The “Soil Sisters” initiative explores how architectural design and sustainable material practices can contribute to soil nutrition and resilience. Partnering with SOM Foundation, their joint effort has resulted in an exhibition aiming to redefine our understanding of “environmentally conscious practices.” Titled “Soil Sisters: A Ceiling, A Chair and Table, A Wall and a Threshold,” the display showcases their dedication to redefining soil health as a cross-sectoral objective by emphasizing materiality and color in the built environment.
The exhibition takes place in Accra, Ghana, and was developed by local partners and graduate students from the YSoA Ghana summer program. Furthermore, it is centered around prototypes interacting with contemporary material life cycles. These “prototypes” showcased the possibilities of creatively reusing modern waste materials and low-carbon, non-toxic manufacturing at the material production stage.
"Soil Sisters" investigated the creation of locally based color wheels utilizing plant and soil components in reaction to the detrimental effects of synthetic colors on ecological and human health. To create vivid, environmentally friendly colors, the potential and difficulties of using food and agricultural waste, lateritic soils, and invasive plant species were examined in workshops organized by specialists, including Sasha Duerr and Mae-ling Lokko.
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AMO Designs a Juxtaposed Office and Natural Landscape for Prada’s 2024 Fall/Winter Menswear ShowIn addition to exploring synthetic colors, through a partnership with the OR Foundation, the exhibition addressed the problem of textile waste. Students repurposed shredded cotton textiles and cassava glue to create a range of furniture products, contributing to innovative design and the reduction of textile waste along Ghana's Atlantic coastline.
Additionally, three permanent earth masonry walls were designed as part of the show, which aimed to spark interest in the dying craft of traditional earth construction. These walls, which combined traditional and modern architectural forms, displayed a unique tectonic structure for compressed earth masonry pieces and were inspired by Terra Alta's transformation of a marshland into a performance venue. Efforts were also made to decarbonize local masonry building materials, including using plant agricultural by-products, such as rice hulls, coconut husk fibers, palm fibers, and bamboo leaves.
Overall, the exhibition explores the dual opportunity of leveraging traditional knowledge systems to enhance local resources while redesigning materials to be environmentally conscious. This collaborative venture was part of research seminars at the Yale School of Architecture, supported by the SOM Foundation Research Prize and the Yale Center for Ecosystems in Architecture. Shedding light on Ghana’s significant reliance on imported building materials and the pressing need to expand the indigenous material business, the exhibition has established a standard for future projects that put soil health and sustainability at the forefront.
Last week, Heatherwick Studio presented “Building Soulfulness,” an exhibition at the Bund Finance Center in Shanghai, celebrating the studio’s designs and lasting relationship with China. As part of the Sharjah Triennial, architecture studio DAAR presented the “Concrete Tent,” exploring the notion of permanent temporariness. The idea refers to displacement brought about by changes in the environment, politics, and economy, frequently preventing people from experiencing the present. Finally, a new exhibition by MVRDV recently opened at the Shenzhen Women & Children’s Center, focused on the different narratives surrounding its hosting building.
