The Hand of Nature: Craft in future biogenic architecture

The world seems mired in the perception that the climate crisis can be resolved with technological fixes, but overlooks the fact that radical change often occurs through social innovation.
The Hand of Nature is an architectural study of thatch, straw and cork where artisanal processes converge with the physical properties of the materials. The project explores inherent building techniques and ecological cycles. It demonstrates the interconnections between forms of knowledge, conceptual development, technical solutions and aesthetic expression, and how they depend on ethical choices.
Through detailed studies of individual building techniques and circular, tectonic principles, the project shows the substantial role which the craft itself can play in a biogenic architectural style of the future that considers the needs of multiple species in the planning process.
The project was developed in close collaboration with artisans, builders, manufacturers of building materials and the Danish Institute of Fire and Security Technology and put into practice as a 1:1 facade section (3 x 7 metres) for a multi-storey housing complex.