Postextractivist Manifest: Case Study of a Thermal Leisure Center as a Prototype of Degrowth Strategy

Abstract

Currently, there are many indicators that suggest that our consumption model is outdated. Architecture is not immune to this issue, but rather emerging critics which argue that a new architecture is not only desirable but also necessary, are increasing day by day. In this chapter, we present the current state of construction practices and how degrowth theories can bring about a change in our approach to architecture. Throughout the chapter, we focus on all these economic, social and thermodynamic strategies. Focusing both on the new regulations and the theories that support these initiatives, using as a framework a case study of a thermal leisure center in an abandoned quarry in the Sierra de la Culebra, understood as a prototype of degrowth strategy, which represents all the harmful consequences of an extractive society. In this sense, the strategies implemented are explained, covering the different dimensions of sustainability, in order to compare the final architectural outcome with its conventional equivalent.