Back to All Events

Conference: Place- and nature-based architecture in the Nordics

  • Form/Design Center 9 Lilla torg Malmö, Skåne län, 211 34 Sweden (map)

Conference: Place- and nature-based architecture in the Nordics

Welcome to a conference at Form/Design Center in Malmö, where we together explore how actors in the Nordic countries can encourage accelerate and the transformation by (re)introducing local materials. How do we combine tradition and innovation to develop building practices that keep architectxxure and construction within planetary boundaries?

During this conference you will have the opportunity to listen to some of the front runners within the field. Join architects, urban designers, researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders as we discuss the potential of place-based architecture and nature-based construction materials. Through presentations and discussions, we will explore scalable solutions, share research insights, and examine the barriers and opportunities for integrating placebased and nature-based practices into the mainstream construction industry.

Registration

Register here ››

Participation is free and includes lunch and dinner!

Program

(Continuously updated).

Part 1: Place-based architecture

How can we work with place-based community design and architecture? Construction should be defined by the context in terms of local material and resource availability, cultural, social, and aesthetic context as well as legislative context. How can we work actively with architecture as a community shaper and a nudger of sustainable behaviour? Listen to some of the current projects and approaches in the Nordic region that aim to strengthen place-based work and practic. 

08.30–09.00
Doors open

Join us for coffee and smörrebröd

09.00–09.10
Welcome and introduction

Welcome and introduction with Johan Jönsson, Material expert, Chairman Technical Committee for unfired earth and Pernille Modvig, project leader SUSTAINORDIC. 

09.10–09.25
About SUSTAINORDIC and the ongoing work

Pernille Modvig, project leader SUSTAINORDIC.

09.25–09.40
Perspectives from the Nordic ministry

Anders Vestergaard Jensen

09.40–10.30
Case#1: Why do we need a more place-based architecture and construction? 

Malin Zimm, Architect PhD, writer, reflections from Sustain Nordics articles “Perspectives on Place-based architecture“.

Finn Williams, City Architect in Malmö stad, reflections from the municipality's ongoing efforts to pave the way for more place-based urban design and architecture.

A conversation between Malin Zimm and Finn Williams about SUSTAINORDIC and Malmö stad’s collaboration to collect a bank of examples of place-based urban design and architecture in our time.

10.30–10.45   
–Break– 

We will serve coffee and tea.

→ Examples from the nordic countries

Examples from the Nordic countries of actors with a strong place-based philosophy, practice, and implementation.

10.45–11.45
Case #2: Prerequisites for a more place-based architecture in Denmark

11.45–12.00  
Discussion and Q&A

With Stig Hassellund, Justine Bell, Sofie Søndergaard Aagaard and Finn Williams. Led by Malin Zimm.

12.00–13.00 
–Lunch– 

Vegetarian lunch is served.

Part 2: Nature/bio-based architecture  

Reducing our planetary impact requires a new approach to design and architecture. During part two, you will hear about a number of research and development projects that reflect on the potential of building materials and built form from different perspectives. How can the choice of materials affect the climate neutral, resilient and place-based architecture?

13.00–13.10 
Nature and bio-based materials in the nordics

An introduction with material expert Johan Jönsson.

13.10–13.30 
Lecture #1: “Roads to a bio based construction” 

→ Marwa Dabaieh – Malmö university  
Marwa is an architect and BioGeometry® practitioner with a focus on sustainable and environmentally conscious architecture. As an architect she has specialized in zero-emission and passive earth buildings, sustainable architectural conservation, and climate-responsive design. 

Her research focuses on passive and carbon-neutral low-tech vernacular methods and their adaptation for contemporary zero-emission building practices. Her work often employs transdisciplinary approaches, utilizing human-centered participatory design methods.

13.30–13.50 
Lecture #2: "Biogene materialers anvendelse i byggeriet”

  • Johannes Schotanus, Teaching Associate Professor and Researcher in, CINARK - Centre for Industrialised Architecture

13.50–14.10
Lecture #3: “Unboxing Carbon”

Martha Lewis is Head of Materials at Henning Larsen, where she established a material database detailing healthy, ethical, and environmentally tenable materials and has launched the carbon literacy course, “Unboxing Carbon”. Formerly, as a member of the Buildings as Material Banks shareholders network, Martha worked to establish an EU material passport. She is currently involved in establishing a European building material declaration.

14.10–14.30
Conversation and Q&A

  • Marwa Dabaieh 

  • Johannes Schotanus

  • Martha Lewis

  • Johan Jönsson (moderator)  

14.30–14.45 
–Break– 

We will serve coffee and tea.

14.45–15.05 
Lecture #4

Guy Valentin works as a craftsman based in Great Britain, specialised on natural clay and rammed earth.

15.05–15.25 
Lecture #5 

Anton Maertens, business developer at BC Materials, (online lecture) Anton was a policy advisor amongst other roles within the fields of circular economy and climate change. Driven by reducing waste, in 2019 he joined BC Materials — a cooperative transforming excavated earth into ready-to-use building materials.

15.25–15.45
Lecture #6

Rosa Hanhausen, Program Manager of the BE-FELLOW Program at Bauhaus Earth. She is a Mexican architect, urban designer and researcher based in Berlin. In 2015 she co-founded a design and art direction studio in Mexico City, where she participated in a wide range of design-based projects at different scales. In 2022 she obtained a master's degree from the Technical University of Berlin. After graduating, she joined Bauhaus Earth, where she led projects such as the exhibition »Mass is More« (2022), an intervention at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion.

15.45–16.00
Discussion and Q&A

With Rosa Hanhausen, Anton Maertens, and Guy Valentin. Moderator: Johan Jönsson.

16.00–16.15 
–Break– 

We will serve coffee and tea.

16.15–16.25
Local case #1

Daniel Fagerberg, Architect and engineer who works on developing various bio-based building materials and building systems for ETC Bygg. He is currently working on a high-rise building in Hyllie, Malmö, which is currently being built with straw in the outer walls.

16.25–16.35
Local case #2

Anders Eriksson Modin, Utvecklingschef på FOJAB och AG-ledare för Arbetsgrupp 4: Klimatneutrala byggmaterial, är en av initiativtagarna till Materialforumet- Ett initiativ som är en möjlighet för materialtillverkarna att, i dialog med beställarna, skapa en tydligare kravbild och en högre kostnadsmedvetenhet kring klimatomställning.

16.35–16.45
Local case #3

Alexander Gülich, Head of Sales, Ekolution AB is a Swedish GreenTech company specializing in the production, development and sale of bio-based materials from industrial hemp. The flagship product Ekolution® Hemp fibre insulation has already established itself as one of the most climate positive building insulations on the market. The product is fully certified and registered on EPD International, Byggvarubedömningen, SundaHus, BASTA and included in the Nordic Ecolabelling database.

16.45–16.55
Discussion and Q&A

With Alexander Gülich, Anders Eriksson Modin, Daniel Fagerberg. Moderator: Johan Jönsson.

16.55–17.00
Conclusion and final reflections

With Johan Jönsson, Pernille Modvig and Malin Zimm.  

Site visit

17.00–19.45 
Bus trip to Hyllie ETC house and Ekolution

Site visit to Hyllie ETC House and Ekolution. Bus will depart from Stortorget (2 minute walk from Form/Design Center).

17.00–17.30
Mingel and walk to bus.

17.30–18.00
Bus to Staffanstorp.

18.00–18.45
Sightvisit Ekolution

18.45–19.00
Buss to Hyllie

19.00-19.45
Sight visit ETC bygg.

19.45-20.00
Bus to
restaurant BISe.

Dinner

20.00–21.30 
Dinner at BISe

Join us for a free joint dinner at restaurant BISe.

Location

Form/Design Center, Lilla torg 9, Malmö

Organiser

SUSTAINORDIC together with Nordic Sustainable Construction and City of Malmö with support from Nordic Innovation.

Registration

Register here

Cost

Participation is free and includes lunch and dinner.
(Because of the limited number of places, we have chosen to have a no-show fee of 500 SEK).

Previous
Previous
21 May

Seminar: Planetary Boundaries