ENAC Seminar series // The need for wise material use : Exploring architecture as a source of sustainable solutions
Event details
| Date | 28.06.2024 |
| Hour | 14:15 |
| Speaker | Marlène Leroux is a founding partner, along with Francis Jacquier, of the architecture and urban planning firm Atelier Archiplein. Created in 2008 in Shanghai and relocated to Geneva in 2011, Atelier Archiplein has already established a solid reputation in the construction of natural materials, especially massive stones and wood, as well as urban renovations and interventions in the heritage arena. The quality of her work has been recognised by architectural critics and the construction industry alike, including the d’Architecture Critics Prize (D’A), the DRA5, the ARC Awards and nominations for the Équerre d’Argent, the Prix Immobilier Suisse Romand and the Prix AMO. Her serious commitment has also earned us membership in the prestigious BSA-FAS and the Medal of the French Architecture Academy. Alongside her practical activity, Marlène Leroux holds a doctorate from EPFL. Before joining the University of Geneva as scientific coordinator of the MAS Urbanisme EPFL-UNIGE, she was a lecturer at the Institut d’urbanisme de Grenoble (IUGA). Marlène Leroux is guest professor in the Massive Baukonstruktionen laboratory at the Technische Universität Dortmund and leads a multidisciplinary research project, Innosuisse-Innovation Booster. Among others, she serves on the editorial board of the journal TRACÉS and is president of the executive committee of the Fondation Pavillon Sicli. |
| Location | Online |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
| Event Language | English |
Let’s admit it, energy expenditure is unavoidable, but it remains to be seen what proportion of it is unsustainable. Since the 1950s, urban production has focused on construction technic that are reproducible, accessible and omniscient but energy-intensive. However, no miracle substitute works for everything, all the time. It is, therefore, necessary to act with nuance, to propose hybrid solutions and to use more demanding materials – most likely, geosourced and biosourced materials. Imagine that what is - easy, fast and reproducible - is fading away in favour of what will be - hospitable, perennial and sober-.
But above all, we need to reposition architectural synthesis as the prime incubators of sustainable solutions. On the one hand, the immense diversity of architectural typologies has always interacted with the climate and defined principles of form in line with it, facilitating use. On the other hand, the right match between the technical characteristics of materials, their use and the resulting shapes makes it easier to reduce the quantities of materials used or to make the most of passive climate solutions.
Finally, making good use of the richness of building culture, known but all too often ignored, reveals the intrinsic ecological performance of many architectural elements, which should be recentred in the design process. Being an architect today involves leveraging the culture and tools of architecture to address societal and environmental issues that arise from the global civil society.
Practical information
- General public
- Free
- This event is internal
Contact
- Prof. Jeffrey Huang