RESEARCH
A CO-CREATIVE PROCESS.
Our research at FUELED focuses on co-creating climate resilience in the built environment through community-engaged design processes across scales. This approach is grounded in the belief that the climate crisis demands more than object-centered solutions. It requires architects and urban designers to think relationally, viewing the natural, cultural, and built environment as interconnected and circular systems.
We bridge the gap between architectural design and urban or regional planning by positioning the architectural object as an active component of the urban ecosystem. Our work investigates how architecture can operate as a spatial design tool that enables both mitigative and adaptive strategies. These strategies respond to climate change impacts at the architectural, urban, and territorial scale, co-creating tangible pathways for action with communities.
Our methodology is rooted in a participatory mixed-methods framework, drawing from Participatory Action Research and guided by principles of Design Thinking.
We combine qualitative and quantitative approaches with tools such as geospatial mapping, visual storytelling, drawing, diagramming, and generative AI. This allows us to visualize complexity and communicate design in ways that foster shared understanding and inclusive decision-making.
We focus on regions experiencing climate stress with distinct environmental conditions, including coastal and alpine territories. Project outcomes include adaptive masterplans, architectural interventions, visual frameworks to support community dialogue, and theoretical contributions that serve as practical guides for early-phase planning in vulnerable regions.
Our research is supported by over 2.6 million dollars in federal and university funding and has been shared through a published book, seven conference papers, eight conference presentations, three international exhibitions, and more than 20 community workshops. With over 25 formal partnerships with community-based organizations, we combine peer-reviewed academic work with outreach, professional collaboration, and integrated teaching to shape climate-adaptive futures in both theory and practice.
