(Re)configuring Productive Systems: The Case of Architectural Ceramics - A Design Study of Ceramic Industrial Heritage and Production Systems for Transition.

Thesis abstract

Industrial systems are required to evolve towards more sustainable and resilient models in response to the current ecological crisis. The ceramics industry, and more specifically the production of architectural ceramics for the construction sector, is among the industries concerned by these transitions. Its processes, which are energy-intensive due to firing, drying and clay extraction, remain shaped by inherited constraints that are now showing their limitations in addressing contemporary sustainability challenges. Despite their environmental impacts, the technical, social and territorial mechanisms that structure these production systems remain insufficiently examined. To address this, this research focuses on three types of architectural ceramics: bricks, tiles, and roof tiles. The aim of this PhD is to contribute to a critical reflection on their industrial productive systems in order to identify possible pathways for their reconfiguration. This research is based on the study of practices, ecosystems and imaginaries, particularly pre-industrial ones, as a critical lens for questioning the foundations of current industrial models and informing perspectives for transition. Building on an analysis of historical legacies and contemporary dynamics, design is mobilised as a prospective approach to explore possible futures and consider alternative (re)configurations of these systems. Documentary and archival research first retraces the evolution of technical transitions in architectural ceramics and identifies the historical processes that have contributed to the emergence of current issues. Several periods and movements are examined, including pre-modern craft practices, the early stages of mechanisation, and alternative movements such as the Arts and Crafts movement. In parallel, fieldwork conducted within ceramic manufacturers and factories makes it possible to understand the organisation of contemporary production systems. By bringing together historical legacies, production practices and current industrial constraints, this research proposes to explore alternatives to existing production models. The findings will inform the development of prototypes and the experimentation of progressive transformations within ceramic production. Ultimately, this research seeks to contribute to the emergence of a renewed ceramics industry that is more closely connected to, and attentive to, its territorial and environmental contexts.

PhD supervisor :
AUGER James, ENS Paris Saclay, Centre de Recherche en Design, ED SSH n°629 de l’Université Paris Saclay, RMIT Europe.  

Co-supervisor :
Simon Chaouat, designer expert 
Philippe Blanchart, Institut de Recherche sur les Céramiques (IRCER), Université de Limoges 

Funding :
Contrat doctoral spécifique normalien.

Date of enrolment :  september 2029