Bioclimatic Actions! Building in times of extreme weather disasters

In autumn 2024, the Bioclimate Actions! exhibition will present the results of the HDA research laboratory and thus the new architectural actions of young architects, students and professionals who have emerged from the search for ways to respond to environmental disasters using architecture.

The statistically increasing intensity of heat waves, storms and floods is making the consequences of climate change tangible worldwide. The exhibition Bioclimatic Actions! at the HDA shows architectural actions in the face of extreme environmental conditions. As part of a three-year research laboratory, up-and-coming European architects searched both in architectural history and at modern research institutions for construction methods and building typologies that can withstand extreme severe weather events in order to counter them with new architectural actions.

We live in constant awareness that the conditions of our climate are changing rapidly. We also know that endless (economic) growth, which drove the modernisation of western countries based on the exploitation of territories, is obsolete. Instead, our society is moving inexorably towards an age in which less and less energy and resources are available. Resource scarcity and the scientific and political consensus on climate change make it clear that our current energy production models and lifestyles need to change. This change has an impact on the way we shape our environment and consequently on architectural practice. The need for new narratives and approaches that address resource scarcity, energy shortages and the increasing frequency of environmental disasters is directly linked to the role of architects in producing concrete architectural actions in this global situation.

The HDA research lab The Future of Building. Vernacular + Visionary = Future started in spring 2023 as a three-week workshop in Graz, where six young architects from different countries of origin collected traditional and visionary building methods that can provide architectural answers to different extreme weather situations. Their publication "A collection of bioclimatic responses" forms a basis for the development of new architectural projects. 

In spring 2024, specific architectural projects will be developed for regions that are exposed to two contrasting but equally difficult climatic challenges in the form of overheating/drought and flooding/heavy rainfall: the Veneto region in Italy and the Aartal valley in Germany. 

Collaboration profiles

For this event, HDA has already selected collaborators from previous LINA fellow generations. By selecting this event, you can express interest in future collaborations!