LINA x DAE Spring school

he LINA x DAE Spring School, held in conjunction with the 1st Trienal Design Covilhã in Portugal, brought together students and teachers from Design Academy Eindhoven, LINA platform fellows, and students from the University of Beira Interior (UBI). Open to BA and MA students, the programme featured two parallel workshops: Food as Common Ground by Planting Solidarity and Zêzere Riverscaping by szabadonbalaton x gubahámori. Conducted outside traditional academic settings, the Spring School focused on crafts, biomaterials, and site-specific ecologies, encouraging active engagement with local biodiversity. Participants worked deeply within Covilhã's social and ecological contexts through walking tours, material exploration, food systems research, and mapping of the local geology and rivers.

As preparation for the programme, LINA Fellows Lab212, alongside the other LINA Fellows, were invited to give online lectures, presenting their work at the intersection of technology and ecology—offering inspiration and context for the workshops to follow. Held from April 8–10, 2025, the Spring School culminated in the participation of LINA Fellows at the Trienal Design Covilhã International Conference, The Days of Spring, on April 11, where they shared the outcomes of their workshops. The Spring School was an exploration of new practices and local biodiversity by rooting design processes in local knowledge, degrowth principles, and ecological stewardship.

The LINA x DAE Spring School aligned with the LINA Strategic Framework and objectives. It mobilised the architectural sector towards regenerative, adaptive, and sustainable practices (Objective 1) and created visibility opportunities for emerging professionals (Objective 2). Through interdisciplinary collaboration among DAE, UBI, and LINA Fellows, it linked efforts to address climate and environmental challenges across Europe (Objective 3). The participatory structure provided insights into the needs of early-career professionals (Objective 4) and strengthened mutual support across institutions (Objective 5). By working closely with local communities and landscapes, it fostered co-creation (Objective 6), demonstrated architecture's socio-economic contribution to ecological transition (Objective 7), and addressed harmful systemic effects by proposing alternative, equitable models of coexistence (Objective 8).

LINA Fellows

szabadonbalaton x gubahámori is a research-based ecological cultural initiative hosted by PAD Foundation. Their projects investigate the interconnectedness of climate and ecological challenges, focusing on Lake Balaton in Hungary. They conceptualised and co-produced the BALATORIUM ecological cultural programme for the European Capital of Culture Veszprém-Balaton 2023. GUBAHÁMORI is an architectural and urban design studio focused on relationships between natural and human-built habitats. Their practice spans adaptive reuse, climate resilience, and multiscalar design strategies.

Planting Solidarity is an international association founded by Marie Tina Asoh to promote food and land solidarity initiatives. The team includes Daniel Boris, Luma Vidal Weinhardt, and Angela Häusermann, collectively working across food systems, circular design, and collective land use practices.

LAB212 is an artistic collective founded by Nicolas Guichard and Béatrice Lartigue. Working at the intersection of art, science, and technology, they create installations that explore perception, space, and sound. They represented the artistic field at the Assises de la Jeune Création for the French Ministry of Culture.