Architekturlehre(n) für eine soziologie-ökologische Wende

Architectural history remains strongly shaped by heroic figures and monumental objects. In critical dialogue with Ursula K. Le Guin’s Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction, this article advocates for a shift in focus: toward the often-overlooked, yet foundational elements — the materials, relationships, and processes that actually shape our built environment.
In light of the planetary crises — in which architecture plays a central role as both a carrier of resources and a driver of emissions — a reorientation of the discipline and its teaching is imperative. This article views the current situation as a call for self-questioning — and for the development of new methodological approaches.
At the heart of this discussion is the teaching-research project Material Networks at HafenCity University Hamburg. The project combines the seminar Material Stories, an open-access web platform, and an open educational resource. Students analyze the social, ecological, and political dimensions of building materials, trace their global entanglements, and develop empirically grounded material stories.
This multi-perspectival approach is not presented as a solution, but as a contribution to a changing self-understanding of architecture. The goal is to foster learning in relations — connected, critical, and open to interdisciplinary collaboration. The article explores how such narratives can serve as tools to open up new perspectives in architectural education and to strengthen an understanding of socio-material entanglements — as part of a necessary and profound transformation.