Secondary Circulation: Can Reusing Recycled Materials Save the World? Hashtag (topic) #architecture Nagłówek super artykułu Title on page in header Secondary Circulation: Can Reusing Recycled Materials Save the World? Image or video atrium_international_en_03.jpg Podpis dla multimediów Demolition of the Atrium International building in Warsaw, photo: Piotr Molecki/East News Header text color rgb(255, 255, 255) Enable audio for video Off Negative header audio button Wyłączony Negative side audio button Wyłączony Zawartość (treść strony Super Artykułu) Tekst The London Design Biennale takes place from 1 to 25 June 2023 in the capital of Great Britain. It is an international event during which participating countries present exhibitions and projects reflecting on the most important, current challenges faced by designers. This year’s theme is 'The Global Game: Remapping Collaborations.' The Polish presentation selected following a competition and created by a curatorial team consisting of Zofia Jaworowska, Michał Sikorski, and Petro Vladimirov addresses two very significant issues. The exhibition introduces the international audience to the idea of assisting Ukraine, invaded by Russia, in a concrete and measurable way: donating windows, salvaged from buildings demolished in Poland. Windows, which would probably end up in landfill, were collected, catalogued, secured and sent to Ukrainian cities, where they were used to permanently or temporarily restore houses, schools, and public buildings that were destroyed as a result of war. Text size standard fonts size Podpis obrazka The curators of the Polish exhibition at the London Design Biennale 2023 during a trial assembly, from the left: Petro Vladimirov, Michał Sikorski, Zofia Jaworowska, photo: IAM Picture width full width Display image with no height limit Off Tekst Too much of everything Text size standard fonts size Columns style left column static Left column The exhibition prepared by the Polish curatorial team talks about the months-long aid effort, but also draws attention to a much wider, current problem: the secondary use of building materials. Right column Trial assembly of the Polish exhibition at the London Design Biennale 2023, photo: IAM Fullscreen gallery items Text As much as 50% of global carbon emissions are related to the construction industry. By dismantling old buildings, constantly building new ones, covering new expanses of land in concrete, but also wasting countless amounts of building materials, we significantly contribute to the destruction of the environment. As Jonathan Watts reported for The Guardian in 2019, if concrete were a state, it would rank third in the world in terms of carbon emissions, following the biggest polluters – China and the US. The cement industry also produces many other pollutants and consumes huge amounts of aggregates and water, whose earthly resources are slowly depleting. What’s worse, concrete, unlike many other building materials, is mostly not recyclable – it cannot be recovered and reused. At the same time, it does not have much competition: building foundations and load-bearing structures of ever larger and higher structures all over the world rely on the use of concrete. Even those described as “environmentally friendly” cannot do without the use of concrete. Podpis obrazka Concrete wall, photo: Getty Images Text position center middle Tekst 3D-printed houses Text size standard fonts size Tekst The search for better (and, above all, more environmentally friendly) construction methods are aided by 3D printing methods and materials that were never before used in construction (or were used centuries ago). Today, construction elements can be created from hemp, straw, and clay. However, it is not possible to use these materials to build skyscrapers or large public buildings. So far, they have been used in single-family architecture and the design of small-scale show pavilions. Although these are still small-scale tests and experiments, they demonstrate that changes are inevitable. Text size standard fonts size Podpis obrazka Ecological farm in Kotlina Kłodzka, project: eKodama studio - Magdalena Górska, photo: studio press materials/http://www.ekodama.pl Picture width full width Display image with no height limit Off Columns style right column static Left column Thermal Waste Treatment Plant in Kraków (ZTPO), designed by Jakub Baczyński (PROCHEM S.A.), Michał Teller (Teller Architekci), Filip Łapiński (Łapiński Architekci), Bogusław Wowrzeczka (Manufaktura No. 1), photo: Prochem S.A. press materials Right column In a world of design that strives to be planet-friendly, the most frequently repeated word is 'recycling', defined as 'reprocessing recovered waste into products, materials, or substances for their original or other purposes'. Tekst Recovering construction materials Text size standard fonts size Tekst Adapting, modifying, and modernizing already existing structures is one way of making construction more environmentally friendly. Such 'secondary use' of already existing buildings has been around for a long time. It means adapting post-industrial facilities, historic factories, mines, and combined heat and power plants to new functions. There are dozens of such projects, and new ones are still being created. Some are very popular – for example, the Silesian Museum founded in the former KWK Katowice, Manufaktura shopping centre in Israel Poznań’s former textile factories in Łódź, Warsaw Breweries or the Gdańsk Garrison transformed into urban multifunctional complexes with flats, offices, shops, and entertainment venues. Text size standard fonts size Fullscreen gallery items Text Since 2020, the State Music School Complex No. 1 in Warsaw’s Mokotów district is housed in the historic, neo-Gothic building of a former orphanage. Architects from Konior Studio renovated the old building and adapted it to new needs, adding a brand new, modern concert hall at the back. Podpis obrazka Complex of State Music Schools No. 1 in Warsaw in a former orphanage, ul. Rakowiecka, designed by Konior Studio, photo: Bartek Barczyk/Konior Studio Text position right top Text In the heart of Gdańsk’s Wrzeszcz district, a complex of military-adjacent facilities has been expanded since the end of the 19th century. After World War II, the Prussian barracks were taken over by the Polish Army, which used them until the end of the 20th century. Since 2005, the historic buildings have been redeveloped and thus a new multifunctional urban area has been created, in which the echoes of its former function are intertwined with contemporary activities. Podpis obrazka Garnizon Gdańsk, photo: Grupa Inwestycyjna HOSSA SA Text position left top Text The WUWA housing complex in Wrocław is well known to anyone who is interested in architecture. Today, not only connoisseurs of modernism eagerly visit this experimental building complex, erected for the Workplace and House Exhibition in 1929. In 2018, the estate was supplemented with a beautiful information point and a café located in a semi-circular pavilion, added onto the façade of one of the buildings. Now an integral part of the complex, the pavilion was originally designed as a waiting room for passengers using the neighbouring tram depot and a milk and newspaper kiosk, and later used as a hairdresser’s. Thanks to a project created by the arch_it studio project, it reclaimed its shine and got a new function. Podpis obrazka Renovation and reconstruction of the former waiting room and kiosk in building No. 1 in the WuWA housing estate. Information point with a cafe, project: designers: Maja Cichocka, Agnieszka Gałwiaczek, Piotr Zybura (chief designer), 2017-2018, photo: _arch_it piotr zybura architecture & design Text position left top Text Designed by Tadeusz Płończak and Stanisław Pogórski in the mid-1950s, the Poznań skyscraper with stone-covered façades was built for the Ministry of Reconstruction in Poznań, later it served as the seat of the design office of the City of Poznań and the Poznań Industrial Construction Company No. 2. The CDF Architekci studio has developed the concept of transforming the building into a dormitory. Soon, the majestic building will serve students. Podpis obrazka Dormitory in Poznań, project: CDF Architekci, interior design: DOT, Interiors, investor: Magis Real Estate. Building designed by Tadeusz Płończak and Stanisław Pogórski, 1950-1951 as the seat of the Ministry of Reconstruction Agency in Poznań, photo: CDF Architekci Text position right top Text There are many examples of modified post-mining facilities, but the one recently implemented in Bytom is less characteristic. On the grounds of the former Rozbark mine, the Skarpa Climbing and Strength Sports Centre was established. It features the largest climbing wall in Poland and is suitable for everyone, from kids and amateurs to professionals. Podpis obrazka 'Skarpa' Climbing and Strength Sports Center, Bytom, photo: www.bytom.pl Text position left top Columns style right column static Left column 'Waste House' building at the University of Brighton, photo: Hassocks5489/Public Domain Right column Nearly a decade ago, researchers at University of Brighton built a two-storey building whose 85% was made out of waste. Tekst Healthy mixtures Text size standard fonts size Columns style left column static Left column There are more and more research centres in the world seeking resources that could replace the 'most destructive material in the world', i.e. concrete. Right column Building a house, photo: Tomasz Meus/East News Columns style both columns static Left column Video embed Ekologiczny beton z odpadów Right column Video embed Hempcrete - DOM Z KONOPI. Idealny materiał na dom? Tekst The variation on the OKNO [WINDOW] project implemented by the BRDA Foundation, presented at the London Design Biennale, consisting in sending windows obtained from recovery in Poland and installing them in destroyed buildings in Ukraine, is an example of reusing secondary materials. Here, ready-made, no longer needed building elements are used in an unchanged form elsewhere. There is no need for research or academic labs to invent new materials, but rather an awareness of the building’s value at the demolition stage. In order to reuse construction elements again, the building cannot be destroyed by a bulldozer, so it is a more time-consuming and labour-intensive operation, and usually also more expensive. Despite this, there are more and more small scale construction projects using demolition materials. Not everyone likes them, because they 'do not smell new' and have their own unique character, and represent a different kind of aesthetics. Text size standard fonts size Fullscreen gallery items Text For example, a house designed by the MAZM studio in Warsaw. Here, the architects consciously combined the demolition bricks from western Poland with elements of raw concrete to further enhance the charm of the used, rough, murky, multi-coloured bricks. Podpis obrazka Recycled house, project: MAZM, photo: Ignacy Matuszewski/https://mazm.pl/ Text position left top Text Architect Piotr Kuczia has created several buildings made of recycled materials; recently he has been eager to use used wood panels – and here you should not look for even, smooth surfaces or similar shades of wood. Podpis obrazka House with a facade made of used wood in Bielsko-Biała, designed by Piot Kuczia, photo: Piot Kuczia/https://kuczia.com Text position left top Text Architects from the toprojekt studio used waste from local brickworks to build Rudy Dom in Rudy, creating a simple and raw body, but very expressive thanks to the materials used. Podpis obrazka Rudy house in Rudy, designed by toprojekt, 2017, photo: Juliusz Sokołowski/https://www.toprojekt.com Text position left top Text White painted euro pallets were used to create the façade of a wine cellar and wine shop in Poznań – the project was created by mode:Lina studio, who were not afraid to use this 'cheap-looking' material to finish the elegant premises. Podpis obrazka Fiesta Del Vino - wine cellar made of EUR pallets in Poznań, mode:lina studio, photo: Marcin Ratajczak, Avantgarde Studios, Patryk Lewiński Text position left top Tekst Knowing how to reuse Text size standard fonts size Tekst Still, all these projects are either one-off or experimental or remain outside the mainstream construction trends. Zofia Jaworowska, one of the curators of the Polish exhibition at the London Design Biennale 2023, explains that when it comes to large investments it is difficult to use recycled materials. Construction materials must comply with safety, water resistance, and fire resistance regulations. At the same time, architects must be familiar with them early enough to be able to take them into account there at the design stage. Obtaining materials from demolished buildings must pay off – they cannot extend the construction time, cost more, nor require complicated procedures. Text size standard fonts size Podpis obrazka ASHka, ash ceramics, design: Mateusz Mioduszewski, photo: Make Me! 2019/Łódź Design Festival! Picture width full width Display image with no height limit Off Tekst It seems that efforts are underway all over the world to bring demolition procedures, technologies and legislation up to date, so that reusing materials can become more common and straightforward. In some countries – Scandinavia, Switzerland, the Netherlands – work on this has been ongoing for years and is currently at an advanced stage. The circumstances, as well as the awareness of investors, designers and users of architecture, are changing very quickly. While a decade ago it seemed that the most progressive slogan associated with environmentally friendly use of resources was '3xR' (reduce, reuse, recycle), today there are six: renew, regenerate, rethink, respect, regulate, and refuse. These slogans not only relate to the use of recycled materials, but also consumption and production in general. Text size standard fonts size Tekst Buildings going to waste Text size standard fonts size Podpis obrazka Demolition of Supersam, photo by Christian Kerez, photo from Jan Strumiłło's book 'Hidden Modernism. Warsaw According to Christian Kerez' Picture width full width Display image with no height limit Off Tekst Today, 99% of a building’s mass goes to waste after it is demolished. It lands in landfill, and in its place, a new object is erected. Until recently, the main reason for demolishing buildings was their poor technical condition, but today the vast majority of demolished objects could still be used. They are substituted for more modern structures, but above all, the scale of the buildings is important: larger, and therefore more profitable, buildings are created. The first building in Poland to be demolished, despite good technical condition, was the Moskwa cinema in Warsaw. Back in the mid 1990s, the monumental, one-storey, freestanding cinema building with a surrounding square gave way to much larger constructions: a bank and building housing offices, shops, and services areas. Text size standard fonts size Columns style both columns static Left column Moscow Cinema in Warsaw, 1955 - 1965, photo: Zbyszek Siemaszko Photographic Archive/National Digital Archives NAC Right column The PKO and Europlex complex built on the site of the Moscow Cinema in Warsaw, photo: Anna Cymer Fullscreen gallery items Text Another cinema in Warsaw will soon share the same fate: once again, it turns out that the vast pavilion housing twelve screening rooms, the Multikino in Ursynów, is too small for its prestigious location right next to a metro station in the heart of a densely populated district. Multikino – functioning perfectly well and only 24 years old – will give way to an extensive residential complex. Podpis obrazka Multikino building in Ursynów at al. Commission of National Education 60 in Warsaw, photo: Emptywords/Wikimedia.org Text position left top Columns style left column static Left column Elsewhere in Warsaw, the demolition of the 28-years-old Atrium International luxury office building is coming to an end. A 131-metre tall glass skyscraper will replace it. Right column Demolition of the Atrium International building in Warsaw, photo: Piotr Molecki/East News Fullscreen gallery items Text Various institutions across Poland have different ideas on how to recover and reuse the already existing construction materials. Gdańsk’s authorities sell used elements from road and pavement repairs. Anyone can buy, among other things, paving tiles, concrete blocks, and paving stone. This is a win-win situation: the customer pays less, the material does not go to landfill, and the city saves money on disposal. Podpis obrazka Recovered road material sold by the Gdańsk authorities, photo: press materials of the Gdańsk Road and Greenery Authority Text position left top Text In autumn 2021, a new footbridge was opened on the Szprotawa River between Sienkiewicza and Chrobry Streets in Szprotawa. It wouldn’t be unusual if it weren’t built from a recycled… wind turbine blade. Until recently, it was difficult to recycle such elements. Anmet – a company dealing with the recycling of metals and composite materials, and wind turbine propellers in particular – initiated the project, which was then developed in cooperation with the Rzeszów University of Technology. Podpis obrazka Footbridge made of a wind turbine, Szprotawa, photo: Lech Muszyński/PAP Text position left top Text When designing a building for a dental and aesthetic medicine office in Katowice, Grupa Concept studio reached for unusual materials. The two-storey building in the Dąb district was built from industrial containers. Architects treated them as modules from which they composed a modern facility with treatment rooms on the ground floor and flats for trainees on the first floor. They admit that there was a risk that patients might be alarmed at the harsh appearance of this unusual building, but it turned out that its strange appearance was very well received. Podpis obrazka D105, aesthetic medicine clinic in Katowice, designed by Grupa Concept studio, photo: https://d105.pl Text position left top Tekst Learning from the past Text size standard fonts size Columns style left column static Left column From 30 March to 3 September 2023, the Museum of Warsaw is showing an exhibition entitled 'Warsaw 1945-1949: Rising from the Rubble', focusing on the early period of the reconstruction of the city, and its most material aspect, i.e. Right column Alfred Funkiewicz, Report on the production of rubble concrete blocks in the State Enterprise of Demolition and Rubble Management, 1947, Museum of Warsaw Introduction We produce, waste, and throw away too much, and we continue to manage our resources – food, everyday objects, as well as building materials – irresponsibly. Not standard color version Off Summary We produce, waste, and throw away too much, and we continue to manage our resources – food, everyday objects, as well as building materials – irresponsibly. Cover Thumbnail size full width [1160px] Thumbnail atrium_international_en_03.jpg Tagi London Design Biennale recycling contemporary architecture #eco