We live in a time of crisis. Climate catastrophe is the pivotal issue that will determine the nature of humankind’s future. Central to this issue is the construction industry, accounting for 40% of global carbon emissions.

This project will explore different ancient earthen technologies in modern contexts, suggesting an alternative to the status quo of architectural design and construction. Using primarily cob and rammed earth technologies to build the school, it will be constructed by the students themselves. Construction will take place over a longer period, embodying slow architecture to reduce the embodied carbon of the structure itself. Recycling materials left on-site by the previous Tideway project, this project will aim to abide by ‘closed-loop’ ideologies.

A prospective vision of the future of architectural education is proposed. Achieved as a consequence of a profound understanding of material culture and the relationships created between material palettes and the building fabric they exist within, the project aims to outline the preparation and development of an extension to the Bartlett School of Architecture situated in Rainham Marshes.