Dark Matter Labs and RMIT at Gwangju Design Biennale

💡 Let's zoom in from the master plan to the buildings themselves. This post covers the core of our "Repair and Revival Campus" project: the architectural re-functionalization. The existing depot was largely composed of offices and storage. Our proposal transforms it into a dynamic, multi-use community hub. We designed a new functional program based on the principles of circular economy and social inclusion. The revitalized campus now includes: Repair Workshops l Community & Learning l Social & Commercial This strategic blend of functions aims to create a self-sustaining ecosystem that fosters skill-sharing, reduces waste, and builds community. In the next post, I'll cover the sustainable technologies that power it all. Project with Sana Rezvani under the supervision of Prof. Paola Altamura at Sapienza University of Rome. #AdaptiveReuse #Architecture #FunctionalProgramming #CircularEconomy #CommunityHub #SocialHousing #Sustainability #Rome

🌿 Nation by Design by Nature: Relational Urbanism and More-than-Human Futures 🌿 Today I had the honour of being invited to speak at the National University of Singapore on how we might reimagine urban futures beyond anthropocentric logics. We explored how relational urbanism and more-than-human design can help co-create cities not just for people, but with the wider web of life to help restoring biodiversity, enabling multispecies justice, and embracing ecological entanglements. A big thank you to my hosts at NUS Division of Industrial Design Jung-Joo Lee, Ching Chiuan Yen, Cees de Bont and to all the attendees both in person and online for such an engaged and thoughtful discussion. This conversation connects closely with Singapore Design Week’s 2025 Design Futures pillar. Find out more about our research work at https://lnkd.in/dgG24NT2 Thank you to the ACM, Association for Computing Machinery’s Distinguished Speakers program for supporting my talk. 🙏💚 #NationByDesign #DesignFutures #MoreThanHuman #UrbanDesign #SDWSG25 #SingaporeDesignWeek DesignSingapore Council

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 #𝟓 – 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞: 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 This week’s #SummerReadings post highlights a crucial aspect of GreenInCities: how inclusivity is embedded from the ground up? The Inclusivity Sessions in GreenInCities documents the internal sessions conducted by our partner urbana lab, specially designed to support participating cities. These sessions helped local teams apply the Inclusivity Guidelines and begin working with the #CarescapeKPI – a key indicator developed to assess how urban greening contributes to care, equity, and belonging. Through participatory methods such as experiential and mental mapping, these sessions helped cities reflect on how to engage diverse voices and understand place-based experiences more deeply. 📖 Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/d-5bRha2 #GreenInCities #SummerReadings #Inclusivity #URBANA #Carescape #KPI #ParticipatoryPlanning #UrbanGreening Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia Ideas for Change urbana lab Forum Virium Helsinki NeuroLandscape Fab City Foundation Fab Lab Reykjavík Kaunas University of Technology University of Nova Gorica Linköping University Universidade do Porto University College Cork THINGS LAND Sensative IES Ltd. Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH) Multicriteria Group (Mcrit) ABUD - Advanced Building & Urban Design Pla Estratègic Metropolità de Barcelona (PEMB) City of Athens, Greece Helsingin kaupunki – Helsingfors stad – City of Helsinki The City of Reykjavik Câmara Municipal de Matosinhos Cork City Council - Comhairle Cathrach Chorcaí Pécs város Comune di Prato Mestna občina Nova Gorica Birštonas #Hersonissos

Five years ago, President Ursula von der Leyen launched the New European Bauhaus (NEB). Since then, NEB has had a leading role in shaping numerous initiatives across Europe: ✔️ The Affordable Housing Initiative is now defined as an NEB flagship ✔️ The NEB Academy is building capacity for sustainable construction ✔️ Dozens of European and local NEB projects have received funding from 2020 to 2025 ✔️ The NEB Facility is a new multi‑annual funding tool to support the NEB for 2025–2027. Through this thousands of urban transformations have been designed and implemented at local level, and – zooming out – the first big waves of building a European wide movement has taking place. As the challenges remain, it’s time to ask ourselves: ·      How do we make sure that NEB remains relevant and a movement to bring forward the much needed urban transformation? ·      How can we expand a European initiative, sharing and scaling local NEB empowered experimentation and learning? ·      Where does the greatest potential lie, and how can we integrate NEB into future architectural practice as well as urban planning and development? BLOX invites you to an event that reflects on the past five years of NEB. Through keynote talks, a fireside panel debate, and a hands-on co-design workshop, we’ll explore how NEB values are being activated across Europe — from built environments and biodiversity to social inclusion and new aesthetics. From National policies to business strategies. We look forward to welcoming you online — or in person at BLOX, Copenhagen.

UPCOMING EXHIBITION, LAB TALK SERIES, CATALOGUE: Democratic Design –Space for Cooperation, Collaboration und Compromise With “Democratic Design” Aedes explores how architecture, planning processes and public spaces can foster democratic engagement and social cohesion –both more urgent than ever in times of profound societal uncertainty. Curated by the Aedes team, the programme brings together an exhibition, a series of four Lab Talks and a catalogue with contributions from practitioners in Berlin, across Germany and throughout Europe, selected through an open call in collaboration with European architecture centres. At its heart are democratic planning processes and the spaces they create. The presented projects amplify marginalised voices, encourage participation, inspire collective visions for the future and foster the ability to accept differing viewpoints and to compromise –the very foundations of a democratic culture. PROGRAMME Lab Talks: 25 September 2025, 6 November 2025, 12 December 2025, 28 Januar 2026 Catalogue Launch: 12 December 2025 Exhibition Opening: 12 December 2025, 18:30 Exhibition: 13 December 2025 –28 January 2026 VENUE Aedes, Christinenstr. 18-19, 10119 Berlin SUPPORTED BY Democratic Design is made possible through the generous support of the Berlin Capital Cultural Fund (Hauptstadtkulturfonds) and additional support from the ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS. AEDES METRO LAB PARTNER 2025 Cemex IMAGE © Rimini Berlin #Aedes #AedesBerlin #AedesTalk #Talk #Exhibition #AedesExhibition #Catalogue #AedesCatalogue #Architecture #UrbanDesign #SpatialPlanning #DemocraticDesign #SpaceForCooperationCollaborationAndCompromise #OpenSpaces #DemocraticEngagement #ParticipatoryDesign #InclusiveDemocracy #DemocraticSpaces #SharedFuture #DialogueMatters #CollectiveVision #TransdisciplinaryThinking #UrbanDemocracy #ArchitectureForDemocracy #UrbanDesign #PublicSpaces #CityForAll #DesignForChange #UrbanFuture #EngagedCitizenship #Europe #Community

We are pleased to welcome Sevgim Pekdemir to the RACE for 2030 Industry PhD program. Sevgim’s project “Circular Urban Design Strategies for Net Zero Precincts”, bridges research with real-world impact by developing strategies to make urban living more resilient, collective, and environmentally sustainable. Working from QUT (Queensland University of Technology) Technology’s School of Architecture & Built Environment, Sevgim will be perfectly placed to translate Circular Urban Design theory into practice. With a master’s in architecture for sustainability from @Politecnico di Torino in Italy, and experience working as an Architectural Graduate in Brisbane, Sevgim’s research combines her academic and industry expertise. Sevgim is excited leverage industry partnerships as part of her research. The collaboration built into RACE’s PhD program provides an unparalleled opportunity to apply and refine her Circular Urban Design model with partners and contribute to the creation of more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive precincts. We are delighted to have Sevgim join our program and look forward to seeing how her research shapes the sustainable urban design of the future. Find out more about Sivgam and our PhD Program here: https://lnkd.in/grwEm8Ry #PhDStudent #Circulareconomy #Circulardesign #Sustainablearchitecture #Urbandesign #Scholarship #PhD

HGA has completed the 144,000 sq-ft I³R facility at the University of Arkansas, designed to spark collaboration across FoodTech, HealthTech, and CyberTech. The interdisciplinary hub features: 🔹 Biophilic + mass timber design inspired by Arkansas’ forests 🔹 Flexible lab and collaboration spaces 🔹 A mission-driven focus on “well-health” and economic growth Discover how I³R is setting a new standard for research facilities: https://bit.ly/46xfNii #iands #SustainableDesign #HGA #InnovationHub #Architecture #BiophilicDesign #SustainableArchitecture

🌏Day 2 | Australia Awards: Sustainable Buildings Fellowship Architectural Tour with BVN Architecture – a creative collective shaping the future of sustainable design. From energy, materials, and ecology 🔋🌱 to creative hot desk solutions, circularity ♻️ (upcycling & recycling with partners), and action research in real-world spaces. Today’s insights reimagine how we design for people and the planet. 🌏💡 Case study highlight: Oakhill Innovation Hub – pioneering hybrid timber design, proving that innovation and sustainability can go hand in hand. 🌳🏛️ [Above content (including that great video) reposted directly from Firdaus Fert Karim, PhD, one of the talented Fellows joining us on the DFAT Australian Awards Fellowship hosted by Jessica Siva and myself and University of Newcastle] #AustraliaAwards #SustainableConstruction #BVNArchitecture #CircularDesign #Upcycling #DesignExcellence #DFAT #UON

Excited to share our recent group research project: Public Accessibility and Usage Transformation along Karaköy and Salıpazarı Port: The Impact of the Galataport Project Developed within Urbanism II – Summer Semester 2025 at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Dessau, under the guidance of our Prof. Vesta Nele Zareh and Florent Lévêque. In this study, we investigated the role of the waterfront in architecture and urban design, raising the question: Is it truly open and accessible for everyone? Together with my teammates, we analyzed how the Galataport Project in Istanbul, Turkey has reshaped both public accessibility and waterfront usage patterns along the Karaköy and Salıpazarı port areas. Many thanks to my professor and teammates for this inspiring collaboration! Dilara Yılmaz, Elif Güngör, Hilal Kaleli, Mehmet Şah Karasu

VISIONALE 2025: A Meeting Space for the Built Future 🇩🇪 Exciting news for our German speaking community: Weimarhalle turns into a vibrant forum for ideas, experiments, and visions that open new perspectives on the future of building. 📍 Weimar, Germany 📆 3–4 September 2025 Organised by NEB Partner, Messe Erfurt GmbH, this two-day event will address some pressing questions: 📌 How is building affected by climate change, scarcity of resources, and digitalisation? 📌 What social, aesthetic, and ecological qualities must the built environment meet in the future? 📌 How do these translate into spaces, materials, and new methods? Panel discussions will bring together professionals from architecture, urban planning, science, and the arts, including Pernille Weiss-Ehler, Member of Cabinet for Environment, Water Resilience and Competitive Circular Economy at the European Commission. Discover the full programme here 👉 https://lnkd.in/ejwi7Vjx #NewEuropeanBauhaus NEWbauhaus EU Environment and Climate