Talk or live with me – Sustainable Community Building in the Palatinate

During Action Week, I will be discussing construction revolution topics every day at a different place, using my future ecological and circular community planning project as an example. I invite you to join me in conversation: about forms of life, outdated and rediscovered building traditions and ways of realising a grand vision.

I want to acquire as a cooperative a nature-oriented site in the Palatinate featuring unattractive existing buildings, renovate it using circular and ecological methods, and thus create a multigenerational, inclusive community space that, once completed, will become a hub for construction development with a supraregional impact.

I’m looking for co-founders – people who are excited about a hands-on shift toward sustainable construction and a nature-centered community life.

How about leaving behind a world that we ourselves would have loved to find? What would be different if we reimagined some of the things we usually do not question? How do we actually want to live? How much space, how much closeness and distance from others, does a person need? Why do we live with our families (usually placing a double burden on women) and not also with our friends, or with young and old people who share our values? What materials do we build with if we want to leave behind not just a world fit for our grandchildren, but one that’s generally fit for the future? In what kinds of rooms do we truly feel at ease and stay healthy? Do we actually want to spend all our time in rooms? Do we want to keep flushing our drinking water down the toilet, and why do we dispose of our waste when it is full of nutrients?

The programme for the venues where I’ll be based from 5 to 13 September 2026 has not yet been finalised. I’m also happy to receive suggestions or invitations – anything is possible, from construction-related venues to places outside the field: market squares, cultural sites, organic shops, planning offices, universities … feel free to drop me a line at: a4fgehtdiePfalz@mailbox.org

One thing is certain: we cannot carry on as we have been. The figures are well known – the construction sector is responsible for 40 per cent of global CO₂ emissions and 55 per cent of waste generation – this includes the operation and construction of a building, as well as the energy-intensive sourcing of materials (90 per cent of which are of mineral origin) and, finally, disposal. In order to achieve greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045 and climate neutrality by 2050, as set out in the European Climate Law implementing the Paris Agreement, we need a very change very quickly – and a construction boom (the German Bauturbo) is out of the question. Nor is this necessary if vacant properties were comprehensively converted into housing, rather than valuable existing buildings being demolished for tax or aesthetic reasons. Assessing, archiving and reusing preserved building materials – such as façade elements or interior fittings – across the board, whilst minimising downcycling, may require more planning time, but will save massive amounts of costs and resources in the long run. Materials for renovation and new construction are also currently undergoing a transformation: from bricks pressed from clay and excavated site spoil, through insulation made from reeds from re-watered moors or from our formerly regional crop, hemp, right through to mycelium research. And finally, we need to rethink how we manage resources such as water, sunlight and human waste.

I’m looking forward to lively discussions and meeting people interested in setting up a lovely community!