the framework of the BIT HABITAT project in Barcelona. Both modules can be taken independently, but students are encouraged to participate in the sequence to develop a coherent research trajectory from material experimentation to design application.
In the winter semester 2026, the focus will be on investigating natural Algae-based binders in combination with urban waste resources such as concrete rubble through systematic material sampling, testing, and prototyping. Students will engage with methods of circular resource use, bio-based composites, and the integration of urban mineral waste in construction research. This will be supported by a preliminary research phase in the first month of the semester including site visits to recycling centers and an intensive 3-days material workshop with Angie Dub and Heidi Jalkh following their prototype presented at this years Venice Biennale.
Students may take each module independently, but together they form a consecutive sequence. The course provides students with competencies in practice-based and transdisciplinary research, experimental prototyping, and critical reflection on regenerative material practices in architecture.
References:
https://bithabitat.barcelona/es/
https://www.instagram.com/heidijalkh/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/angiedub/?hl=en
FF Grounded Futures
The two research modules Grounded Futures are conducted within the framework of the BIT HABITAT project in Barcelona and explore regenerative approaches to architecture through experimental material research and 1:1 prototyping. Students may take each module independently, but together they form a consecutive sequence: the winter semester WS 2526 focuses on material experimentation and testing, while the summer semester SS 26 translates these findings into a collaborative design-and-build workshop in Barcelona.
“Global human-made mass exceeds all living biomass” (Milo et al., Nature, 2020). Our ecosystems are today defined more by man-made than natural materials – particularly in cities. Yet we continue to extract and produce from primary resources in a linear model. This project proposes a different view: to see the city as an anthropocenic quarry, composed of sediments of man-made materials and metabolic “waste” that can be re-mined, reassembled, and reimagined as resources for architecture. Approaching urban secondary resources in the same way as natural primary ones — through research, testing, and design — is not only an environmental imperative but an architectural decision that will define the look, feel, and function of our built environment.
The Forschungsfeld Grounded Futures is the first of two consecutive research modules conducted within the framework of the BIT HABITAT project in Barcelona. Both modules can be taken independently, but students are encouraged to participate in the sequence to develop a coherent research trajectory from material experimentation to design application.
In the winter semester 2026, the focus will be on investigating natural Algae-based binders in combination with urban waste resources such as concrete rubble through systematic material sampling, testing, and prototyping. Students will engage with methods of circular resource use, bio-based composites, and the integration of urban mineral waste in construction research. This will be supported by a preliminary research phase in the first month of the semester including site visits to recycling centers and an intensive 3-days material workshop with Angie Dub and Heidi Jalkh following their prototype presented at this years Venice Biennale.
Students may take each module independently, but together they form a consecutive sequence. The course provides students with competencies in practice-based and transdisciplinary research, experimental prototyping, and critical reflection on regenerative material practices in architecture.
References:
https://bithabitat.barcelona/es/
https://www.instagram.com/heidijalkh/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/angiedub/?hl=en