“Dar Es Salaam – Turn and Face the Changes”
Cooperation with University of Dar es Salaam
Post-Extractive Spatial Production and Climate-Just Building in the Existing Fabric – An Architectural-Theoretical Study in Zanzibar
The global climate crisis poses fundamental questions for the architectural disciplines: How can housing be designed without perpetuating destructive, extractive practices? This research is based on the thesis that contemporary building cultures are inextricably linked to capitalist spatial production, resource exploitation, and social exclusion. In response, the project formulates an architectural-theoretical critique of the growth imperative in construction and explores alternatives through working with the existing built environment.
At its core is the development of a post-extractive architectural practice grounded in repair, reuse, and maintenance – as socio-ecological strategies that counteract demolition logics and linear material flows. The approach is theoretically informed by critiques of capitalist modernity as well as debates on sustainability, resilience, and care, aiming to establish a new relationship with space as both a social and ecological resource.
The case study of Zanzibar provides the contextual framework for this investigation. In collaboration with the University of Dar es Salaam and AA Matters, a concrete project within the existing building fabric is being developed, integrating principles such as material reuse, toxicological sensitivity, and climate-just construction within a local, transdisciplinary process.
This research positions itself as a contribution to the decolonization of architectural knowledge and building practices, and toward the formation of a critical understanding of sustainability that connects global responsibility with local agency.
