Reconstructing a Practice
A collective restoration of eelgrass roofs on Læsø
For centuries, local resources determined building traditions on the Danish island of Læsø. Living in isolated conditions, inhabitants developed crafts using available materials, such as thatching roofs with eelgrass that washed up on the shores. While historical knowledge and craftsmanship are slowly fading away, they still represent valuable heritage and have strong ecological potential. The proposal depicts an engaging workshop on the island, which unfolds the original building process and opens up a collective moment of re-viving and re-interpreting the initial thatching technique.
Company/Institution
Royal Danish Academy - Architecture, Design, Conservation
Design Academy Eindhoven is a University of the Arts, offering both BA and MA degrees, specialised in training students in different design perspectives in order to produce critical and socially engaged designers. In conjunction with the educational programmes, DAE has international research Professorships focused on collaborative research projects. The commonality at DAE is the shared political values of an inclusive society that embraces diversity in every aspect. In addition, the hybrid, conceptual, contextual and international approach to design makes DAE’s programmes distinctive.
Country
Denmark
Designer(s)
Luna Wirtz-Ortvald
Luna Wirtz-Ortvald strives to be an architectural designer, re-thinking our means of construction, by working within the field of material research, architectural history and building cultures.
With her fascination for vernacular architecture and transformation, she finds great value in researching and understanding traditional building methods, as these techniques were developed with a clear understanding and awareness for their respective environment.