INTRODUCTION:

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The sustainable development has been in the focus of multiple European and global agendas, academic research and teaching curriculum, but also urban practices for some time already.  Nevertheless, the new global concerns related to health & safety but also new challenges that have direct impact on our lived environment, such as loss of biodiversity, resource scarcity, demographic changes, economic instability, as well as the increase in extreme climate events, are alarming for a collective commitment to upgrade approaches for future habitats.

 

We must rethink the values, policies and strategies and envision new concepts that enable our lived environment to be in coherence with the nature and our society to be inclusive, just, and productive. As designers, architects and planners, as well as researchers and educators we ought to be the drivers for co-creating a sustainable habitat for the future.

 

At TH-OWL, Detmold School for Architecture and Interior Architecture, we encourage our student to have a wider perspective on how the built-environment impacts our planet. From designing spaces with energy efficient materials to envisioning buildings with positive environmental impact, up to bringing social reforms in the society - each conceptual vision can be a powerful step towards a better future.