Architecture as a Climatic Tool

From Material Cycles to Community Resilience
Erscheinungsjahr 2027
ISBN: 978-3-032-44931-3
Verlag: Springer

Buch, Englisch, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm

Reihe: SpringerBriefs in Architectural Design and Technology

This book advances the thesis that architecture must be reframed as an active climatic instrument rather than a passive consumer of environmental resources. It integrates analytical and organic recycling strategies into a coherent design methodology operating simultaneously at material, spatial, and socio-economic scales. This book distinguishes between two complementary recycling paradigms: analytical recycling, grounded in quantifiable performance metrics (such as embodied carbon and lifecycle assessment), and organic recycling, rooted in adaptive reuse, local material ecologies, and tacit construction knowledge. Together, these approaches redefine recycling as a design logic that supports both climate mitigation (through emission reduction and circular material flows) and climate adaptation (through flexibility, reparability, and contextual responsiveness). A central argument is the ongoing shift from centralized, top-down planning frameworks toward distributed, community-driven processes. This inversion reflects a systemic transition in which local actors become co-producers of the built environment. Within this context, upcycling is repositioned as a strategic mechanism for capacity building—enhancing local competencies, strengthening material literacy, and enabling decentralized construction practices. This book introduces the concept of architecture as a form of resilience infrastructure, where buildings operate as dynamic interfaces between environmental pressures and social agency. By embedding circular material systems within participatory design processes, architecture can increase both resistance (the ability to withstand disturbances) and resilience (the capacity to adapt and transform over time). Empirical components include case-based evaluations, multi-criteria assessment models, and scenario-driven design frameworks. These demonstrate that integrating local resource streams with community knowledge systems leads to measurable improvements in environmental performance and long-term usability. This book ultimately proposes a paradigm shift: from efficiency-oriented sustainability toward regenerative, community-embedded architectural systems. In this framework, architecture becomes not only a response to climate change, but a tool for actively shaping climatic outcomes, aligning environmental performance with social empowerment and spatial innovation.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Felski, Bartosz

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Architektur Architektur: Allgemeines
• Technische Wissenschaften Bauingenieurwesen Baukonstruktion, Baufachmaterialien
• Geowissenschaften Umweltwissenschaften Nachhaltigkeit
• Geisteswissenschaften Architektur Ökologische Aspekte in der Architektur
• Technische Wissenschaften Technik Allgemein Konstruktionslehre und -technik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Part I. Reframing Architecture.- Architecture in the Climate Paradigm.- From Object to System: Buildings as Climatic Interfaces.- Limits of Efficiency-Based Sustainability.- Part II. Material Logic.- Analytical Recycling: Metrics, LCA, Carbon.- Organic Recycling: Local Material Ecosystems.- Hybrid Models of Circular Design.- Part III. Social Shift.- From Top-Down Planning to Distributed Systems.- Upcycling as Capacity Building.- Community-Based Construction Logics.- Part IV. Resilience Framework.- Architecture as Resistance and Resilience Infrastructure.- Adaptive Lifecycles and Long-Term Use.- Scenario-Based Design Strategies.- Part V. Application.- Case Studies.- Multi-Criteria Evaluation Models.- Implementation Framework.- Summary.- Architecture as a climate tool.

Über Autor(innen)

Bartosz Felski is a professor at SANS (Sopot Academy of Applied Sciences), Ph.D. eng. architect, carbon footprint auditor, and TEDx speaker. His research focuses on circular, bioclimatic, and climate adaptive design, with particular emphasis on the relationship between architecture and climate change. He advocates for positioning architecture as an active tool for climate change mitigation. He is affiliated with numerous organizations—both professional and scientific, including those with global reach—dedicated to sustainable and ecological architecture, including the Polish Green Building Council (PLGBC). He serves as an expert for the European Commission through the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) and is an evaluator within Horizon Europe programs. He is also a member of the Climate Leadership expert group powered by UNEP/GRID. Since 2025, he has been among 950 global ambassadors of Climate Interactive, an organization focused on climate scenario modeling.