This dynamic training program combines theory, practice, and experimentation, with the goal of understanding and manipulating concrete blocks through the principles of sustainable construction. Drawing on the research of the Faire Parpaing project, presented at the 2025 Architecture and Landscape Biennale, it offers participants a complete immersion in the process of creating and building with geo-sourced materials. At the end of the training, the trainee will be able to:

• Explore the history of concrete blocks, from their origins as artificial stone to their contemporary industrialization
• Understand the physical characteristics of concrete blocks, such as their thermal inertia, porosity, and density
• Analyze the different types of bonding and their effects on architectural expression
• Discover the properties of geo-sourced materials such as earth, clay, and lime, and their role in low-carbon construction
• Learn masonry techniques adapted to unrendered blocks, taking into account constraints and aesthetic qualities
• Evaluate the influence of climate on construction choices, particularly in terms of natural ventilation, evaporation, and lighting
• Link vernacular practices to sustainable innovations to imagine a Architecture anchored in its context and looking to the future

This training combines theoretical input, small-scale experiments, and a full-scale collective project. It draws inspiration from the Faire Parpaing project, presented at the 2025 Architecture and Landscape Biennale. A full-scale exposed concrete block pavilion, built collectively and incorporating shade, air, and humidity, is installed in the park as a space for rest, reflection, or experimentation for other campus users.

This approach allows participants to acquire a comprehensive understanding of building with ecological materials and develop practical skills for carrying out similar projects.

Through this learning, participants will not only understand current environmental issues but also acquire practical skills to design and build resilient buildings adapted to the climate realities of the future.

Program

Day 1
Understanding the Material and Its Territory

Morning
- Welcome, roundtable discussion, presentation of the MaNa Campus and the Faire Parpaing project
- History and current events of the concrete block: from artificial stone to clay concrete
- Future climate and architecture: why rethink walls?

Afternoon
- Presentation of the pavilion site in the park
- Surveys, leveling, ground placement
- Foundation preparation
Day 2
Getting to know concrete blocks
Morning
- Introduction to the different types of concrete blocks (hollow, solid, shuttering, geo-sourced, etc.)
- Practical exercises on stacking, bonding, and stability

Afternoon
- Pair work on models
- Reflections on rhythm, light, and ventilation
- Preparation of materials for full-scale construction
Day 3
Morning and afternoon
Wall assembly
- Laying the first courses
- Learning about layout, joints, and alignment
- Using Materrup clay blocks
- Discussion about aesthetics: exposed walls versus plaster, toward a bold, raw aesthetic
Day 4
Poeticizing the cinder block

Morning
- Creation of openings, niches, filters (mashrabiya type)
- Integration of ornamental or ventilation elements

Afternoon
- Finishing touches, checking verticality and stability
- Installation of a lightweight roof (textile shading, micro-perforated sheet metal, or reed screen)

Day 5
Inaugurate, transmit, celebrate to share experience and know-how

Morning
- Cleaning, finishing touches, staging the pavilion in its environment
- Creation of signage in raw or engraved clay

Afternoon
- Group discussion time: feelings, learning, discussions on possible transfers (housing, public space, urban planning)
- Inauguration of the Cinder Block Pavilion with guided tour

Thomas Dariel

A French designer, he is the founder of Dariel Studio, a Shanghai-based design agency renowned for its unique and expressive projects. Through a bold aesthetic, often tinged with humor and elegance, he explores the boundaries between art, design, and culture. In 2015, he created Maison Dada, his own brand of furniture and objects, where he asserts creative freedom free from convention.
Multidisciplinary, his approach draws from worlds as diverse as design, gastronomy, visual arts, and luxury.
Convinced that creativity cannot exist without transmission, Thomas Dariel co-founded Campus MaNa, a space dedicated to training, dialogue, and the transmission of expertise. For him, teaching is, above all, about awakening perspectives, cultivating curiosity, and encouraging personal development. Campus MaNa is based on a vibrant teaching method, founded on exchanges between experienced professionals and young talents, with a desire to transmit much more than a profession: sensitivity, rigor and openness to the world.

• Classroom, multipurpose room, workshops with professional equipment
• Materials provided
• Individual and collaborative work
• Workshop work
• Active participation and experimentation of participants are encouraged

• Collective and personalized monitoring of work, regular updates
• Self-assessment of technical skills
• Collective feedback
• Half-day attendance sheet
• Certification of completion issued by Campus MaNa