Samuel Kalika
Director
Samuel Kalika is the founder of Critical Concrete.
After studying mathematics (BA – Paris VI, 2003) and fine arts (MA – UPV, Valencia & CAFA, Beijing, 2011), Samuel moved to Berlin to coordinate the ZK/U Center for Arts and Urbanistics of Berlin (2011 – 2016).
There, he worked mainly around the problematics of sustainability of DIY, placements of artists in non-artistic organisations and coordinated the artistic residency. In parallel, he was developing socially engaged artistic projects since 2010.
In the continuation of his work at the ZK/U, Samuel founded Critical Concrete in 2015. The intention of the project was to create a socially relevant cultural project, a production centre, platform for makers and locals in a suburb of Porto. Hit by the housing poverty they encountered when scouting for spaces, Samuel redesigned the project for it to be a solution to tackle this issue, resolve some situation, and sensibilise young people to this hidden reality.
Samuel initiated the Sustainable-Sustainable Architecture Post-graduation and co-directs it with Paolo Marcolin, director of the Architecture Master at ESAP. He has been teaching sustainable construction, designing and building since 2015 in numerous summer schools, courses and in the post-graduation.
In 2025 he started Crakd with Michelle Spångberg, a sustainable climbing gear company.
LATEST ARTICLES
17 people, 1 goat, 3 horses and 3 pigs
This summer 2025, 13 participants from Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Portugal, Russia, the UK and the USA, joined us to participate in another installment of our Critical Concrete Social and Sustainable Architecture project, this time in the Meco Animal Sanctuary in Perafita near Porto. As…
Natural Insulation, what you need to know
Effectively insulating our living spaces is increasingly vital for keeping energy costs down, improving living conditions and modernising outdated dwellings. Buildings are a central part of our daily lives, and we spend a large part of our days in them. “In its different forms –…
Sustainable Architecture Postgraduation Labs 2023
Our Sustainable Architecture Postgraduation programme integrates online theory courses with practical three-week workshops. This academic year, students from a diverse mix of nationalities, backgrounds, and disciplines have engaged in a profound learning experience. Their shared desire to contribute to a more sustainable future has led…