initiatives
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
Operating at the intersection of architectural conservation and waste, Local Technique conducts interdisciplinary research that explores underlying patterns of material use and exposes new ways of conceptualizing the relationship between past and future landscapes.
PROJECTS
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
Through collaborative and independent projects, Local Techniques explores themes of erasure, accumulation, movement and transformation. Created and presented in a range of settings, these projects explore the multiple, entangled values of sites, structures and materials.
people
Alison Creba is the founder and principal investigator at Local Technique. Her research explores themes of demolition, deconstruction and displacement and investigates the physical and cultural landscapes generated through these processes. She holds a Master degree in Heritage
Conservation through Carleton University’s School of Indigenous
Alison Creba is the founder and principal investigator at Local Technique. Her research explores themes of demolition, deconstruction and displacement and investigates the physical and cultural landscapes generated through these processes. She holds a Master degree in Heritage
Conservation through Carleton University’s School of Indigenous and Canadian Studies. She
held a public appointment on the City of Toronto’s Circular Economy Working Group
(2019-2021), has conducted research at ERA Architects (Toronto- 2017) and Rotor (Brussels -
2018) and made recent contributions to AD magazine, the Journal of Cultural Heritage
Management and Sustainable Design, the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario’s Toronto
Branch. She is a faculty member of Willowbank school for Restoration Arts and its Center for
Cultural Landscapes. In addition to this, Alison has a background in the arts and trades,
experience which supports her role as Building Operations Manager of Artscape Wychwood
Barns, a heritage structure converted into residential, studio and community spaces.
Rashmi Sirkar recently defended her Master of Architecture thesis at the University of Toronto. Her research, WoodLoop, investigates the potential of creating a circular economy of building materials through the assessment of demolition permits, the modeling and life cycle analysis of stick frame houses and the policies and practices surr
Rashmi Sirkar recently defended her Master of Architecture thesis at the University of Toronto. Her research, WoodLoop, investigates the potential of creating a circular economy of building materials through the assessment of demolition permits, the modeling and life cycle analysis of stick frame houses and the policies and practices surrounding deconstruction, salvage, and reuse. She is currently a collaborator at Local Technique, working towards a wider advocacy and adoption of reuse policy and practices in Toronto. Rashmi is also a design research lead at the Center for Landscape Research at the University of Toronto. Beyond materiality and waste, her interests lie in exploring building science solutions for climate change, and the relationship between architecture, economics and media-politics. Going forward, she is keen to draw upon her varied experiences in design, carbon
thinking, community engagement and project management to design low carbon, circular and regenerative solutions for our built environment.