In April, Z33 will devote its galleries to mining and its disastrous impact on the environment. With Charging Myths, the Belgian-Congolese artist collective On-Trade-Off maps the profound social consequences of lithium mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the influence of the global economy on local instability. BC Architects addresses a similar issue in Same Same but Different, but approaches the broad question of exploitation from an architectural perspective.

BC sees architecture as a game-changer, in that this discipline has a huge impact on our environment and can change the game. The agency advocates responsible management of raw materials and explores techniques to achieve this. As the sustainable use of materials alone is not enough to create sustainable architecture, BC is attempting to change the construction process. By questioning the role of the architect and other actors and increasing the influence of stakeholders in a participatory process, the established order is being shaken up. The agency wants to show that, in principle, it is not doing anything new, but rather (re)introducing processes that are familiar in Western construction culture.