The human population of the world continues to grow; at the same time, economic prosperity is rising globally. Both developments have led to increased pressures on our environment.

With the world as it is now built, resources are extracted from the earth and then discarded. They are literally consumed rather than being reconsidered as temporarily borrowed from natural or socio-technical circuits. If we want the built environment to be truly sustainable, it must be considered at once as an existing repository and enduring provider of resources. A circular economy is essential, whereby re-used and re-cycled materials from the present building stock form new mines of the future.

To create a novel, visionary world system, we also need to develop materials for a world that has yet to be built. This approach would ultimately demand that humankind make the decisive transition to cultivating, breeding, raising, farming, or growing resources instead of merely extracting them from the natural environment. The workshop “Changing paradigms: Materials for a world not yet built” will look at various new models for creating a sustainably built human environment that is both fully recyclable and constructed from materials that are grown or naturally transformed so as not to damage the non-human environments of the world. In particular, new ideas and approaches will be explored concerning materials, water and energy supply, waste management, and alternative construction methods that, while aiming to thoroughly rethink our relation to resources, also respect the human values of dignity, health, and happiness. Taking into consideration what must still be achieved to these ends, the workshop will deliberate on how to build a different world.