introduction

In the face of severe sustainability crises, there is a need for fundamental change in how we approach cities and built environments. Given the significant environmental impacts of construction, we urgently need to develop alternatives for demolition and new construction to answer spatial needs in more sustainable ways. This also opens opportunities for new spatial practices, stakeholders, and voices beyond the construction sector. For example, we could harness the diverse knowledge of artists, designers, scientists, storytellers, and other stakeholders to find solutions to challenges facing our cities in the era of limited resources. 

Let us imagine a world that has run out of sand, metal, water, and energy needed for construction – what kinds of new solutions and practices would emerge to answer spatial needs? For example, would this lead to better caring for already existing materials and spaces – or to radical and activist practices disrupting the political and economic systems behind construction? What would you do? 

The Summer School on Spatial Practices Beyond New Construction invites students from different fields to develop alternative ways of shaping built environments and engaging with related environmental, material, and sociopolitical questions. We will employ transformative futures methods to unpack current unsustainable paradigms, creatively rethink spatial practitioner roles, and develop unconventional solutions to address a concrete spatial challenge at the Aalto campus.