“Whenever we build, we either contribute to or counteract dominant processes of change.” — Material Cultures

Last week I began a 4-month programme curated by the inspiring duo Material Cultures and Civic Square. This opportunity came out of one of those everyday moments when you pick up your phone and find yourself on Instagram with no conscious thought as to how you got there. 

Like many I have a love-hate relationship with the app and have been going cold turkey for months at a time, almost totally deleting my account and then reconnecting with it by spontaneously sharing pictures or thoughts about what I’m up to and on some lucky days it leading to great opportunities and exciting conversations. 

So right now it’s in my good books as I spotted this incredible opportunity just a couple of hours before the deadline, spent the evening scratching out an application (accidentally clicking submit before proof-reading it!), and a week later found myself on the train to Birmingham to meet up with 20 architects, designers, builders and change-makers from all around the country wanting to learn more about regenerative architecture and a post-carbon built environment. 

Material Matters is a hands-on, practical learning journey for people interested in the material transition of our homes, streets and neighbourhoods to collectively move towards a low-carbon, regenerative built environment that supports an ecologically safe and socially just planet for all life, both human and the more-than-human.

Participation will primarily take the form of four hands-on in person workshops each centred around a working with different natural materials alongside some theoretical knowledge in relation to the material. These in person sessions will be supported by online sessions and an optional learning visit. The series will wrap up with a collaborative launch of our research report through a creative showcase in the form of a ‘material farmers market’ which all workshop peers are invited to contribute.

Read more about the work of Material Cultures here

‘Construction and maintenance presently accounts for over 40 per cent of total UK carbon emissions. Eleven per cent of the industry’s carbon emissions are derived from the manufacture of materials. Current housing models depend on large amounts of high-energy materials, mass-manufactured overseas, with short lifespans. If we are to halt the progress of ecological breakdown we need to radically rethink the logic of current construction methods, the materials we use and our approach to growth. In doing so it is likely that we will need to both recover some of our forgotten technologies and develop entirely new forms of architectural language,’ 

– Material Cultures

I’ll be sharing what we’re up to on my Instagram as we go and in longer form through this journal, so follow along if you want to learn more about a post-carbon future with me.