Against the Grain: Architectures of Resistance and Resurgence

Abstract

As extractive industries accelerate degradation of the planetary biosphere, the role of activists becomes increasingly critical. In this context, design can serve as a tool to amplify their movements, positioning architecture as both resistance – exposing environmental injustices and disrupting harmful industrial processes – and resurgence regenerating ecosystems and strengthening stewardship. This research addresses the global crisis through a localized focus on the corporation that dominates resource extraction in New Brunswick’s forestry sector, intervening in contested logging lands surrounding Fundy National Park and at the industry's headquarters in Saint John. Grounded in theories of human-nature relationships and design activism, the project proposes a system of low-tech designs, inspired by activist strategies, such as canopies, planting gear, towers, kites, mapping and film projection, challenging corporate control over land and media. Ultimately, this thesis outlines a framework for how architecture can empower resistance, expose injustice, and contribute to ecological regeneration amidst corporate-driven environmental degradation.