Crafting Circularity. A European Education Project Exploring Sustainable Construction Practices with Future Architects

Abstract

Situated within the broader scope of the ERASMUS+ research project Crafting Circularity: Rethinking Sustainable Design and Construction in Architecture Education, the present paper is an early contribution on project-based learning-through-making methodologies and their implementation in architectural curricula. The construction industry exploits vast quantities of raw materials, produces more than a third of global waste, and causes a large portion of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. However, while new models tackling resource scarcity emerge in practice and an array of R-strategies is discussed within the research community, education is yet to adjust, architectural education in particular. If architects are a decisive agent of change, this needs to be distinctly reflected in the reorientation of teaching. This project discusses strategies for translating current research findings on circular construction practices into architectural education. The various components of the project are presented, along with first outcomes and transferable insights.