Over the course of four semesters and across a variety of scales and modes of practice, the studio has considered how a caring form of architectural design might be promoted to defy the systems of extraction and environmental harm perpetuated, alongside the associated injustices, by the construction of buildings and by the procurement of building materials and components. Our journey started from bioregenerative materials. Mixing different quantities of subsoil, sand, water, and fibres we discovered a wide spectrum of uses, traditions, techniques, and ways of building. The first two semesters aimed to develop a careful and empathetic approach to design projects: spending time with sites and communities; learning about local needs and aspirations; paying attention to, diverting, and revaluing available materials and resources; blurring the lines between design and construction. Live-build projects for communities across Edinburgh were followed in the second year by speculative proposals that considered how these architectural systems, protocols, and tectonic recipes could be scaled up—how bioregional materials, reclaimed components, and care could be activated at the scale of the city.

Top image: Ollie Howell, Joseph Simms, Jaaziel Kajoba, On Sacred Ground, detail.