Enduring Cultural Matter

Architectural materials are never neutral – they embody complex stories of history, labour and place. 

On Thursday the 19th of March join architect, artist and educator Stephanie Pahnis for Enduring Cultural Matter, a presentation developed during a two-month residency at the American Academy in Rome as an ASF-RMIT Affiliated Fellowship recipient. 

The research examines material reuse as a critical cultural practice: one that enables historical continuity while offering a generative model for design. Drawing on the learnings from the ancient practice of spolia, the reuse of architectural fragments from existing or 'spoiled' structures, Pahnis demonstrates how material reuse can translate memory, meaning, and historical continuity into new architectural forms. 

Tracing material origins from the travertine quarries of Tivoli to the basaltic plains of Western Victoria, the research considers materials as deeply ecologically embedded, understood as living entities connected to Country and kin. Rather than erasing inherited contexts, Enduring Cultural Matter explores the potential of working with their complexities, exploring how buildings might be reinterpreted, rewritten, and reconfigured. 

Stephanie is an architect, artist and educator, currently practicing at Wardle, and is the Co-Founder of design and research studio, Sens. She is committed to spatial practices that support material preservation, cultural exchange, and emerge from participatory design processes. Stephanie graduated from RMIT University in 2019 with a Master of Architecture and has taught in RMIT Architecture studios. 

Stephanie is the 2024 recipient of the Alastair Swayn Foundation – RMIT Architecture Affiliated Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome.