A new architecture – The upcycling

Only recently, a symposium took place on the occasion of the question of how upcycling in construction can actually work. The basis for this was provided by a book that summarizes various essays by experts on the subject. Exciting conclusions about upcycling architecture could be drawn from all these public discussions.

The future of construction is in the balance. However, this is not due to falling demand for the companies as such, but to a shortage of materials. The procurement of building materials is becoming increasingly difficult. Sand is one of the dying raw materials, as it is no longer endlessly available, and in general everything is becoming more and more expensive and the waiting times are getting longer and longer. Therefore, the entire industry is called upon to rethink, for its own future and that of its customers. Perhaps upcycling architecture is the solution?

New insights and some hurdles

There is, this much should be revealed in advance, a central insight: “‘New building will have to break away from the dogma of new construction.” This means nothing other than that classic new construction seems to have died out. It’s a matter of giving old things a new use, and that applies to land as well as houses and industrial halls. At the points where this is not possible, the aim is to reuse as many of the previously used materials as possible and make it unnecessary to buy new ones. This saves resources and it saves money. However, there are still a few hurdles to overcome in the entire process.

Upcycling architecture requires new ways

The potential is there; there are enough approaches to modern building and living. But the necessary industries are still lacking, for example, to recycle valuable raw materials appropriately and thus send them for reuse. The construction industry has a long tradition and is an important economic factor. At the same time, it is one of the largest producers of waste and thus does considerable damage to the environment. Initial approaches to consistent waste separation and reprocessing already exist, but this is still far too little to supply an entire industry. So it’s a matter of upgrading vigorously, because the demand is huge! In addition, there are some exciting research approaches, such as the conversion of useless desert sand into useful construction sand, in order to defeat the shortage of raw materials here as well and to find new ways for the construction of the future.

A service to society

Ultimately, the commitment to greater environmental awareness is also a service to society. It not only demands new building technologies, it also demands them to a healthy degree. Not just for today, but for future generations. A new building stands on the same site for at least the next 40 to 60 years. Accordingly, it should be robustly manufactured, but also as sustainable as possible. It is important to mention that upcycling architecture should not be confused with recycling, as architect Andreas Hild from Munich emphasizes. All the approaches are not just about tearing down old things and then recycling them. Rather, it’s about creating something even better new from old. In this way, old houses can be restored to their former glory in combination with new bricks and windows. So instead of simply tearing them down, it’s helpful to put them to a new use. This not only preserves the base of resources and materials, it complements them in a meaningful and invariably beautiful way. As a result, the cityscape becomes more colorful, disdainful new buildings don’t stand a chance, and people learn to appreciate the old in a whole new way.

Image copyright: Jirsak

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