40 580 Material Ecologies: Surplus (Autumn 2026)

Course responsible: Andrea Pinochet

Material Ecologies

The Material Ecologies series investigates architecture as a project of material transformation—from the extraction of raw matter to the production of building components, associated technologies, environmental impact, and the cultural and aesthetic traditions embedded in these processes.

Materials are not inert or neutral, but active agents with environmental, cultural, and political dimensions. The studio explores the relationships between materials and the broader systems—ecological, social, economic, and technological—in which they exist.

The studio combines hands-on material experimentation with the design of a specific architectural project, where material research acts as a driver for design. Through testing, prototyping, and analytical work, participants investigate how materials behave, how they can be transformed, and how their value is assessed—both technically and culturally. At the same time, the studio asks what kind of architectural language and craft may emerge when design is grounded in the logic of materials themselves. Structure, technique, and constructive details are approached not simply as means of execution, but as ways of thinking and making architecture.

Surplus

The construction sector is one of the largest agents of environmental transformation in Norway. Beyond the visible act of building, it involves the continuous excavation, displacement, and disposal of vast quantities of ground masses. A single infrastructural project can alone generate hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of excavated soils that are predominantly treated as waste and transported to landfills.

This semester, the studio will develop architectural assemblies and building systems that engage directly with these material streams. The studio will also develop an in-residence exhibition in September at ROM for kunst og arkitektur, culminating in an event associated with the Oslo Architecture Triennial, and engage with ongoing research initiatives, including the Don’t Waste project led by the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) and Bane NOR.

At the conclusion of the course the student should be able to:

• Understand the life cycle of building materials, including extraction processes, production methods, and environmental impacts such as embodied carbon and energy use, among others.

• Assess the cultural and historical contexts of earth and bio-based materials and their role in building traditions and restoration practices.

• Translate material investigations into architectural concepts, drawings, models, and building assemblies.

• Develop architectural proposals using natural and bio-based materials and critically assesssing our material choices within a systemic perspective, considering circularity, environmental impact, maintenance and repair.

• Understand how materials perform within building assemblies, including structural, thermal, hygroscopic, and durability properties, and how these influence architectural design.

• Discuss how architecture can critically address broader questions related to ecology, environmental politics, labour, economy, aesthetics, and building culture.

The course is divided into four phases. Each phase includes one task, supported by lectures, reading discussions, feedback sessions, pin-ups, and a review. The work moves gradually from material experimentation and precedent studies toward the development of an architectural proposal.

Through sampling, testing, and prototyping, students study the physical and chemical properties of selected materials and explore how they can be transformed and used to articulate formal language. These investigations are carried out alongside reference analysis with large-scale models, deconstructing existing construction systems in order to understand how materials behave within architectural assemblies.

The course includes one study trip within Europe.

Physical attendance at lectures, reviews, supervision sessions, discussions, and other educational activities is expected and necessary in order to achieve the learning outcomes

Form of assessment: Portfolio

Grading scale: Pass/fail

In order to be assessed in this course, the student must have completed the following activities and assignments:

Assessment is based on work conducted for the four semester assignments. The submitted material consists of selected process material and documentation, architectural drawings, physical models, visualisations and related written descriptions, as described on semester assignments.