This study presents an interdisciplinary and multi-university project-based learning (PBL) framework that integrates three courses—Sustainable Construction, Methods of Inquiry, and Life Cycle Assessment—to address four pressing environmental challenges: wildfires, hurricanes, tornados, and extreme heat. Grounded in evidence-based design, the model emphasizes real-world data and case studies to inform sustainable and resilient architectural solutions. At its core is a collaborative workflow where 8 student teams of 89 students analyze residential buildings that uniquely survived catastrophic events. These “sole survivor” structures form the basis for comparative analysis across three dimensions: architectural design, construction methodology, and life cycle performance. Each team selects a case study aligned with one hazard and investigates resilience strategies, material choices, and environmental impact.

The workflow fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and systems thinking. Undergraduate students in Methods of Inquiry lead research and data collection using qualitative and quantitative methods. While graduate students in Sustainable Construction students evaluate structural and material systems for durability, adaptability, and environmental impact. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) graduate students quantify environmental performance using LCA tools, offering a cradle-to-grave perspective on sustainability. This triadic approach reinforces course-specific learning outcomes while encouraging synthesis across disciplines. Real-world survivor structures provide a tangible foundation for rethinking and prototyping scalable solutions responsive to local vulnerabilities and global climate adaptation needs. Preliminary results from a pilot implementation indicate four student projects, sentiment analysis, pluses and delta of student engagement, critical thinking, and the ability to translate empirical evidence into actionable design strategies. Students reported greater confidence in interdisciplinary collaboration and a deeper understanding of how design decisions affect long-term environmental performance and human safety. Ultimately, this framework offers a replicable model for embedding climate resilience, sustainability, and evidence-based sustainability education, cultivating future designers and builders prepared to lead in an era of environmental uncertainty.

The confluence of climate crisis and resource depletion demands a fundamental shift in architectural practice from extractive to regenerative paradigms that respond to finite planetary limits. This research addresses the critical gap between global environmental imperatives and locally responsive material solutions, investigating how architectural education can cultivate practices that are simultaneously place-based and globally conscious. The paper presents a pedagogical framework that examines circular construction assemblies using regionally sourced materials, positioning material ethics as foundational to this approach.

The study employs two complementary design research methods across multiple scales and geographic contexts. Un-Stacking interrogates stereotomic systems through reclaimed building materials, developing protocols for dismantling and reassembling salvaged stone, brick, concrete, CMU, and rubble. This method evaluates existing built environments as material repositories rather than waste streams, comparing environmental and economic impacts to conventional demolition practices. Re-Framing explores tectonic systems designed for complete disassembly using regional biomaterials. This method investigates modular assembly strategies that embed lifecycle sustainability from conception, developing innovative joinery and connection systems that enable architectural adaptability while ensuring complete component recovery and repurposing.

Student research projects demonstrate these methodologies through comprehensive material mapping, prototype development, and proof-of-concept assemblies. Through these projects, students developed protocols for ethical material sourcing that reduce dependence on energy-intensive manufacturing and long-distance transportation. These protocols were tested through physical prototypes that validate both technical feasibility and pedagogical efficacy. The research contributes: (a) pedagogical models for integrating material ethics into design education, (b) methodological frameworks for evaluating material provenance and lifecycle impacts, and (c) design prototypes and proof-of-concept assemblies demonstrating regional circular construction systems. By reconnecting local material opportunities with planetary ecological imperatives, this work offers practical pathways toward a post-extractive architectural practice that serves both regional communities and global environmental stewardship.

Climate-induced migration is increasingly reshaping global settlement patterns, creating urgent demands for adaptable housing and urban design strategies. This paper proposes Adaptive Modular Urbanism (AMU) as a framework for examining temporary and resilient settlement approaches supporting climate-displaced populations. The study investigates how flexible spatial systems and modular construction methods can respond to environmental uncertainty while maintaining social and cultural adaptability.

The research employs Participatory Action Research (PAR), integrating semi-structured interviews (n=45), field observations over two years, and GIS-based spatial mapping conducted between 2019 and 2025 in migrant settlements in Mexico and modular container-based housing communities in the United States. The comparative framework examines two distinct settlement production models: informally constructed migrant encampments developed through resident-led adaptation and institutionally planned modular communities utilizing container architecture. Settlement performance was evaluated using participatory assessment metrics addressing cultural responsiveness, durability, scalability, environmental comfort, and spatial adaptability.

Findings indicate that informal settlements demonstrate strong cultural adaptability and community agency but limited environmental resilience, with notable progress over time in spatial organization and social spaces. Container-based modular communities provide structural stability, and rapid deployment may constrain cultural personalization. The study suggests that resilient migration settlements benefit from integrating socially generated adaptive practices with modular technological systems. Adaptive Modular Urbanism contributes a design framework supporting participatory, flexible, and climate-responsive settlement strategies applicable to evolving migration conditions.