Brendan Kerrisk

The Ruhr Valley was once the centre of German industrial production, characterized by a history of environmental exploitation and significant carbon emissions. Today, all that remains from that era are the imposing remnants of monolithic industrial machines, yet the carbon sins of that time are left unacknowledged.

As we persistently fail to address the escalating climate crisis we collectively face, it becomes imperative to confront the complicit role architecture plays in perpetuating the growth-based capitalist system and the resulting climate breakdown it precipitates.
This project delves into the intersection of architecture and the contemporary theory of degrowth, aiming to inform a new architectural paradigm that mitigates continued climate degradation. Set in a future post-2050, where our efforts to achieve net-zero goals have failed as projected, the cult of degrowth emerges as a vocal antagonist to the capitalist doctrine of "in growth we trust." Through concerted collective action, the colossal steel structures of the Ruhr Valley are methodically dismantled using helium balloons and repurposed into new enclaves of degrowth.

These enclaves provide an alternative to the current consumer-driven capitalist lifestyle, where work is conducted not for profit but for sustenance. By constructing and implementing a system of modular structures and spaces, the architecture of degrowth becomes dynamic, adaptable, and aimed at minimizing material and energy consumption.