Summary of Natural Building Festival | The Faculty of Architecture at the Gdańsk University of Technology

The main coordinator of the festival was Dr. Eng. Architect Bogumiła Kapica, a lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture at Gdańsk University of Technology. This event is organized every two years by the Polish Association for Natural Building. After Warsaw, Łódź, and Wrocław, it was Gdańsk's turn. The event took place in the prestigious interiors of the Great Armoury from November 15 to 17, 2024, featuring lectures, workshops, and panel discussions. The hottest spot was the exhibition area, where participants could touch and discuss with manufacturers the properties of materials such as prefabricated straw panels, hemp fill, hempcrete, natural insulations, roofing slate, natural paints and oils, clay plasters and paints, and many other natural materials in their new forms.

This year's edition was held under the theme "Earth" - not only as a planet but also as a material that can be used in the construction process. The goal was to jointly seek answers to the question: "How to build with care for the Earth?" The program was divided into three thematic paths:

• About the Earth – a broader perspective, care for the Earth and people, permaculture, strategies in the face of the climate crisis,
• On the Earth – building natural homes, habitats, and creating sustainable communities,
• From the Earth – everything about earth (and clay) in construction.

The special guest was Ken de Cooman, an outstanding Belgian architect, innovator in circular construction, co-founder of BC Architects, BC Studies, and BC Materials, and a researcher at RWTH Aachen. He led lectures, a masterclass, and practical workshops on building with rammed earth.

We thank all the volunteers and listeners from Gdańsk University of Technology for their participation!

The photo gallery from the event is available at this link.