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Susanne and Jonathan led a 5-day intensive experiential course engaging students to multidisciplinary issues pertaining to landscape materials. The goal of the course was to introduce essential environmental, economic, and administrative issues related to material production and consumption in Hong Kong and beyond, emphasising the importance of a circular ecology and economy.

Throughout the week, students experimented with recycled plastic concretes and rammed-earth blocks, attended lectures and fieldwork led by Markus Wernli (PolyU School of Design), Jennifer Cheng (The Nature Conservancy), and Edmond Fung (CEDD), and presented their findings through presentations, drawings, and field notes. The course culminated in an exhibition to showcase their creations and findings from the course.

Susanne published a paper in Roadsides Journal, a scholar-led, collectively managed, platinum Open Access journal dedicated to examining the social, cultural, and political aspects of infrastructure. Her paper was featured in Issue 11, which revolved around the theme of concrete. In their introduction, editors Max D. Woodworth and Cecilia L. Chu argue that concrete must be approached in ways that capture its dynamic material properties and its impacts on human and nonhuman relations over time.

Susanne’s paper focuses on the below-ground microbial world to argue that cementitious interfaces should be understood as part of the living environment.

Trumpf, Susanne. 2024. “The Impact of an Interface: Exploring Concrete–Soil Entanglements.” Roadsides 11: 15-21. https://doi.org/10.26034/roadsides-202401103

Ivan and Susanne have been honored with the HKILA Silver Award in the 'Excellence in Landscape Communication' category for their exceptional contributions to the field of landscape architecture. This award from the Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects (HKILA) acknowledges Ivan and Susanne's remarkable efforts in promoting sustainable materials and improving material literacy in both design practice and education, ultimately advancing the landscape architecture profession.

Susanne was interviewed by Cruzanne Macalligan for the Savvy Earth Savers podcast, which is aimed at young people in Hong Kong. The engaging discussion revolved around the university's innovative materials database and its profound impact on the field of Landscape Architecture. The conversation underscored the crucial role of sustainability across diverse careers and disciplines, especially in the context of shaping future environments. In the course of the interview, Cruz and Susanne delved into the unique process of formulating eco-friendly, soil-based materials, thereby highlighting the inspiring developments championing sustainability in Hong Kong.

Savvy Earth Savers with Cruz - Susanne Trumpf, RTHK Radio, 2024-03-25, 9’56”

Susanne was invited to present a lecture at TU Delft on her work related to documenting and archiving urban soils. This lecture was part of a series that delved into the vast implications of soil landscapes, exploring their geologies, topographies, taxonomies, and palimpsests, and their influence on architecture and design.

Susanne has been awarded with the HKU Teaching Excellence Award 2023 (Teaching Innovation Award) in recognition of her outstanding efforts in establishing a materials database as an innovative teaching tool. The Selection Panel expressed their admiration for Susanne's dedication to education, her inventive pursuits to make learning both enjoyable and challenging, and the significant impact she has made on student learning.

At TAL-L, we strive to extend our reach and make a meaningful contribution through long-lasting fieldwork and partnerships with local institutions. In our pursuit of examining material weathering, we have joined forces with the Environmental Education Center at Tai Tam Tuk. This collaboration allows us to subject our materials to various climatic conditions, assessing the viability of student-driven research and TAL-L prototypes for outdoor design applications.

Our installation serves a twofold purpose: it functions as an instructive resource for Hong Kong's public by displaying innovative material prototypes, and it demonstrates the potential of utilizing alternative, regionally sourced materials. By showcasing these sustainable options, we aim to inspire and educate the community on the importance of responsible design and material use.

This seminar taught by Susanne introduced students to essential digital and manual tools of design and representation in landscape architecture. It explored core practices of landscape design focused on the understanding of representation and production. Digital platforms and procedural tools were introduced as key elements in the development of a cross media approach to fabrication.

Shifting from material analysis to visual programming and 1-to-1 fabrication, the course covered a variety of scales and modes. An essential part of the course was dedicated to exploring techniques in the assessment and testing of landscape materials as an iterative part of the design process. The projects transformed the products of material observations into design methodologies and created an understanding of abstraction, rigor, transformation and experimentation.

TAL-L Materials was invited to discuss aspects of working with local soil in the seminar 'Dialogue with Hong Kong Soil'. The seminar was part of the exhibition ‘Told by the Soil - Stories of Victoria’ created by artist Carol Lee Mei Kuen at the Gallery of Hong Kong Art School.

Carol Lee, Niko Leung of Hong Kong Soil, and Madison Appleby of TAL-L Materials presented their work, all centered on soil but using three different approaches to investigation. The conversation about local soil practices within Hong Kong focused on the shared experiences of collecting soil, uncovering stories and histories of the land, and the challenges faced with construction fill management and use.

This course taught by Susanne Trumpf introduced key concepts focused on material, its lifecycle and movement as well as the use of local materials in contemporary landscape architecture. It used the exploration of material qualities as a tool to understand wider concepts of sustainability, urban resources, as well as fabrication and analysis technologies. Students’ material prototypes varied from biophilic loofah bricks to 3D printing waste coffee grounds to bricks made from construction fill. The students and reviewers took part in discussions that focused on the process of making and its connection to existing cultural, economic, and chemical/physical processes.

Reviewers: Ashley Scott Kelly (Division of Landscape Architecture, HKU), Sergio Lourenco (Department of Civil Engineering, HKU), Sylvia Ng (THEi's Landscape Architecture), Ivy Wong (Environmental Science, CUHK)