News

'Nature of Hope' Presents 'Carbon Stories – Learning from Paris'

Learning from Paris. Photo: Jacqueline Fuijkschot

Rotterdam, 29 August 2024 

How has Paris transitioned to biobased construction over the past decade? This question is the focus of a special edition of the Carbon Stories series that will take place on 1 October at Het Nieuwe Instituut in the context of Nature of Hope. The IABR cordially invites you to this edition of Carbon Stories organized in collaboration with CHRITH architects and Emma Diehl, and with the generous support of Built by Nature.  

Event Details 

  • Date: 1 October 2024 

  • Time: 7:30 - 9:30 PM (doors open at 7 PM) 

  • Location: Auditorium, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam 

  • Language: English 

France is at the forefront of biobased construction, driven by national environmental legislation that promotes low-carbon construction and the use of biobased materials in public projects. Paris, with its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, exemplifies this movement. The city’s building policy emphasizes the use of wood, straw, hemp, raw earth, and natural stone, and enforces an ‘end of demolition policy.’ The French approach provides valuable lessons for the Netherlands and other countries seeking to transition to biobased construction.  

Paris Biobased Research Project 

The Paris Biobased research project, led by architect Christina Eickmeier, co-founder of CHRITH architects, and landscape architect and researcher Emma Diehl, highlights the efforts of the French government, construction industry, and architects to promote the use of low-carbon materials over the past decade. During the event, prominent French architects will discuss the current materials transition in Greater Paris and the role of legislation and incentives in facilitating this shift. 

Carbon Stories 

Carbon Stories fosters discussion about the opportunities and challenges of a climate-positive built environment. The evening will provide a platform for the perspectives of designers, financiers, developers, builders, residents, consultants, and material suppliers. Carbon Stories is an initiative of the Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR), in collaboration with GROUP A-CARBONLAB and the KeileCollectief.   

This edition of Carbon Stories marks the beginning of a longer collaboration between Built by Nature, CHRITH architects, Emma Diehl, and the IABR, focusing on knowledge sharing, networking, dialogue, and debate. 

More Information 

To attend the symposium, please register at pers@iabr.nl. For additional information and/or images, please see the press kit or contact us at pers@iabr.nl.  

For more information about Nature of Hope, please click here. For more information about this edition of Carbon Stories, please visit Carbon Stories: Learning from Paris

About Built by Nature 

Built by Nature is a network and grant-making fund dedicated to accelerating the timber building transformation in Europe: radically reducing embodied carbon, safely storing carbon in our buildings for generations, and sequestering carbon by championing forest stewardship and regeneration.  

About the IABR 

The IABR promotes research by design in the fields of architecture, landscape, and urban design. Every two years, the IABR presents a comprehensive cultural public program that celebrates the imaginative strength of architecture to address the humanitarian, spatial, economic, and social consequences of climate change.