The Hearing Architecture podcast, proudly sponsored by Brickworks, presents Again and Again and Again, a mini-series hosted by Hilary Duff.
Each week, we will bring you interviews and conversations as we seek better ways to understand, harness and deploy the expertise and knowledge of professionals currently within the design community, at home and abroad. Our guests are all experts on circularity within the building industry and share the aim to display that waste is not an accident but the consequence of decisions made at the design stage. Here is our opportunity. We, as designers, have an opportunity to do better.
In this episode, we listen to a thought-provoking discussion with Arnhildur Pálmadóttir, a visionary architect and explorer of new narratives in the built environment.
Arnhildur operates from two architectural offices in Rekjavik Iceland. SAP – a small research and practice-based design studio. and the newly created Lendager Iceland, a local branch to the revolutionary Danish sustainable practice.
In a world where climate change looms large and the responsibility of architects weighs heavy, Arnhildur challenges us to question the status quo and envision new possibilities beyond existing systems. With a studio ethos grounded in both childlike curiosity and scientific rigor, Arnhildur has spent the last four years pushing the boundaries of what's possible in architecture.
Arnhildur's quest began at a point of despair over climate change, coupled with a deep fascination for science, technology, and geological exploration. Her studio's research is driven by a desire to connect disparate industries and technologies, seeking innovative solutions to pressing global challenges. Among other things, our conversation queries the fundamental materials of modern construction—concrete, steel, and wood—and confront the stark reality of their carbon footprint. Here Arnhildur prompts us to consider a radical shift: What if our buildings could emerge from geological layers, fashioned from locally-sourced materials in harmony with the natural environment?
In Iceland, she has raised the potential of lava as a building material. One that in the last few months, has appeared through eruptions at a frequency beyond forecasts or expectations.
Identifying the significant quantities of lava continually produced by the Earth itself, Arnhildur poses a question: Can we harness this abundant resource to build the cities of tomorrow, free from the constraints of traditional materials and their environmental impact?
When we look at the carbon footprint of our usual materials – cement, steel and wood, and consider these in terms of how much we as humans are forecast to build in the coming years, the goals of the UN to maintain global temperatures below 1.5 degree, feels improbable.
So Arnhildur suggests that perhaps hypothetical thinking and the magical power of architecture to imagine a new world and new ways to build cities outside the current system; is what is required.
This has been Again&Again&Again, a mini-series of Hearing Architecture, proudly sponsored by Brickworks, made possible with the support of the Alastair Swayn Foundation. This episode was recorded during a period of residency with the SIM Icelandic Arts Association in Reykavik. Thank you so much for listening and thank you to our international guest Arnhildur of SAP and Lendager Iceland. Thank you for demonstrating that speculative projects are important way to open the way for a new debate about architecture and climate change. We look forward to speaking with you again in the future.
Our sponsor Brickworks also produces architecture podcasts hosted by Tim Ross. You can find ‘The Art of Living’, ‘Architects Abroad, and ‘The Power of Two’, at brickworks.com.au or your favourite podcast platform.
If you’d like to show your support please rate, review, and subscribe to Hearing Architecture in your favourite podcast app. If you want to know more about what the Australian Institute of Architects is doing to support architects and the community please visit architecture.com.au
This is a production by the Australian Institute of Architects Emerging Architects and Graduates Network, in collaboration with Open Creative Studio. The miniseries Again&Again&Again is proudly supported by the Alstair Swayne Foundation. The Institute production team was Madelynn Jenkins, and Claudia McCarthy, and the EmAGN production team was Daniel Moore and Hilary Duff. Music by Blue Dot Sessions released under Creative Commons Licencing.
This content is brought to you by the Australian Institute of Architects Emerging Architects and Graduates Network, in collaboration with Open Creative Studio. This content does not take into account specific circumstances and should not be relied on in that way. This content does not constitute legal, financial, insurance, or other types of advice. You should seek independent verification or advice before relying on this content in circumstances where loss or damage may result. The Institute endeavours to publish content that is accurate at the time it is published, but does not accept responsibility for content that may or will become inaccurate over time.