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Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Net-zero impacts in sustainable architecture

than telling how stories develop through re-telling other surrounding environment. Architecture must also consider
stories (part of the regenerative characteristic of narrative the needs and desires of its intended users, as well as the social
itself), he offers a compelling architectural adaptation of and cultural context in which the building will exist. This
Kafka’s story. This imaginative adaptation explores core often requires architects to work closely with stakeholders
themes within regenerative architecture debates. such as clients, engineers, contractors, ecosystems, and

The nature of interactions between humans and local communities to ensure that their designs meet the
nature is explored by Breg Horemans in Gestures for needs and goals of all parties involved. Overall, the balance
Interdependence: Expanding Regenerative Design through between architecture’s propositional and concrete natures is
Spatial Dramaturgies for the Unseen, the Unheard, and the a complex and ongoing process that requires the integration
Unfelt. Situated in the growing field of spatial dramaturgy, of a wide range of knowledge and skills, including design,
he examines collaborations between the architect and engineering, construction, and ecosystem design, alongside
more-than-human entities. Based on fieldwork in cultural and social engagement.
Lithuania and the Netherlands, Horemans examines the 10. Conclusion
contribution of esthetic experiences to attitudes toward
regenerative spatial design through embodied experiences, This special issue of the Journal of Chinese Architecture and
scoring, cocreation, and written reflections. The Urbanism provides the first set of collected essays on the
synthesis of these exchanges is examined through spatial emerging discipline of regenerative architecture. Exploring
dramaturgical developments expressed as prototyping its multifaceted dimensions and transformative potential,
“gestures of interdependence,” revealing the agency of the the contributions mirror the generative diversity of life
unseen and the unheard in spatial design processes. This itself, positioning Regenerative Architecture as a dynamic
approach enables us to co-design along with the generative and evolving concept rather than a static practice bound
forces of nature. by conventional norms of form, esthetics, and materiality.
Heralding an era of change, regenerative architects are
9. Discussion establishing the potential of paradigm-shifting building
The diverse community of perspectives in this special technologies that are cultured and grown, rather than
issue allows the notion of regenerative architecture to mined, burned, or extracted, to fundamentally alter the
become a “living” concept rather than a fossilized practice impact of the built environment on our living world.
constrained by form, esthetics, and material expression. This shift aims to reach new levels of sustainability and
Each contributor challenges fundamental assumptions at resilience against climate change.
the heart of the production of space, the role of the architect, The contributions within this collection foster rich
the human, the increasingly vital nature of technological dialogs and provoke perspectival frictions that breathe
platforms, and the relentless creativity of the natural realm new life in architectural design. They achieve this by
while considering the propositional dimensions through challenging core assumptions concerning the creation
their concrete or built nature. The perspectival frictions of space, the architect’s role, human interactions with
between these positions are the lifeblood of architectural technology, and our relationship with the natural
design. Not all architectures are buildable, but they environment. It is important to recognize that not all of
initiate spatial, material, and esthetic qualities that engage these architectural ideas are immediately buildable; they
bodies, materials, and environments as mediating fabrics. often initiate explorations of spatial, material, and esthetic
Between these polar aspects of architecture, architects qualities that engage with the fabric of bodies, materials,
must constantly translate their ideas and designs into and environments. Architects, however, are continually
tangible and constructible forms, where methodologies turning their visions into tangible and constructible
such as Horemans and Hughes become critical strategies forms, a process that necessitates methodologies like
for reading, translocations, and translation. The desired those proposed by Hughes, Wang, Pasquero, Shergill,
(mis)understanding of what a structure can be is an active
discourse between what is possible and what is buildable, and Horemans for reading, translocating, and translating
new concepts into frameworks of thought and practice for
often evolving through a process of iteration and refinement reorganizing systems, hierarchies, and infrastructures – a
that comprises design-led research methodologies. practice on which the built environment is founded.
Developing, testing, and refining concepts through various
models, prototypes, and simulations, the final work must The tension between what is possible and what is
also consider a wide range of constraints and requirements, buildable stands as a central discourse in architecture,
including building codes and regulations, construction evolving through iterative and refinement processes
technologies and materials, and the character of the site and guided by design-led research methodologies such as those

Volume 6 Issue 1 (2024) 9 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.1882