Architecture Speaks: Michael Pawlyn, 28 Jan 2026
Online lecture series: Architecture Speaks
On Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at 1.15–2.30 pm (Finnish time UTC+2)
The online lecture will be held on Zoom, and registration is required.
Every construction deconstructs elsewhere; materials are territories carried into form. The task of architecture is to create a positive balance where structures give back more than they take. Architecture, once born of shelter and survival, must again learn from nature’s cycles of efficiency and renewal. Architecture stands at the intersection of structure and resources, where every act of construction echoes far beyond its site.
In the eleventh season of the Architecture Speaks lecture series, organized jointly by Aalto University and the Architecture & Design Museum, Professor and Head of department of Architecture Jenni Reuter invites six architects to share insights into their design processes and their roles in the world of architecture. The theme of this season is Structures and Resources.
Michael Pawlyn
Michael Pawlyn
Michael Pawlyn is a British architect, writer and public speaker. He has been described as an expert in regenerative design and biomimicry. He established his firm Exploration Architecture in 2007 to focus on high performance buildings and solutions for the circular economy.
Prior to setting up Exploration, Michael Pawlyn worked with Grimshaw for ten years and was central to the team that designed the Eden Project.
He has written two books – Flourish: Design Paradigms for Our Planetary Emergency (co-authored with Sarah Ichioka) and Biomimicry in Architecture. In 2019 he jointly initiated ”Architects Declare a Climate and Biodiversity Emergency”– a global call to action which has spread to 28 countries with over 8,000 firms signed up.
He has been featured in The Financial Times, National Geographic, The Economist, Wired and The Guardian as well as in a large number of design magazines. His television and radio appearances include ‘Animal Einsteins’ on BBC television and a number of programmes on BBC Radio 4.
“The reason why I wanted to invite Michael Pawlyn is to hear more on how we can learn from nature’s intelligent structures, questionising our use of resources. Pawlyn is an expert in biomimicry with a firm focusing on circular economy.” – Jenni Reuter
How to participate
Registration is now open
The online lecture will be held on Zoom Webinar platform. Registration is required, and the registration is open until the lecture is finished. Participation link and instructions for participation are sent in a separate email after registration.
Accessibility and safer space
The online lecture is free of charge and organized in English. Automatic live captioning is available on Zoom. Interpretation or translations are not provided. Technical instructions are on display at the beginning of the lecture.
Architecture & Design Museum has safer space guidelines, to which we are committed in all the museum’s activities. We want everyone to have the opportunity to participate as themselves, without fear of discrimination or harassment. You can find more information about the guidelines in the link below.
Lecture recording
A recording of the event will be available for a period of two weeks after the lecture on the museum website, under the Explore section.