Focus areas

We focus on habitation, sustainability and on the transformation of our urban areas and buildings while engaging in society through architecture.

Habitation

Habitation focuses on the possibilities of architecture for creating a meaningful framework for contemporary everyday life. To give an example, habitation is concerned with the impact developments in the composition of population and the continued move from rural to urban areas has on social relations, the composition of the building mass, and how we design dwellings.

Other related topics include: how architecture can help support an everyday life characterised by flexible work situations and increased mobility, and how the development of new urban types and types of dwellings can provide a framework for social interactions and activities.

Sustainability

Sustainability in architecture involves a wide field of different approaches towards the natural and our social environments.  The building sector produces gigantic 60% of global waste and 40% of non-renewable energy is con­sumed running buildings.

The impact of our buildings on shrinking natural resources like drinking water, biodiversity, raw materials etc. is enormous and architects have the responsibility to act.  The school’s research and education addresses many different agendas of sustainability including the transformative potential of aesthetics for a less destructive life-style.

Transformation

In this context transformation should be understood as the transformation and reuse of existing buildings and urban and rural areas.

Today we see a great societal need for developing and renovating the welfare state’s extensive built-up areas from the 60s and 70s. Furthermore, increased demands on resource use and the need to prevent the impact of climate changes necessitate changes in buildings and urban areas.

Finally, transformation is also about the need to develop architectural strategies that can respond to the depopulation that is a characteristic of several peripheral areas.