BUILDING SLOW

Written By Earth Build Trainees

We often hear “time is money” and fear “wasting time.”

 

Society teaches us to race against it, but what if we worked with time instead—allowing it to shape and evolve with us?

 

Architecture often prioritizes speed over longevity, forgetting that buildings grow and change alongside us and the planet. Working with Global Generation, I’ve seen how time can be embraced—used to grow, teach, and create in a fast-paced city like London. Great architecture isn’t built in a year but over decades. Buildings aren’t just meant to outlive us; they’re meant to live with us.

Maybe it’s time we stop fighting time and start learning from it—and learn from communities that have been building slowly for generations

Iyanu Ogunbowale

 
 

Notes from the Garden

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Interwoven – a story of people, plants and community
Interwoven – a story of people, plants and community

Community and Education Gardener Georgie reflects on how school children explored the idea of interconnectedness by learning to weave. Inspired by the Paper Garden’s “Hairy people” story, they created collaborative artworks using fabrics and natural materials, ending with a shared tapestry.

Designing the Triangle Site: The Trainees take on Permaculture
Designing the Triangle Site: The Trainees take on Permaculture

As part of the garden traineeship, we completed a permaculture design course (run by Rakesh from Roots n Permaculture). Since May, we’ve taken a deep dive into permaculture; what it is, how it works and how it can be applied anywhere and in any context. Here’s what we’ve been up to.

RHS Learning day at Story Garden
RHS Learning day at Story Garden

We hosted the RHS Learning and Education team at the Story Garden. It was a warm sunny day, and myself and my colleagues Jemma, Samika and Maedeh were excited to have the opportunity to share Global Generation’s educational approach with others.

Earth Build Trainees
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