Abstract
This paper explores how architectural exhibitions can function as laboratories for low-carbon practice rather than simply being representational displays. Using the 2023 exhibition Changing Our Footprint by Henning Larsen Architects (Aedes Architecture Forum, Berlin) as a case study, the research tracks how spatial design—layout, materials, display systems, programme integration—was deployed to interrogate material reuse, design-for-disassembly, and public engagement. Through its focus on material tactility, architectural processes and discursive space, the exhibition strengthened material literacy among both audiences and professionals, demonstrated production methods that aligned with sustainable building practices, and repositioned the gallery as a civic forum for architectural responsibility. For architectural practice and pedagogy, such exhibitions designed with spatial, material and process consciousness, can accelerate the profession’s transition to low-carbon futures by making visible the decisions, compromises and assemblies behind sustainable architecture. The study argues that exhibitions provide a uniquely powerful means of disseminating architectural knowledge, showing how sustainable, architecturally-informed display methods can enhance spatial understanding and open new pathways for audiences to connect with the low-carbon place-making.
Presenters
Ben CoutureAssistant Professor, Architecture and Built Environment, Northumbria University, United Kingdom
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
SPATIAL DESIGN, EXHIBITIONS, LOW CARBON, MATERIAL LITERACY, PLACEMAKING, AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT
