6-month Residency

January-June 2026

Description

The “Materialities in Flow” Residency is a series of workshops focusing on the investigation, development, application, and promotion of new ecological materials and alternative mortars as vehicles for sustainable design, construction, and creative expression. Within this framework, we address professionals and amateurs in the field of spatial design -architects, designers, artists, craftspeople, and researchers- to experiment with natural or reclaimed raw materials, biomaterials, and industrial by-products, and to develop small-scale architectural structures such as furniture, objects, sets, urban infrastructures, or artistic installations.

Methodology
The residency establishes a space for collective research and knowledge exchange, aiming to familiarize participants with practices for producing biomaterials and mortars with a low environmental footprint. We investigate raw materials -such as organic materials, geomaterials, and industrial by-products- to create experimental mixtures and define suitable processing techniques through test samples. By combining traditional techniques (e.g., molding) with contemporary digital fabrication methods (e.g., CNC machining, 3D printing), we will attempt to create not only building materials but also standalone objects. In this way, we aim to approach materials and construction techniques not as neutral media but as living carriers of social, cultural, and environmental transformations.

Program
The organizing team has selected 12 creators to participate free of charge in a 6-month program that includes:
· Regular workshops: 12 thematic sessions with lectures, discussions, collective material investigation, and training in producing alternative mortars, methodologies, and construction techniques.
· Research and design: individual or group development of small-scale prototypes that incorporate the principles of circular economy, locality, and sustainability.
· Practical training: access to the Ludd workshop on designated days and hours each week, as well as to tools and materials, for producing new ecological mixtures and experimental prototypes. 
· Parallel activities: a visit to the Laboratory of Chemistry & Materials Technology of NKUA and the collective development of open workshops to share knowledge with the wider public. 

Timeline
· Residency Workshops, January-May 2026
Dates: 17/01, 31/01, 14/02, 28/02, 14/03, 28/03, 18/04, 25/04, 02/05, 09/05, 16/05, 23/05 
Time: 11:00–17:00
Venue: LUDD Lab
· Practical training, January-May 2026
· Completion and Presentation of Residency, June 2026

The project is funded by the Green Fund under the program Innovative Actions with Citizens 2024 and is implemented in collaboration with the Laboratory of Chemistry and Materials Technology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.