A Practice Beyond Environmental Responsiveness

Abstract

This thesis critically examines Anna Heringer’s architectural practice as a form of ecological design that moves beyond conventional notions of environmental responsiveness. Through the lens of posthumanist, ecofeminist, and poststructuralist theory, drawing primarily on the work of Peg Rawes, it explores how Heringer’s Rudrapur trilogy in Bangladesh engages with the relational entanglements of material, social, and environmental ecologies. Rather than viewing sustainability through a technocratic or performance-based lens, Heringer’s architecture foregrounds local materials, collective authorship, and socio-political empowerment. Her use of mud and bamboo is framed as both a practical and political act: resisting the high-carbon logic of global construction and reviving Indigenous knowledge systems. This analysis incorporates Foucauldian perspectives on power, revealing how materials embody and contest socio-economic hierarchies, and builds on Karen Barad’s agential realism to show how materials co-produce architectural meaning. Heringer’s work also reflects feminist relational theories of Rosi Braidotti, especially in her inclusive design processes and attention to marginalised users, including women and disabled individuals. However, the thesis also discusses the contradictions within her practice, particularly the postcolonial tensions tied to Western recognition as a figure, donations, and problems of authorship. Although her process's collective and participatory character is clear, along with the collaboration with a local NGO, her practice still works within the frames of Western privilege, which raises questions about the representational equity. Overall, this thesis argues that the theory of relational ecologies enriches the discussion on the emerging methodologies, helping to asses their potentials but also limitations.