Rebooting traditional construction techniques and evolving natural material cultures helps celebrate and protect local and regional heritage. Layered materials blend ancient and contemporary know-how to preserve the soul of buildings during restoration. Considered addition of new technologies, like 3D printing, improves and streamlines age-old methods.

Against a backdrop of environmental, political and economic upheaval, working harmoniously with local land and communities is essential. Our S/S 27 Direction Assemble advocates honouring home and heritage with materials that mimic and reflect local landscapes. Trade and tariff issues make using domestic resources more important, alongside climate-resilient and bioregionally attuned materials.

An urgent need for agile climate-responsiveness is driving designers and architects to create resilient building materials and spaces that can withstand and work with the elements. A cost-effective strategy that offers comfort, safety and reassurance, its key areas of focus include fire and disaster response, respite from soaring temperatures and investment in solar power innovation.

Using a broader variety of waste-based resources, investing in low-carbon cement alternatives and implementing advanced technologies to handle previously hard-to-recycle materials will help the construction industry move towards a more circular economy. Working with experimental aggregates and composites also encourages natural variation to produce high-performance materials with refined aesthetics.