Regenerative Ideas For Tomorrow
R I F T
RIFT is an ongoing artistic research project exploring how we can build in symbiosis with nature, using biogenic materials sourced from the Nordic landscape.
Through tactile installations, materialexperiments, and interdisciplinary dialogue, RIFT investigates how architecture can become more ecologically grounded, sensorially rich and rooted in place.
RIFT aims to question dominant building paradigms and invite new imaginaries for a regenerative architectural future.
The project is led by Julia Andersson, Kine Jæger-Larasse & Nicolai Jæger-Larasse. Supported by Nordic Culture Fund & Nordic Culture Point.
RIFT begins with a simple yet profound recognition: we are not separate from nature—we are nature. The way we build should reflect this fundamental truth.
From this perspective, we ask: What happens if we build with grown rather than extracted materials? How might architecture become a practice of coexistence rather than domination?
RIFT focuses on biogenic materials—those that grow, store carbon, and return to the earth. Straw, hemp, reed, seaweed, mycelium, mussel shells. Materials that are renewable and locally available; sometimes rooted in traditional Nordic building culture, sometimes highly innovative and often both.
Since wood alone cannot meet all needs sustainably, we explore the full palette of biogenic materials, seeking the right material for the right place.
More than a finished building, RIFT is about process—how materials grow, are harvested, shaped and eventually returned to the earth. It explores sensory experience—touch, smell, phenomenology—alongside mythology and ecology.
This approach invites us to rethink how these natural cycles shape not only spaces but also relationships: between people, materials and the landscape.
This enables us to explore dimensions of the materials beyond their functional qualities related to sustainability and engineering. Our focus also includes the aesthetics and sensory experience – only then can these materials become truly desirable, something people want to connect with.
"All our knowledge begins with the senses"
- Emanuel Kant
The Hand
- tactile practice -
Through material experiments and sensory art, we engage directly with the textures and life of these materials. We explore how regenerative principles can be felt and understood—through touch, smell and interaction.
The Dialogue
- community and collaboration -
We bring together researchers, artists and architects to share knowledge, exchange ideas and challenge assumptions. Together, we explore how regenerative ideas can transform the spaces we live in.
The Mind
- research and reflection -
We map the histories, ecological roles and potentials of these materials—situating them in the wider contexts of ecosystems and resource cycles.
Looking ahead
During 2025–2026, RIFT will touch down in different cities across the Nordics—Stockholm, Copenhagen, Bergen, Helsinki and Oslo. In each place, we will explore local biogenic materials through exhibitions, workshops and conversations, weaving together knowledge from diverse fields and contexts.
We see this journey as a growing network of ideas, collaborations and shared practices that together can shape a regenerative building culture.
If you would like to collaborate or share knowledge, please get in touch.
Team / Initiated and led by Julia Andersson, Kine Jæger-Larasse & Nicolai Jæger-Larasse. Supported by Nordic Culture Fund & Nordic Culture Point.
Location / Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Finland & Faroe Islands
Status / 2025 - ongoing