Thomas Rau is an architect on a mission
His motto? ‘Let’s do what is needed, not what is feasible.’ He is a known front runner in the international debate on sustainability, resource scarcity and the use of renewable energy in architecture.
His ability to look at situations and issues from a novel perspective is unequalled. His innovative ideas and solutions seem rather obvious—although no one thought of them before—which is why they are clear, applicable and easy to understand.
Examples of Thomas Rau’s innovative ideas include Light as a Service, Material as a Service, the Material Passport and the Turnaround Terminal.
Turntoo was founded by Thomas Rau and Sabine Oberhuber. In 2016, the duo also explained their philosophy in their book entitled Material Matters. The ideas in this book formed the basis for Madaster—a platform for the use and reuse of building materials, which was founded in 2017.
Thomas Rau is often invited as guest speaker, in both a national and international context.
The real challenge is not the changing climate; it is that of changing minds
Lectures
Thomas Rau is an often-invited speaker, internationally, both as keynote speaker at large conferences and before smaller audiences such as executive boards, policymakers and politicians. Via numerous international publications, lectures, and television and radio interviews, he is inspiring and motivating people around the world, from a wide variety of industries.
He is known for his thought-provoking, highly original way of thinking. Together with his sharp-witted sense of humour and confrontational way of questioning, this makes him a will-liked guest in discussions that are intended to broaden our mental horizons. Those who invite Thomas know: this is not going to be a comfortable talk full of agreeable nodding.
Initiatives
- RAU
- Turntoo
- Madaster
- Turnaround Terminal
- Universal Declaration of Material Rights
