The Weight of What We Build

Zone 1: Burden

Every building carries a weight that is rarely visible. This first zone confronts hidden costs of construction such as embodied carbon, demolition waste, and toxicity. Familiar materials are presented not as neutral samples but as sensory encounters with sharp textures, chemical smells, and unsettling soundscapes. Curtains mark thresholds and shift atmospheres. Burden makes invisible impacts tangible and brings the weight of our built environment into awareness.

Zone 2: Reflection

The atmosphere shifts into stillness. Natural and biobased materials soften the space with earthy smells, muted light, and acoustic calm. This zone offers a pause to reflect on the relationship between people and the built environment. It contrasts with the heaviness of the previous zone and creates an environment for contemplation. The design hints at traditions of craft and care, encouraging awareness of how design decisions shape culture, environment, and collective well-being.

Zone 3: Regeneration

The final zone opens toward renewal and possibility. Biobased and circular materials such as fungal composites and recycled elements invite touch, scent, taste, and light. These materials suggest an architecture that regenerates rather than depletes. The atmosphere becomes lighter and more open, turning thresholds into invitations.
A Materials Passport records impressions from across the installation, while QR codes extend the experience with stories and ecological digital data.
This is the future we are working towards through our digital platform, which will track material impact from production to reuse, giving designers and developers the tools to build a regenerative, circular future.