About the workshop

The Architects Climate Action Network (ACAN) works with interactive demolition atlases that map threatened, demolished and saved buildings alongside the personal stories connected to them.

This workshop takes that work one step further: How can residents, communities and professionals actually intervene and help stop unnecessary demolition?

Avoiding demolition is one of the most direct ways to reduce land use, material consumption and carbon emissions. When a building is demolished, the energy, resources, labour and carbon embedded in it are lost. Building something new in its place requires even more land, materials and energy. What if we treated existing buildings as resources rather than obstacles? What if renovation, adaptation and reuse were the default, while demolition required extraordinary justification?

The workshop is open to everyone. No architectural background is needed, only an interest in the places around you and what happens when they disappear. Through short presentations, group work and collective discussion, participants will work with real cases and share local knowledge. Using examples including the development of Nydalen, we will explore who decides what gets demolished, which financial, political and regulatory structures make demolition easier than renovation, and what possibilities exist for influencing these decisions.

The material produced during the workshop will be compiled into a zine, a living, collective document capturing stories, strategies and practical tools for resisting unnecessary demolition. Participants should leave with a clearer understanding of the tools available, what has worked elsewhere and what they can do next.

This is the third ACAN Demos event in a Nordic series connected to the demolition atlas. The results of the three sessions will contribute to a broader picture of resistance, memory and collective action in response to demolition.

The workshop lasts three hours and will be held in English. Participation is free, but registration is required. Registered participants will also receive free admission to the Triennale exhibition during the workshop.

Contributors and programme:

Part 1: Presentations, 15:00–16:00

Fortidsminneforeningen
Ola H. Fjeldheim, Secretary General, will give a presentation about Plakathuset.

Borhaven Arkitekter
Architect Axel Borhaven will present Grande Panorama, which received the Norwegian State Architecture Prize.

Maria Nielsen and Åsne Storli
Architects Maria Nielsen and Åsne Storli will present their diploma project, “The Measure of a School – From Typological Inquiry to Spatial Concepts for Inclusive Learning”.

Hanna Asefaw
Writer, performing artist, human geographer and activist Hanna Asefaw will give a presentation about Enebakkveien 37.

Part 2: Workshop and jury review, 16:15–18:00

The jury consists of:

• Sigrid Heiberg, Oslo City Council representative for the Green Party (MDG)
• Frida Nilsen, architect
• Sofiia Hryshchuk, architect at Sequoia
• Frank Nodland, Head of Building Conservation at Fortidsminneforeningen
• Maria Nielsen, architect
• Åsne Storli, architect

Architects Climate Action Network Nordics is composed of ACAN Norway, ACAN Sweden and ACAN Finland. The network mobilises professionals and activists to challenge the construction industry’s role in the climate and ecological emergency and to work towards a more just and regenerative future.

Read more about ACAN here:

ACAN Norway

ACAN Sweden

ACAN Finland – Purkukartta