MArch Thesis – Disrupting the Global Supply Chain in Architecture (2024)

Project title

Disrupting the Global Supply Chain in Architecture: A Hyper-local Approach to the Built Environment

Author

Frank Hinoporos

Supervisor

Associate Professor Sheryl Boyle

Academic term

2023-24

Award

Maxwell Taylor Prize Winner (First Place)

Project Description

The building industry has come to rely heavily on the global supply chain. This has resulted in the homogenization of the built environment across the globe, with materials such as concrete, glass, and steel becoming ubiquitous. These materials, from their manufacture to transportation, and during construction adversely contribute to climate change. One solution is the use of local materials in construction. This thesis explores how over the next century, Ottawa can create an architectural ecosystem, that is minimally reliant on the global supply chain and uses only materials that are local to the region. Local materials, in this case, are defined as materials that are harvested or extracted from in and around Ottawa, as well as materials extracted from existing built structures.