Critical Concrete

Critical Concrete – Associação de Experimentação Cultural has worked since 2015 on urban, architectural and design strategies for sustainability. It describes itself as an educational and social initiative that stands apart from regular real estate development. It also argues for adequate housing as a fundamental right, one often neglected for lack of public resources or political regulation. The team works from an office in Francos, in Porto, and refurbishes socially relevant places through architecture workshops. The flagship programme is the Sustainable Architecture Postgraduation, offered with ESAP Porto and, for the 2026/2027 edition, in partnership with Mext Mota-Engil. It is a one-year hybrid programme that starts in October 2026 and leads to a 60 ECTS diploma taught in English. Students take online courses on sustainable construction, natural building, participatory processes and social cities, backed by 120 hours of theory. Two intensive two-week construction workshops in Porto add 160 hours of hands-on work, co-designing and co-building spaces with local communities. A few scholarships are available, assessed on academic or professional excellence, motivation and financial need. Summer schools complement the postgraduation, among them the Sus^Cool summer school, where students built a structure on foundations made from reclaimed railway sleepers. Since 2021 the association has also run criti.co, an online learning platform. Individuals and small organisations create courses there on topics such as strawbale construction, rammed earth, mycelium in architecture and militant architecture. Courses run four to eight weeks and combine theory with interactive tools. Some also include practical assignments. The research section documents low-impact building experiments: natural insulation, mycelium cardboard insulation, natural wood protection, tyre foundations, green roofs, water systems and guerrilla gardening. Critical Concrete keeps looking for alternatives to wasteful construction materials. Its work reaches students and professionals in architecture, design and engineering, as well as the local communities who share the spaces it builds.