Kim Förster

Dr. Kim Förster is Senior Lecturer in Architectural Studies at the University of Manchester and member of the Manchester Architecture Research Group (MARG). He holds a Staatsexamen from Humboldt University Berlin and a doctorate from ETH Zurich. His research examines knowledge production, institutional histories, and environmental thought in architecture, with special attention to building materials like cement in the context of climate change and geopolitical dynamics.

Research interests span: cultural production related to construction materials; institutional histories of architectural education; environmental humanities approaches to urban transitions; and political ecology of resource extraction. His work critically engages with sustainability narratives in the built environment.

Publications consistently explore material flows through architectural history, analyzing how industrial building practices intersect with ecological crises. Recent writings focus on cement's role in urbanization, energy landscapes, and waste economies, employing interdisciplinary methodologies.

Supervision includes doctoral projects on digital dependencies in global practice, eco-cyclical approaches to architectural afterlife, and spatial manifestations of cultural landscapes. He co-leads international collaborations on environmental histories of architecture.