Today, digital tools for architecture design and fabrication enable the creation of complex structures. These tools also allow the reuse of found objects and “waste products” in construction, fostering a self-sustaining building culture with a distinctive aesthetic.
This project aims to combine these approaches into a method for designing transformable spatial systems made from industrial waste. Conventional sustainability concepts based on circular economy principles commonly strive for standardization, but complexity offers creative potential. The project aims to innovate by expanding the range of resource types and exploring an advanced computer-based and artistic approach. It focuses on iterative studies with open outcomes.
The project is based on the findings from the team’s PEEK project and is underpinned by experiment. “Making” is understood as a means of understanding and clarifying complex questions. The work is also embedded in an interdisciplinary exchange with experts.

Project Lead: Christoph Kaltenbrunner
Mentors: Mario Carpo, Anja Jonkhans, Clemens Preisinger
Researchers: Zeynep Aksöz, Lukas Allner, Benjamin James, Daniela Kröhnert, Naomi Neururer, Andrea Rossi
Project Partners: Ensamble Studio, Philipp Eversmann (University of Kassel), Hélène Frichot (Building and Planning University of Melbourne), Lydia Kallipoliti (Cooper Union New York), Jakob Lederer (Technical University Vienna), Tobias Nolte (Certain Measures), Jun Sato (University of Tokyo)
Project Start and Duration: 01.09.2022 – 31.08.2026, 48 Months
Funding: Austrian Science Fund (FWF) PEEK program (AR730-G)

Project website