Nature knows best. In nature, circularity is not some unfamiliar process, but the self-evident basis of all existence. Just as nothing is left behind in nature, energy is never wasted. Which means that every end contains a new beginning.

Today, natural building materials are driven less by ideology than by pragmatic choices and a pursuit of longevity. The synthesis of high-tech and “eco” has long been aesthetically convincing too. In this issue, we showcase the beauty and potential of natural stone, hemp bricks, and hempcrete; visit a reconstructed “Strickbau” (traditional timber-log construction) that upends the very definition of “immovable property”; look behind the facades of a 16-storey timber housing block; and examine the timber-earth slabs at Hortus, a key project by Herzog & de Meuron.

For Alexander Franz, Project Director & Associate Architect, certifications for building components are decisive. At Hortus, the earth in the ceilings serves as part of the fire safety strategy. This game-changer is already fire-safety certified for Switzerland; it isn’t restricted to insiders and, as in nature, imitation is encouraged.

Nature knows best. In nature, circularity is not some unfamiliar process, but the self-evident basis of all existence. Just as nothing is left behind in nature, energy is never wasted. Which means that every end contains a new beginning.

Today, natural building materials are driven less by ideology than by pragmatic choices and a pursuit of longevity. The synthesis of high-tech and “eco” has long been aesthetically convincing too. In this issue, we showcase the beauty and potential of natural stone, hemp bricks, and hempcrete; visit a reconstructed “Strickbau” (traditional timber-log construction) that upends the very definition of “immovable property”; look behind the facades of a 16-storey timber housing block; and examine the timber-earth slabs at Hortus, a key project by Herzog & de Meuron.

For Alexander Franz, Project Director & Associate Architect, certifications for building components are decisive. At Hortus, the earth in the ceilings serves as part of the fire safety strategy. This game-changer is already fire-safety certified for Switzerland; it isn’t restricted to insiders and, as in nature, imitation is encouraged.