Path to low-carbon, circular and regenerative practice in France and Sweden

Path to low-carbon, circular and regenerative practice in France and Sweden

This webinar is part of the RAIC 2024 Conference on Architecture, now available to stream!

Topics: Climate Justice and Resilience, Sustainability, Adaptation and Mitigation

Length: 1 hour | What's Included: Video, Quiz, and Certificate of Completion 

Through the presentation of 5 significant projects, spanning Northern Europe and France, we will explore the concept of a novel hybrid paradigm in ultra-low carbon design. This paradigm emerges from a delicate fusion: the architect's paradox of constructing only when a genuine necessity arises, operating within a future reality where carbon taxation on materials and the principle of Building as Material Bank (BAMK) will swiftly catalyze circular economy sectors and new ecobased materials development. With the limitation of expanding onto agricultural and forested lands, amplifying the impact of automobile commuting, it will also ignite a wave of innovation in urban densification. Advancements in offsite methodologies and digital tools will enable the creation of intricate 3D printing, using materials like rammed earth concrete or designs that provide deconstruction manuals, all encapsulated within a Design for Disassembly approach.

All these profound changes are already underway and attendees will have the opportunity to explore European executed projects and comprehend the challenges overcomed, without losing the central place for living systems and their regeneration.

By the completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Recognize the European political, legal environment and professional practices that help architects to go further in very low carbon buildings and neighborhood, specially with the "New Bauhaus" approach.
• Describe the technical and architectural challenges of tall wooden buildings in Scandinavia and what could be already done in Canada
• Discuss how the recent Climate law in France had totally change architects, engineers, builders and manufacturers practices in only 18 months
• Investigate what will drastically change and will ask architects to be more agile, living systems centered, and creative than ever

Subject Matter Expert:

Marika Frenette
Architect (Laval University in Quebec City - 1992) Master degree in Urban Planning (Nantes university in France - 2000) 
Regenerative Practitioner (2023), Architect and Urban Planner, CEO Founder, Studio Carbone (Canada)+Wigwam (France)

Marika Frenette is a senior, Canadian and French, architect and urban planner. She’s the CEO and founder of Wigwam (France) and Studio Carbone (Canada), a cross-cultural, innovative and committed environmental firm. Her motto: Acting with Impact, driven by the desire to inspire, the audacity to imagine, and the courage to act. Marika strives to use with creativity all her know-how in facilitating TheoryU, CPS (Creative Problem Solving), Human-Centered Design, Community Planning, as well as Regenerative Development, in order to bring to a deeper level, projects and teams with regard to the enormous climate challenges.

As an experienced and charismatic speaker, she likes to share her vision, the numerous feedback from daring projects she has carried out for 20 years and also the sharing of inspiring European practices.

She is locally in her region northwest of France, recognized by her peers: as vice-chairwomen, since 10 years, in charge of international committee of Novabuild, the chapter of France LowCarbon Building and Cities Network, she brings the idea that without giving deep sense to our practice, we are more destructive than regenerative than we will like to believe.

Carl Backstrand
Arkitekter
Deputy CEO, White arkitekter

Carl Bäckstrand is a senior architect and deputy CEO of White Arkitekter, a Scandinavian interdisciplinary practice with the mission to enable sustainable life through the art of architecture. White has set a vision for all projects to be climate neutral by 2030 and is most recognized for sustainable architecture facing the challenges with climate change, rapid urbanization and social injustices, such as the 20 story timber tower Sara Cultural Center and the 100-year Masterplan for the relocation of the City of Kiruna in Sweden’s Arctic north. Since a few years White is working in Canada strengthening the Nordic relations and establishing new collaborations between Canada and Europe in projects like the C40 competition in Montreal. As a Co-Chair in NYC based van Alen International Council and Board member of ARQ Foundation funding research in architecture, Carl contributes to bringing the business closer to science and building new strategic partnerships. On the policy level Carl engages in international collaborations as a Board member of the Architects Council of Europe implementing the New European Bauhaus and the EU Taxonomy to support a green and just transition.