Time matters: Lasting designs, uncertain lifespans, and architectural future-proofing

Abstract

In times of a plurality of geopolitical conflicts, increasing migrations, climatic pressures, and economic instabilities, it is hard to imagine long-lasting constructions. Looking back into the history of our settlements, very few buildings can be considered permanent, and the longevity of such structures has mostly resulted from their having remarkable cultural value, significant economic support, and notable labour investment. Most buildings are maintained, then redesigned, appropriated or demolished. However, what becomes very apparent right now is the accelerating and multiplying timelines of those processes. Increasing consumption rates, omnipresent demolition sites, and piles of waste make it obvious that we are no longer designing ‘forever buildings’, nor can we afford the tabula rasa approaches that disregard the trans-scalar impacts of our design actions.

The lecture follows building life cycles and material flows, jumping between timelines, geolocations, and scales to explore the ecological complexities of rebuilding and unbuilding practices. It looks into poly-temporal noticing, iterative processes, and dynamic architectural strategies that avoid unnecessary resource expenditures while adjusting existing matter to current climatic and sociocultural demands. The narrative unfolds around a selection of projects that navigate between the craving for architectural endurance while negotiating environmental and socio-economic uncertainties to imagine sufficient, porous, and future-proofed buildings.

Bio

Urszula Koźmińska, PhD is an architect and associate professor at the Aarhus School of Architecture. In her design practice, research, and teaching, she focuses on post-extractive architectural approaches and life-cycle design strategies, adaptive and material reuse, repair and maintenance, and reversibility. She explores those topics with an ecological awareness of the broader eco-systemic and trans-scalar enmeshment of the design process. She is the author of multiple publications on ecological architecture, including the books Designing for the Climate Emergency: A Guide for Architecture Students (RIBA Publishing, 2022), Building + Breaking: 8 Conversations about Spatial Justice (Danish Architectural Press, 2024) and Time Matters (Ruby Press, 2024). Currently, she is a part of the curatorial team, led by Dominique + Serena, developing the exhibition in the Danish Pavilion for the 2027 Venice Biennale.