The Hidden Journey of Construction Materials: Insights from Experimental Pavilions of Vegetarian Architecture in Northern Italy

This paper examines the origins of construction materials, drawing on firsthand data from two Experimental Pavilions of Vegetarian Architecture in Northern Italy. The proposed prototypes aim to be rooted in locality and prioritize low-embodied carbon materials. The study highlights key challenges in tracking the exact origin of materials, and in effectively minimizing transport distances. Market conditions often force a compromise between sourcing in proximity and selecting low impact materials, which remain a niche segment. The assessment reveals that bio-based and low carbon geo-based materials are relatively straightforward to trace, while highly processed products pose greater challenges. Beyond transport distances, the research expands the concept of “localness”, exploring the economic flows of the construction to illustrate the potential socio-cultural implications of design choices in reinforcing local economies.