We’re thrilled to announce that the story of Circular Time Lab has been selected to be featured in the European Commission’s campaign “Share your project stories at EU level” — as an inspiring example of how European cooperation, through the Interreg Alpine Space project BAUHALPS, turns ideas into tangible, real-world impact.
Developed within the BAUHALPS project, Circular Time Lab brings together architecture students, apprentices in timber construction, and researchers in Lucerne (Switzerland) to explore what circular construction truly means in practice.
Each spring, students design and build temporary timber structures in public spaces across Lucerne. In autumn, the next generation dismantles and rebuilds them — using the very same materials, but in new forms. This continuous cycle of assembling, deconstructing, and reassembling turns theory into experience and makes circular thinking visible to everyone.
More than a classroom exercise, Circular Time Lab is a living lab of circularity — connecting education, research, and industry. Local timber companies supply the materials, craftsmen mentor the students, and researchers translate findings into new models of sustainable architecture.
The result is a hands-on experiment in how to build without waste, with respect for materials, people, and place.
Circular Time Lab reminds us that the future of architecture is circular, collaborative, and human-centered — and that the biggest transformations often start with one beam, one joint, and a shared vision of doing things differently.
We’re proud that this story, born within BAUHALPS – Building Circular in the Alps, will now represent how circular innovation in the Alpine region can inspire all of Europe.
Read more here!
