The Circulars (EPFL MxD)

Marta H. Wisniewska is an architect, urban planner, and lecturer at the Department of Architecture of Cornell University. Marta derives her designs from an extended understanding of the genius loci with a special focus on local material availability, craftsmanship, and industrial processing skills. Her expertise and fields of research are architectural technology, collaborative practice, sustainability, innovative materials and healthy materials. In this episode, Frederik Schumacher discusses with Marta about her journey, her teaching, and the ways in which architects can and should react to issues through science and experimentation.

Links

• Marta H. Wisniewska | Cornell University
• Building from Waste - Recovered Materials in Architecture and Construction

Raphael Bach is an architect and urban planner also active in teaching and research who focuses on environmental and societal topics such as agriculture, sustainable materials and collaborative working. He is a member of Materiuum, an association that seeks to disseminate and collect reusable materials from becoming waste, in particular those coming from the construction industry in the Greater Geneva Region. In this episode, Nathan Bennaroch and Raphael discuss both practical and philosophical questions about the role of the architect, and whether new buildings should even be considered.

Links

• Raphael Bach
• Materiuum
  

Prof. Corentin Fivet is a professor and head of the Structural eXploration Laboratory (SXL) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). His expertise and research interests cover sustainable construction, circular economy, reuse, structure-Efficient Design, computational methods for structural form-finding, innovative construction processes, and collaboration between architects and engineers. In this episode, Samuel Barbey discusses the innovative avenues of exploration that material reuse opens for architects, as well as the importance of considering circularity at every stage of the design process.

Links

• Structural eXploration Lab
• Corentin Fivet
• Smart Living Lab
• Concrete Arch Project

James Binning is a founding member of the design-led interdisciplinary practice Assemble, a multi-disciplinary collective working across architecture, design and art. Assemble embodies a democratic and co-operative working method that enables  built, social and research-based work at a variety of scales, aiming to "make things and making things happen". In this episode, Amélie Gaillet speaks to James about Assemble's formation, their work method, projects, and ways that participatory and holistic processes play a role in architectural design.

Links

• Assemble
  

Elodie Simon is an architect and co-founder of etceterra, an architecture firm based in Lausanne which focuses on earth construction, the reuse of excavation materials, and raising awareness for sustainable construction through education. In this episode, Sibylle Vuillemin discusses with Elodie about both her practice and research exploring the application of vernacular and cutting-edge techniques in construction, with the goal of achieving a more circular, sustainable built environment.

Links

• etceterra
• ETHZ Certificate of Advanced Studies in Regenerative Materials
• 4 Principles of Regenerative Design
• Cooperative Equilibre

Nico Schouten is an architect and Built Environment Team Leader at Metabolic, a firm which aims to help transition the global economy towards sustainability through a wide-ranging, complex ecosystem-based approach. In his work, Nico focuses on the application of circular strategies in design in urban systems. In this episode, Bryan Soares and Nico discuss his background, projects, and the implications of systems-based approaches on the role that architects play.

Links

• Nico Schouten
• Metabolic

Kerstin Müller is an architect and Managing Director of Zirkular, a firm based in Basel, Switzerland which focuses on circular construction processes to achieve sustainable goals and break away from conventional practices. After working around the globe and at baubüro in situ ag, Kerstin has been managing Zirkular alongside many teaching, speaking and research roles. In this episode, Laura Guerreiro speaks with Kerstin about her work, her passion for the circular economy, and the importance of agile innovation in the changing world of design and construction.

Links

• Zirkular

Have you ever imagined an alternative for a better world ? A purpose for disregarded products and materials ?

We are the Circulars, a podcast developed by graduate students of the Media x Design Laboratory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), this podcast is a series of interviews with experts, architects, designers, educators, and thinkers all working at the crossroads of circular economy, architecture and design.

Through this series, we hope to inspire listeners interested in the topic of circularity to strive for a better, more circular future.

Links

• Media x Design Laboratory EPFL

Prof. El Hadi Jazairy, with Prof. Rania Ghosn, is the co-founder of Design Earth, a research practice that engages with the medium of speculative architectural projects to make the climate crisis public. El Hadi holds a Doctor of Design degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and is a professor of architecture at Michigan University. In this episode, Flavio Pereira will illustrate and discuss Design Earth's evocative projects, their meaning and impact, as well as the question of architectural representation as a means to reveal and respond to issues of sustainability and circularity.

Links

• Design Earth
• Geostories : Another Architecture for the Environment

Grace Di Benedetto is a structural engineer at ARUP, specialized in sustainable thinking in structural design, with goals of pushing for innovative building solutions that integrate the circular economy through refurbishment and reuse. In this episode, Laura Guerreiro and Grace discuss the importance of circularity in the design process by looking at concrete examples and exploring the idea of "design for deconstruction" as a solution, as well as the role of architects, planners, and policy in a more circular future.

Links

• Arup