Studio 2: Closing loops. Circular Architecture
Environmental crises, rising commodity prices, disrupted supply chains for building materials, pandemics, global conflicts, and weather uncertainties require a rethink of architecture and life. Construction costs are expected to continue to rise in the coming years, while building materials on the market are limited by available resources and climate change. How can we develop new living typologies while protecting the ecosystems around us? Closing loops: We want to take a more critical look at circular processes to find new methods of reusing regional and wasted materials in the Västerbotten region of northern Sweden. By activating existing structures for autonomous concepts, we see ourselves as reinventors, decoders and discoverers of low-tech design for holistic living concepts. To bring back knowledge about material cycles and energy-saving design, we design for new ways of acting, thinking and simply living for all living beings in coexistence.
Context of Investigation
The regional heritage of northern Sweden offers timeless lessons in adaptation to climate, topography, resources, and community needs, from a time before globalization to the present day. Our laboratory is Örnsköldsvik, a city located in Västernorrland County, Sweden, with around 33,000 inhabitants and known for its pulp and paper industry as well as heavy machinery production. Creating a new waterfront: the plan is to transform previously closed or underused harbour and
industrial land into an attractive urban neighbourhood with around 1,000 new homes, housing for roughly 2,000 residents, public meeting places, parks, and commercial activities by engaging with and building alongside the water.
In collaboration with the Department of Building Physics, we apply life cycle assessment standards to quantify design proposals according to Örnsköldsvik's local conditions. We will investigate multifunctional living typologies through multistorey prototypes, developing proposals that combine climate adaptive design, selfsufficiency, and community life for a future in the subarctic north.
Studio agenda and methodology
Studio 2 is dedicated to intentionally designed circular processes, tracing local architectural traditions and material flows to develop visionary, low-tech design approaches. Through a waste materials workshop, we explore reused windows and their applications in new building envelopes. Our goal is to develop a planning manual identifying what is needed to integrate these remained building elements into contemporary construction.
Together with the research team, Ombruka ABC, we will apply mapping methods, creative reuse strategies, industrial and craftspeople's perspectives, and prototyping in Örnsköldsvik, a city actively engaged in renewable energy. By contextualizing design, we aim to enhance its performance on site, particularly through an integrated water-energy nexus.
Teaching team: Constanze Hirt (responsible studio), Ali Onat Türker +
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Latest update: 2026-08-30