Spatial Practices beyond New Construction

New construction and demolition are among the world’s most significant contributors to carbon emissions, the use of energy and natural resources, waste generation, and biodiversity loss. There is an urgent need to address spatial needs in more sustainable ways. Yet, this calls for a fundamental paradigm shift in values, thinking, and practices surrounding the built environment. How can we achieve such a paradigm shift? What kinds of spatial practices would enable humankind to fit within the planetary boundaries?   

The symposium on Spatial Practices beyond New Construction is a public opening event of the Aalto ARTS Summer School 2025. The event will open up diverse viewpoints on this issue: the role of architecture in the climate emergency,  spatial practices focused on care and stewardship, and the potential of critical futures approaches and transdisciplinary perspectives in advancing a paradigm shift.  

Symposium program 

3:00 pm Introduction: Towards a paradigm shift: Alternatives for new construction. Hella Hernberg & Panu Savolainen, Academic leaders of the Aalto ARTS Summer School 2025

3:10 pm Architecture is Climate. Jeremy Till, Emeritus Professor of Architecture, Central Saint Martins, UAL (UK), online presentation

3:30 pm Critical Futures for Transforming Paradigms. İdil Gaziulusoy, Professor of Sustainable Design, Aalto University (FI) 

Break 10 min 

4:00 pm Architecture of stewardship. Matti Jänkälä & Ella Kaira. Architects, Vokal (FI)

4:15 pm Care Agency: a 10-year choreography of architectural repair. Cynthia Wei Deng, Professor of Architecture, Tecnológico de Monterrey (MX) & Elif Erez-Henderson, Architect, Doctoral candidate, EPFL (CH), online presentation

4:30 pm A Perspective on Transdisciplinarity: From Creativity to Practice Research. Jeongki Lim, Associate Dean, Parsons School of Design (US), online presentation

Break 10 min

5:00 pm Panel discussion with all speakers, moderated by Hella Hernberg & Panu Savolainen 

5:30 pm Closing words