Re:Imagining Charcoal – London Workshop and Showcase

Two London-based events, in conjunction with the London Festival of Architecture 2025 and UEL Graduation Show, allow you to explore this project, which has a focus on regenerative material futures across borders.

A person walks through a warehouse piled with wood

Re:Imagining Charcoal is a cross-cultural project co-developed by Colllab (Malaysia) and Unit H (University of East London), in collaboration with UCSI University and the community-based NGO Look Port Weld. This initiative is supported through our Connections Through Culture Grants 2024, representing one of Malaysia’s selected recipients for the year.

Rooted in the coastal town of Kuala Sepetang, Malaysia, the project explores how overlooked by-products of the mangrove and charcoal industries—such as charcoal dust, kiln clay, mangrove bark, silt, and shells—can be reimagined as locally-rooted materials that support not only sustainable design, but also deeper connections between people, place, and ecology. The work engages youth, artisans, researchers, and local communities to rediscover material knowledge and rethink value from the ground up.

Engage with the project at our London events

These events are presented in conjunction with the UEL Graduation Show and the London Festival of Architecture 2025.

London Showcase: 4–18 June 2025

UEL Architecture and Physical Design End-of-year Show 2025

This drop-in event, with no booking required, is a celebration of student work and innovation.

Location:
Architecture and Visual Arts AVA Building
University of East London,
Docklands Campus,
University Way London
London, E16 2RD

Learn more

London Festival of Architecture Workshop: 9 June 2025

Innovative Construction: Amplifying Voices through Biomaterials

9 June 2025, 10:00–16:00 (BST)

Location:
Royal Docks Centre for Sustainability, University of East London
University Way,
London
E16 2RB

An interactive workshop at the University of East London (UEL), in collaboration with UCSI University and NGO Colllab from Malaysia.

This session will explore how bio-based materials—such as agricultural by-products, biochar, and seashells - can give voice to construction solutions often overlooked. Building on this year’s LFA theme, ‘Voices,’ we will amplify the stories of non-human voices—those of ecosystems and communities impacted by unsustainable material choices and waste.

Learn more and book tickets

To learn more about the project’s approach and context visit our project site.

Visit the project site
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