Documentary films on circular construction about how regenerative design empowers people to improve their habitats, the built environment, and the industry while creating meaningful jobs.
Films
Reuse from Centre Pompidou
A series of documentaries about reuse in construction is being filmed and shared via materiauxreemploi.com. The first episode was an official selection for the Science Film Festival 2021's global section. It discusses several reuse projects in Paris, such as Maximum's reuse of the glass from the Centre Pompidou. Samsara means “the cycle of death and rebirth to which life in the material world is bound” in Sanskrit.
Circular Construction
How can we bring together two worlds that are often too distinct: low-impact construction and digital innovation? Exploring digital technologies, students learn about circular construction (e.g., reuse) hands-on, from the disassembly of an entire building to the fabrication of a new one solely with reused materials. The film was selected for screening at the Global Science Film Festival by the Swiss Science Film Academy. Directors: Catherine De Wolf, Elio Stamm, Anna Buser.
Drops Can Wear Any Rock
This documentary film explores the reuse of materials from the Huber Pavilions as a transdisciplinary teaching tool in the “Digital Transformation for Circular Construction” course, taught by Catherine De Wolf, in collaboration with Iro Armeni and Momoyo Kaijima. The title refers to "the power of persistence and small, thoughtful actions to create lasting change." The film follows students as they dismantle, catalogue, and repurpose building elements, capturing the collaborative spirit of circular construction, where architecture, engineering, and digital technologies intersect to rethink the lifecycle of materials.
Genius Loci
A series of documentaries is made with anku.ch about how to build ecologically. The goal is to inspire people towards architecture that respects nature in a regenerative way. The film conveys how architecture can reconnect people with themselves, with nature, and with others. The song “Castells” was a courtesy of Armand Amar. Genius Loci means “the pervading spirit of a place” in Latin.
Podcasts
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The Klosters Forum Podcast
Robotics, AI, and digitalisation: a force for good?
Hannah MacInnes interviews Catherine De Wolf.
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Kunst Kultur Architektur Wissenschaft
The role of digital technologies in transforming the built environment.
In this KAP podcast, Birgit Eller Krumm interviewed Prof. Catherine De Wolf.
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NEST Podcast (EMPA)
The future of construction: life cycles.
Prof. Peter Richner interviews Catherine De Wolf at the DFAB House at EMPA.
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Library of Reuse
Circular Engineering for Architecture
The CEA Lab records conversations between Catherine De Wolf, her lab members and invited guest lecturers, including Julia Watson, Martin Fischer, André Stephan, and more.
Filmed Talks
Harvard University
A Panel Discussion on Circular Economy at Harvard University, moderated by Harvard University Graduate School of Design and Harvard University Center for the Environment.
Global Lecture Julia Watson
The Global Lecture Series invited Julia Watson to talk about her book Lo TEK Design by Radical Indigenism as well as Catherine De Wolf to talk about her researched, followed by a panel discussion with Chris Luebkeman.
TEDx Talk
“Les nouveaux matériaux”, A TEDx talk by Catherine De Wolf at TEDxPanthéonSorbonne about how to lower the embodied carbon of our buildings and how to look at them differently.
Inaugural Lecture
On March 22, 2022, Prof. De Wolf delivered her Inaugural Lecture, “This is not a pipe - How digital innovation can help circular construction,” in the Auditorium Maximum at ETH Zurich.