Winner - Reuse

Abstract

The REUSE seminars of the Master’s program take place in a unique setting in Switzerland— the PopUp workshop, jointly created by HEIA-FR and EPFL in 2014. The PopUp serves as both a pedagogical tool and a prototyping space, encouraging new ways of thinking about construction through raw materials. Students engage in full-scale experimentation with real components, fostering creativity beyond conventional frameworks and equipping them to address environmental and social change by rethinking the production of the built environment.

Launched to transform architectural pedagogy, the REUSE seminars create space for student-led inquiry and open-ended processes—an innovative approach in Switzerland. Supported by HES-SO, the umbrella organization for professional schools in French-speaking Switzerland, the seminars explore the reuse of building materials and connect students with professionals whose practices differ from traditional architectural methods. This exposure sharpens students’ critical understanding of their field and encourages them to adopt multiple perspectives and consider the diverse roles they may assume in their future careers.

As reuse remains a relatively new field, the seminars embrace experimentation and uncertainty. The open structure invites both students and instructors to engage with questions that require process-oriented thinking rather than fixed solutions. The goal is not technical mastery but the development of creative research approaches. Here, failure and experimentation are valued tools, grounded in respect for materials and the gestures that transform them. Each seminar evolves based on the challenges faced and the emerging themes.