Scientific Exchange between HCU Hamburg and ETH Zurich: Building Climate-Responsive Housing, 12/2025
Climate-Adaptive Building, Regenerative Materials, and Methodological Synergies
In December, an intensive scientific exchange took place in Zurich focusing on climate-adaptive construction, regenerative materials, and low-carbon building strategies. The exchange aimed to identify methodological synergies and thematic intersections between ongoing research at HafenCity University Hamburg -Chair of Sustainable Cities and Climate Change and the ETH Zurich, while providing targeted expert input to the research trajectories of two early-career researchers from HCU ( Eileen Dorer Li , Anna Wilk-Pham ).
The research stay and workshop were organized in cooperation with the ETH Zurich - Chair of Sustainable Construction , led by Prof. Guillaume Habert , together with Dr. Arnaud Evrard , Dr. Mareike Thiedeitz, Dr. Daria Ardant , Ricardo Pérez-Restrepo , and Pedram Mirabian .
The exchange was structured around three core formats:
- Research inputs and project presentations, including HCU’s PSSI project and comparative fieldwork insights from Peru and Indonesia, as well as ETH contributions on low-carbon housing solutions in Tanzania and Ghana, the ICRC Sustainable Construction Tool, regenerative material education formats (CAS/MOOC), and the PARCS Living Lab in Colombia.
- Hands-on session on earth- and bio-based materials, to better understand earth behavior through optimized matrices, focusing on material protocols, mixtures, fiber reinforcement, and low-tech construction applications relevant to climate-adaptive and self-build housing.
- Site visits and applied exchanges with innovative housing, research, and circular construction projects in Zurich, including exploration of ETH Materials Library, guided tour through Labör an experimental space for circularity, culture and community, and cooperative housing projects.
Across workshops, discussions, and reflection sessions, shared methodological approaches were identified, opportunities for future exchange and collaboration were explored, and insights were generated to inform climate-resilient constructionresearch in an international context.
The exchange strengthened the international networking of early-career researchers at HCU and further deepened collaboration between HCU Hamburg and ETH Zurich in key future-oriented fields such as climate adaptation, sustainable construction, and regenerative material development.
A big thank you to everyone who contributed to this valuable exchange!