{"id":10359,"date":"2024-12-06T17:08:45","date_gmt":"2024-12-06T16:08:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.slowstudio.es\/news\/interview-in-proarquitectura-magazine"},"modified":"2024-12-06T17:08:45","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T16:08:45","slug":"interview-in-proarquitectura-magazine","status":"publish","type":"noticias","link":"https:\/\/www.slowstudio.es\/en\/news\/interview-in-proarquitectura-magazine","title":{"rendered":"Interview in Proarquitectura Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In its November 2024 issue 192, Proarquitectura<\/em> magazine published in its special print edition on Thermal Insulation an interview with Jade Serra and Laia Montserrat from Slow Studio about how architecture can lead the fight against climate change.<\/p>\n

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The feature explores topics such as sustainability, bioclimatic design, the use of natural materials, the creation of healthy homes, and passive design, highlighting how these strategies improve people’s well-being and respect the planet. It also reflects on the economic and educational challenges of sustainable architecture, providing practical advice and resources for young architects interested in this specialty. <\/p>\n

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You can read the transcript of the interview below or on the Proarquitectura<\/span><\/a> page:<\/p>\n

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What was the inspiration or motivation behind the creation of this studio?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We live in a climate emergency, where the survival of living beings on our planet is not guaranteed. Scientists warn that if we do not initiate a profound and urgent transformation of our societies, climate change will advance until it makes the earth an uninhabitable place. <\/p>\n

Faced with this prospect, all humans should assume responsibility toward future generations and the millions of people already experiencing the effects of climate change, carrying out a struggle to transform the way we inhabit our planet.<\/p>\n

Architecture and construction, responsible for 40% of carbon emissions, play a fundamental role in the regeneration process we must undertake.<\/p>\n

Our studio is based on this essential premise: becoming aware of the historical moment we are living in, assuming our responsibility as human beings, and bringing this awareness to every facet of our lives. Our profession, architecture, must align with our understanding of life, and in our case, it stems from a deep environmental consciousness and respect for the health of people and the planet. <\/p>\n

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Slow Studio’s philosophy centers on sustainability and bioclimatic design. How do you balance architectural aesthetics with energy efficiency in your projects? <\/strong><\/p>\n

For us, the project begins with an integral and holistic vision, in which aesthetics is one more requirement of a constructive design that must satisfy multiple needs such as climatic performance, comfort and well-being, functionality, economy of resources and means, reduction of ecological footprint and environmental impact, as well as the quality and health of the interior environment.<\/p>\n

This is why we demand the maximum from every decision we make, every constructive solution, and every material we incorporate. We never introduce a solution that responds solely to an aesthetic function, and generally aesthetics ends up being the result of a harmonious design that is efficient in energy and resource utilization, and that values noble and natural materials with constructive solutions of high technical rigor. <\/p>\n

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Today, awareness of environmental impact is stronger than ever. What materials do you prefer to use in your constructions to reduce the carbon footprint and maintain an ecological approach? <\/strong><\/p>\n

We prioritize natural and healthy materials, of local origin and that generate minimal environmental impact, preferably renewable (such as wood, cork, or plant fibers) or highly abundant (such as earth or clay), and that form part of a closed cycle so they can be returned to the earth or recovered for reuse at the end of their useful life.<\/p>\n

We avoid the use of highly industrialized materials that require furnaces powered by fossil fuels and whose transformation processes emit large quantities of CO2, such as concrete, steel, and plastics.<\/p>\n

Regarding material selection, the United Nations together with Yale University and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (Global ABC) published a report<\/a> this year in which they expressly recommend stopping the use of concrete, steel, and plastics and promote transition materials such as ceramic brick and decarbonized materials such as wood, bamboo, plant fibers, and earth. But beyond material selection, perhaps the most notable aspect of the report is that the first premise is not to build or to build less. <\/p>\n

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One of Slow Studio’s pillars is the concept of “healthy housing.” What specific aspects do you integrate into the design to improve the well-being of the people who inhabit the spaces you create? <\/strong><\/p>\n

In the studio, we start from the premise of designing living spaces that respect and promote the health of the people who occupy them, being aware that there is no health on a sick planet.<\/p>\n

It is useless to work on a project in which I guarantee the health of the occupants if to do so I use materials that have had a high environmental impact and have compromised the health of other living beings and the environment.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, when we speak of health, we must start from a holistic concept of health, as defined by the WHO, a complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being.<\/p>\n

This is why, beyond speaking of health in living spaces, we speak of biohabitability, understood as the capacity of a space to promote physical and psychological well-being while respecting the health of our planet.<\/p>\n

The essential design aspects of biohabitability are based on:<\/p>\n