AFEA _ Association for Ecological Architecture _ Contact us to collaborate _ AFEA  Association for Ecological Architecture _ Contact us to collaborate _ AFEA  Association for Ecological Architecture _ Contact us to collaborate _
1. InitiativeWhere does transformation begin? Often with a local spark—a person, a place, a moment of tension or possibility. AFEA initiates and supports processes that question the status quo, create alliances, and set change in motion.



2. ConceptIdeas are fragile—but they’re also where everything begins. In this field, AFEA develops spatial strategies, narratives, and formats that translate complex realities into coherent, place-based concepts. We prototype futures, and invite others to shape them with us.



3. Construction We see building as more than the final step—it’s part of a larger choreography. AFEA supports implementation processes that are reversible, local, and circular. From material cycles to social ones, we think construction anew.



4. ResearchOur work is driven by curiosity. We ask: What can rural spaces teach us? What rituals, methods, and models are worth reimagining? AFEA’s research is open-ended, transdisciplinary, and always in dialogue with practice.



5. Consulting





How can ecological, economic, and social goals align without compromise? We offer strategic guidance and technical expertise—from life cycle assessments to funding applications—always tailored to the context, and grounded in long-term thinking.
  










                       

                                                                                

Construction 3.1Biodiversity natural stone facade
  • 2022-
  • Prototype: HAIN, Werder (Havel)

HAIN is built almost entirely from natural, recycled, local, and renewable materials. Its design prioritizes ecological integration not only during its use for viticulture but also beyond the lifespan of the structure. The buildings is designed to remain a valuable habitat for wildlife even after its functional use ends, demonstrating a long-term vision for coexistence with the natural world.

More than a protective shell, the dry-stacked natural stone façade acts as a habitat in itself. Its layered structure offers shelter and microclimatic niches for insects, reptiles, and small mammals—extending the building’s ecological role beyond its functional use. Over time, the façade weathers and integrates further into the surrounding landscape, fostering biodiversity rather than displacing it. (in collaboration with undjurekbrüggen)
Construction 3.2Clay floor
  • 2023-
  • Prototype: HAIN, Werder (Havel)

The hand-formed clay floors embody a direct relationship with the ground beneath. Made from site-excavated soil, they regulate indoor climate through thermal mass and humidity buffering—while maintaining full material reversibility. Their simplicity and raw tactility connect human use with geological time, grounding the architecture in both place and cycle. (in collaboration with
undjurekbrüggen)



Construction 3.3
  • Reuse of prefrebricated concrete slabs
  • 2024-
  • Prototype: Einfamilienhaus, Stendal
Einfamilienhaus-Haus is a WBS70 type of prefabricated housing. The existing building will be preserved as far as possible and will only be partly dismantled from above. The resulting roof areas will become gardens. Several smaller flats are combined into houses over two storeys each. All measures follow the constructive logic of the serial, joined slab building. Existing openings in the slabs, as well as all staircases, will be retained and only partially added to. The project is designed by undjurekbrüggen and was co-initiated and co-developed with AADA. 

Construction 3.4
    Modular reusable wooden structures
    2024-
    Prototype: Langstall, Komturei Werben, Werben (Elbe)

With Langstall, we explore a system of modular, reversible, circular architecture – catalogued and playful in nature, consciously acting outside the constraints of the original structure. (in collaboration wirh AADA, ammi and undjurekbrüggen

    Construction 3.5
      Baubotanical balcony
      2020-2025
      Prototype: Verwalterinnenhaus, Komturei Werben, Werben (Elbe)

    The Baubotanical Balcony explores how living trees can become part of a building's load-bearing structure. Developed for a listed building at the Komturei in Werben, the project combines temporary construction with long-term biological growth. Rather than adding a conventional extension, the balcony gradually transfers structural loads to the growing trees—demonstrating how architecture can evolve over time while preserving the existing fabric. (in collaboration with AADA, patrick holzer and undjurekbrüggen)

      Contact

      AFEA Association For Ecological Architecture

      Gotzkowskystraße 33
      10555 Berlin

      Kirchplatz 6
      39615 Werben (Elbe)

      mail@afea.site
      @afea.site
      +49 157 50971179

      Impressum
      Current Team

      Jurek Brüggen
      Jalma Fiolka 
      Hannes Herbst
      Patrick Holzer
      Mirko Kubein
      Cintia Macuka 
      Aimée Michelfelder 
      Caterina Ricci 
      Hannah Titz