Building Skills, situates social and ecological possibilities for the retrofit of the Neighbourhood Public Square at CIVIC SQUARE site within the material and productive landscape in which it sits. The report focuses on the ecoregional mapping study of Birmingham and the West Midlands, and open learning collaborations between ourselves and CIVIC SQUARE such as Material Matter[s]: A Skills For Transition Learning Journey, highlighting key sites in the region that offer a variety of material opportunities to be explored together.

At CIVIC SQUARE the report and participatory learning journey's represent an essential next step in the design methodology of the Neighbourhood Public Square through nurturing literacy and capacities in the neighbourhood as well as surfacing existing wisdoms, mapping bio based materials, local manufacturers and processes for the site to embody and work towards social, ecological, and material justice in and beyond their neighbourhood.

Photography by Paul Stringer and Angela Grabowska

This report examines the potential positive impacts of a bioregional construction economy, from improvements in biodiversity to an increase in construction jobs and security; building a case for redistributing the values of the construction industry towards a cleaner, sustainable methodology for growth that is beneficial to all. It can be viewed here.

The North East and Yorkshire region is well positioned to lead the UK in this shift as it has much of the existing agricultural and industrial infrastructure required to make the change from carbon-intensive to biobased construction. To meet the growing housing need within the NEY region, over 500,000 new homes need to be built and 2.8 million homes retrofitted over the next 15 years.