Contact can be both an intimate encounter and a source of friction, leading either to conflict or to new forms of cohesion and mutual understanding. Rather than viewing interactions solely as a human capacity, contact zones between human and non-human actors could inspire a shift in how we relate to the environment. These zones might address challenges like ecological inequality, irresponsibility, or material resource crises from fresh perspectives – or even create spaces for resistance, solidarity, and collaboration. In this sense, a contact zone could also be understood as a material interaction, such as the development of new materials or the direct collision between architecture and the environment.

What spatial or material contact zones already exist, and which must be avoided or newly created in architecture to further reduce our carbon footprint? 

In addition to guest lectures, we read from architectural theory and the environmental humanities more broadly, such as Elisa Iturbe’s Architecture and the Death of Carbon Modernity, Kathryn Yusoff’s Mine as Paradigm, or How To Not Demolish A Building by 51N4E. The seminar takes place in the winter term 2024/25 in the Master’s (1-3) at TH Nürnberg. The assessment consists of active participation and text presentation/discussion (40%) and an essay (60%).