REVERSE ARCHITECTURE – The Dismantling of Architecture in an European-Japanese Perspective

Research Seminar

(1,5 SWS / 6 ECTS)

Language:       Englisch

Time:                Thursday, 18 April 2024, 10 am – 12 noon

Room:              Seminarraum S04, C.A.R.L. Claßenstraße 11

Lecturer:          Prof. Axel Sowa

In the current context, we are becoming aware of our ecological footprint. We acknowledge the limitation of natural resources and understand the necessity to reduce CO2 emissions. We are looking for efficient solutions for recycling, recovery, and adaptive reuse. During this research seminar, we will be examining concrete cases where architecture is deconstructed, destroyed, dismantled and torn apart. All these operations of deconstruction are necessary in order to give materials and components a second life. A descriptive analysis of deconstruction situations will lead us to a theoretical approach offering a conceptual framework for reconstruction projects. Throughout our seminar, we will be organising online exchanges with a Japanese research group directed by Prof. Nasu at our partner university, Tokyo Institute of Technology. This exchange will enable us to understand concepts of dismantling and deconstruction in an intercultural perspective. Finally, this seminar will be the first step towards a participation at Osaka World Expo 2025, dedicated to the themes of sustainability and cyclical economy.