Speaking at NUS on relational urbanism and more-than-human design

💡 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

More exciting news! Dark Matter Labs and RMIT University are proud to be exhibiting at the 2025 Gwangju Design Biennale (Aug 30 – Nov 2, Gwangju, Korea) under the theme “You, the World: How Design Embraces Humanity” Our project, Permissioning the City: Prototyping Permission, explores how adaptive licensing could unlock Melbourne’s underutilised urban spaces for an emergent civic economy. Through three speculative scenarios in North Melbourne’s Shands Lane, we imagine what becomes possible when permission replaces restriction:  Housing → from temporary cooperative living to a long-term vision where access is based on need, not ownership  Habitat → transforming laneways into ecological corridors that support biodiversity and pollinators  Energy → micro-generation and shared storage systems that turn the block into its own power plant. These layered, time-based prototypes demonstrate how flexible, permission-based governance can reshape urban life, making housing more accessible, restoring biodiversity, and enabling community-owned energy. This work was developed by the SuperUrban Lab at RMIT University School of Architecture & Urban Design, with contributions from the University of Technology Sydney, Infra-Architecture Lab, and Dark Matter Labs. Research Leaders: Graham Crist, John Doyle, Rafael Luna from University of Technology Sydney, Ph.D., Eunji Kang, Calvin Po, Paul Minifie Student Team: Zuyi Chen, Yixuan Wang, Sienna Schulz, Sienna Crook, Miguel Ramos, Michael Marchetti, Lucjia Noble, Kristopher Kokkinidis, Harshita Pallabi Sahu, Charlotte Bond, Celine Hussein Blanc, Angela Celene Limanto, Alyssa Valerie Supported by: The Australia Korea Foundation And special thanks to this year's curator Chang Hee Lee.  Find us at the Biennale exhibition and discover how permissioning can reimagine the future of cities.#GwangjuDesignBiennale #PermissioningTheCity #UrbanFutures #CivicEconomy #RMIT #DarkMatterLabs https://lnkd.in/dbDhjKkx https://lnkd.in/dJv2jVi9 https://lnkd.in/dSkbD9zJ

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.

🔥🏙️ We have been building urban ovens, not cities. 🎉🔓📖 Delighted to share that our Open Access article 🌿“Nature-Based Solutions and Other Critical Aspects of Urban Innovations for Green Transition” is now published as FirstView in European Review (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Core). Read: https://lnkd.in/dSq3bVU9 💚 I love interdisciplinary research. This paper sits at the intersection of 🏛️ architecture, ⚗️ chemistry and 🌾 agriculture, and is the result of a fantastic collaboration with architect Barbara Widera, Member of the Mission Board of the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change. The spark came from our Academia Europaea Building Bridges 2024 Urban Innovations debate. Recap: https://lnkd.in/dX-i4T5y Our message in one line: 🧱➡️🌿 turn concrete islands into bioclimatic districts. 🌿🏢 Think living walls, balconies and roofs that create cooler urban microclimates ❄️🌬️, reduce air-conditioning use 📉⚡ and improve everyday comfort 🙂. Inspiration comes from Milan’s vertical gardens, Barcelona’s superblocks, and Wrocław - proudly known as a garden city 🌳. Smart urban design that cools, saves energy, and adapts🌍. #OpenAccess #EuropeanReview #CambridgeCore #NatureBasedSolutions #UrbanInnovation #GreenTransition #ResilientCities #ClimateAdaptation #EUCitiesMission #MissionAdaptation #NewEuropeanBauhaus #BuildingBridges2024 #AcademiaEuropaea #WrocławTech #Milan #Barcelona #Wrocław #najlepiejPWr

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

How have the shifting conceptualisations of ‘work’ and ‘home’ spatialised in the home, and what does this mean for the design of the home? These are the questions that Essi N., Sofie Pelsmakers, and Dalia Milián Bernal from Tampere University, discuss in their latest publication in Buildings & Cities entitled: The unfitness of dwellings: why spatial and conceptual boundaries matter. Visit https://lnkd.in/ds6j3t38 to read the full article. The study was conducted within the framework of the T-winning Spaces 2035 research project funded by the Research Council of Finland | Suomen Akatemia. Nisonen, E., Milián Bernal, D., & Pelsmakers, S. (2025). The unfitness of dwellings: why spatial and conceptual boundaries matter. Buildings & Cities, 6(1), 619–633. https://lnkd.in/ds6j3t38  

🌏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

🗨  “It’s important to understand the value proposition of a carbon-neutral concrete. How does it benefit the environment and how does it benefit the average person?" Kunlé Adeyemi, founder of NLÉ 🏛 At the Venice Biennale 2025, in a compelling interview, architect Kunlé Adeyemi reflects on Holcim’s innovative materials and their role in shaping resilient, climate-adaptive cities. Kunlé Adeyemi brings a global perspective from his work on water-based urban solutions and his experience with African coastal communities. 🤝 We’re proud to connect with visionary architects like him who share our commitment to driving innovation and scaling sustainable building solutions. 🔗 During this year’s Biennale we also partnered with Pritzker Prize-winning architect Alejandro Aravena to present a new carbon sink technology for buildings – learn more about it here: https://lnkd.in/eXd-v8yv #HolcimxELEMENTAL #HolcimVenice2025 #HolcimxAravena #HolcimInnovation  European Cultural Centre

[Architecture Insights: Leung Fung Yee Building and Kunkle Student Centre at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Chung Chi Student Development Complex)] The Beauty of Green and Nature Mix   🌱 A quality living environment for students is key to building the #StudyinHongKong brand. But what makes Leung Fung Yee Building and Kunkle Student Centre at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Chung Chi Student Development Complex) so special? 🌟   ♻️ Tucked into the hillside, this building makes thoughtful use of a former dormitory site, blending carefully into the natural landscape while prioritizing ecological protection. Over 55% of the site is green space, and 75% of the original trees were preserved 🌳. The design also uses high-permeability natural ventilation and lighting systems that keep the building cool in summer — cutting energy use and emissions significantly. As a result, CO₂ emissions have been reduced by 30% in residential areas and 40% in educational zones.   🎇 This commitment to green principles and sustainable practices earned the project the Sustainable Development Award and a Merit Award in the Hong Kong Non-Residential (New Building – Government, Institution or Community) category at QBA 2024.   -------------------------------- ❗Want your project to shine like it? QBA 2026 is for you❗ Click the link below to register for the QBA 2026 Awards Briefing on 9 September 📣 — your chance to get all the latest info! 👉 https://lnkd.in/gbtgbpMj 🔗 Stay updated with QBA 2026 at www.qba.com.hk #QBA2026 #QualityBuildingAward #Innovation #CUHK #HongKongArchitecture