A word from the programme director

David Andréen, Programme Director

"Having a background in the sciences, I have always been fascinated by the natural world, and how it seems to accomplish incredible things with apparent ease. As an architect, I encountered computational design processes and was instantly intrigued by the recurring similarity to biology. This became the topic of my own doctoral dissertation, where I studied termite mounds as a model for architectural process and form.

Now, technological change in the form of digitalisation (of both design and fabrication) is enabling a paradigm shift at the same time as we urgently need one; both climate and biodiversity crises require something far beyond business as usual. By looking at nature as a model and technology as a tool, architects have an incredible opportunity to change how the urban environment is made, hopefully transforming it into something socially, ecologically, and economically sustainable."