On Monday, 26 May, Winka Dubbeldam (founding partner of Archi-Tectonics) will give a lecture entitled "Synthetic Natures" as part of the MONTAGSREIHE lecture series:
Archi-Tectonics is a research- design studio based in New York City. Weimplement rigorous research to address complex urban challenges and tackle climate change. Using generative architectural strategies in projects such as the recent 47 hectare Asian Games masterplan, which was inspired by biological processes to design hybrid, resilient, and low-carbon-impact environments. Our work ranges in scale and type, from mixed-use urban masterplans, such as the recent Seaview Healthy Village [NYC] and regenerative buildings, including the recent London Solar House, 497 GW mixed-use building, and 512GW passive solar building with an innovative Climate skin [NYC] to create advanced, climate-responsive structures that integrate innovative materials and cutting-edge fabrication techniques. Every intervention is a catalyst, transforming environmental, economic, and social spheres into vibrant live-work-play spaces.
Our multidisciplinary team of architects, engineers and biologists has designed multi-building developments on four continents. The studio is currently working on over 250,000 m2 of new developments in Europe and the USA. Our research and curatorial work, including publications such as the upcoming PARK monograph “Monsters & Mutants”, and exhibitions at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025, and the solo exhibits in Milan and Munich, all reflect our commitment to bridging practice and theory.
Founded in 1994 and led by Winka Dubbeldam, and partner Justin Korhammerwho joined Archi-Tectonics in 2016, the studio is a WBE-certified firm with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, and Hangzhou.
SYNTHETIC NATURES
The dichotomy of nature and culture is deeply embedded in western thought and has formed our conventional understanding of architecture as a timeless, immutable thing resisting the flux of time and matter. But today’s absolute impact of human civilization over every life form, geology and environment on Earth - the “ Anthropocene”, and its new-found ability to manipulate the very building blocks of organic life, has led to a radical dissolution of boundaries and definitions. What is “man-made” and “natural” can no longer be clearly distinguished, with genetically altered organisms, hybrid materials and symbiotic systems now offering the opportunity for highly efficient, intelligent, and reactive materials and phenotypes. This is exemplified in the Asiangames 2023 masterplan. We won this invited competition with our partners landscape architects !Melk and our structural engineers Thornton Tomassetti in 2018. The strict government requirement that the park remain 85% green made it quite the challenge to fit the 185,000m2 of buildings in the 47 ha landscape. The design inserts 7 new green buildings for the Games as Hybrids and Earth buildings, which will convert to community-use after, providing concert- and event spaces. The eco park is thought of as a neighborhood park; with a mix of natural reserves, hiking paths, water features, playgrounds and landforms that double as a sustainability infrastructure, inserting restored wetlands, porous pavement and stormwater management.
MONTAGSREIHE is a series of lectures at the Department of Architecture. Thematically, it is mostly focused on young offices that can give an insight into the beginnings of their practice in addition to their work. The series is intended as an enriching contribution to the Munich architectural discourse between architects, students and architecture enthusiasts.
When:
26.05.2025
7.30 pm
Where:
Room 0360, Theodor-Fischer Hörsaal
Technische Universität München (TUM)
Arcisstraße 21
80333 München