Architecture goes into reverse. Tips for (self)building responsible living
The challenge is to create a project that had no economic impact and doesn’t exploit new resources through the use of recycled materials. The first step is to build a database of waste and excess material from some companies close to the project site. Those materials are the fulcrum around which to develop architectural solutions giving them new life. This database can be use by those who would undertake the same design process. This system could be replicated for any other project and territory
Local
Italy
Lombardia, Malnate (VA), Molini di Gurone
It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
As an individual in partnership with other persons
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The work, that concerns a regeneration of a former mill, had no impact from an economic point of view and doesn’t exploit new resources through the use of recycled materials rethinking the original ways of using them, giving them new life. In these conditions it is necessary to question the usual ways of designing: the classic design process of composition of the project and subsequent selection of materials, need to be overturned. The available material is the fulcrum around which develop architectural solutions.
Therefore, the first step is to understand where and which are the recoverable materials. To this purpose, it is necessary to contact as many companies, especially operating in the construction sector and located close to the project site, to ask which materials are discarded or unsold.
Based on the answers obtained from the participating companies, it is possible to build a database of information regarding redundant materials that can be used in the design phase and, at the same time, a mapping of companies in the area. If this database is continuously updated, it will be useful for the future phases of the project and for those who want to adopt the same philosophy for zero impact actions on the same territory.
Thanks to this database, it is possible to move on to the design phase. In our idea, the design is based on the assumption that the participants in the construction phase are citizens and not specialised workers. So it is essential to study simple technical solutions to allow a certain margin for error, without compromising aesthetic and static performance. Moreover, a division into construction phases will allow an increase of the database over time, incentivising the participation of new companies and citizens until the completion of the project. However this method could be used also by professional construction companies. Furthermore this system can be replicated in any other territory and project (even in other sectors) with any budget.
Low-budget
Re-use
Circularity
Self-building
Regeneration
Sustainability is one of the milestones of the project. In a world characterized by a type of consumerist society, unfortunately architecture today is not exempt from this type of behavior. The problems related to the management of construction and demolition waste depend not on the presence of dangerous substances, but mostly on the quantity of waste produced.
In 2004, it was estimated that half of the materials extracted from the earth were used for construction projects and approximately 450 million tons of construction and demolition waste were produced each year (data taken from "Towards a thematic strategy on the urban environment" - Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Brussels, 2004).
Through collaboration with companies, the project proposes a rethinking of waste materials that would otherwise be sent to landfills or remain unused surpluses.
During the first phase of the completed construction, a partition wall was built which closed off an office space. The wall was created by rethinking the function of old fixtures that no longer comply with current regulations, destined for landfill as they are no longer performing from a thermal point of view. To overcome this problem, it was decided to bring two windows together in such a way as to obtain an air cushion, inside which waste material was inserted with the function of experimental "visible" insulation. The material therefore performs both a practical and a didactic function.
Thanks to this type of "circular" approach to design, it has been possible not only to limit the use of new resources, but also to "save" materials considered to have reached the end of their life, but in good condition from a qualitative and aesthetic point of view.
If it is true that the figure of the architect must assume his or her responsibilities, we must however remember that architecture is a collective discipline. It arises from numerous different instances: there is a client, there is a builder, there is a construction market and there are institutions that rule and decide whether an action can be undertaken or not. Ecologically sensible architecture cannot be created without changing our expectations and our habits. So the change of mentality must take place at a social level and the architect must have the strength and courage to point out the way forward.
The project aims, through the involvement of citizens, to trigger a re-evaluation of the life cycle of materials such as to generate a change in current aesthetic tastes. Through the completed portion of the project, we wanted to bring out a new spirit of beauty and awareness of the real use value of an object compared to its market value.
Participants were able to experience how an object that is no longer performing, can still reach high quality and aesthetic standards, if rethought in its methods of use.
The fact of being able to live the experience directly leads the citizen to better appreciate the fruits of his work, forging a strong sentimental bond with that place, with that work carried out, resulting more interested in the maintenance and preservation of the latter.
The educational aspect deriving from this participation, is not less important: it manages to integrate perfectly with the practical part, bringing the citizen closer to issues too often considered extraneous and alien to their daily reality. Combining theory with practice, to generate a real cultural benefit for society.
In terms of inclusiveness, the project proposes a highly participatory development model, characterized by the exchange of opinions, information and professional skills, that leads to the creation of an ever-expanding network open to all.
Companies have a fundamental role as they will be characterized as real "mines" from which to draw. At the same time, their participation can be exploited during the design phase, where knowledge and professional opinions can be brought into play, regarding the characteristics of the materials they produce, being able to suggest the best ways to use them. This will bring local companies closer to the inhabitants.
At the same level we find the citizens, who are fundamental during the planning and construction phases. The desire to undertake a type of participatory architecture, aims to give birth to a sense of responsibility in the individual towards places in the community that are too often neglected. Thanks to the construction phases, the citizen will experience with his own hands and will commit himself to the regeneration of the territory in a direct way, being able to observe firsthand the improvements phase by phase.
The inclusion also turns out to be economic as the costs are almost non existent through this approach. This makes it possible to meet the needs of non-profit associations linked to environmental protection and the protection of the territory, which very often see the economic aspect as a limit for undertaking actions that generate tangible positive change. Often this is determined by the need for regional / state / national funding, characterized by long waiting times and complicated bureaucratic issues. This model, on the other hand, presents a faster response to the imminent need for change.
As architects we are called to choose whether to "be content" with passively satisfying the needs and demands of society, or whether to assume an attitude of responsibility such as to generate, even through small actions, a positive change in the system within which we operate .
The aim of the project is to give back a degraded place to its inhabitants, and who can say what the primary needs are better than those who live those places on a daily basis? Thanks to the involvement and participation, the inhabitants can share their ideas, needs and emotions into the various design phases. All of this takes place during the following construction phase.
Working personally to improve one's own territory, leads to social awareness of issues that are too often considered extraneous and alien to one's daily reality.
Furthermore, citizens will be able to experiment with their own hands on different types of reuse of materials, leading them to explore issues such as the life cycle of materials and zero waste philosophies, introducing them to a more ecological and less consumerist lifestyle.
Furthermore, as a final benefit for society, there is the obtaining of a place for the community without the need for further consumption of the soil but rather by opting for its regeneration. Regeneration implemented directly by its citizens who, being able to observe with their own eyes the improvement deriving from their social commitment, will be more linked to the maintenance and preservation of their territory through environmental and sustainable actions.
Bringing society closer to environmental protection issues through small direct actions, putting the citizen truly at the center of the change process, leads to the awareness that every gesture, even in our daily lives, has the power to change the world, step by step step.
Through the adoption of this model, various figures would benefit from applying as investors/promoters.
Companies would be encouraged to donate redundant/waste material as it would be a way to advertise themselves and make themselves known within the territory. Advertising which, however, takes place through a positive initiative with a high social value since it contributes to the preservation and regeneration of the territory in which it operates. The result is companies approaching citizens, through a sort of cooperation, which leads to them no longer being considered as illegitimate invaders of the territory and the main cause of pollution.
Another figure is that of the local non-profit associations that deal with issues related to environmental protection. In fact, the design and construction phases can be enriched by meeting moments during which seminars on environmental education can be held, associating the practical activity with didactic moments for citizens who will be enriched at the end of the experience. The possibility would therefore arise for the associations to considerably broaden the field of dissemination of their messages and principles by establishing a potentially continuous relationship with citizens even at the end of the experience.
Last but not least, the figure of the public authorities. The promotion of such activities would bring political reality closer to citizens' daily lives. The administrations would thus give a clear signal of interest in environmental problems and the well-being of their citizens, siding alongside them and concretely supporting them towards an improvement in society.
This would lead to the emergence of a strong bond of collaboration based on citizens' trust in the realities present in the territory: companies-administration-associations-citizens, a united front capable of generating real change.
There are many fields and knowledge that need to intersect to maximize the results of the project.
First of all the professional knowledge put in place by the representatives of the companies contacted. Thanks to their professional opinions regarding the characteristics of the materials they produce and the waste/surplus donated, they were able to suggest the best ways to use them, essential information for preparing a correct design phase.
Citizens and associations were able to provide valuable information relating to the territory and the building examined. Their experience, their living those places on a daily basis, represents a main and direct source of knowledge necessary to establish the type and methods of intervention. This made it possible to clarify what were the objectives to be achieved and, last but not least, shed light on the expectations of citizens for the future of the place.
During the construction phase, specialized workers in the construction field supported the citizens by making their experience available. This ensured that all processes were carried out in safety and that the quality and stability of the parts made was guaranteed. The result is therefore not a simple amateur realization but is comparable to the results obtained in the field of classic building constructions.
The architectural designers took care of the management and coordination of all phases as well as a connection point between the various actors participating in the initiative. The experience put in place was also fundamental for the translation of the citizens' wishes and ideas into a precise form through the rethinking of the ways of using the materials found.
The project does not have the ambition to establish itself as a universal guide to a new way of doing architecture, but wants to be a contribution to a highly debated and often difficult to materialize theme in the field of design. The research has allowed us to highlight the positive aspects deriving from a type of responsible architecture that pays greater attention to the use of materials and to solutions that allow their reuse, extending their life cycle.
Today, in fact, this type of methodology is cumbersome. But focusing, in a future perspective, one's attention on the development of models linked to the circular economy would allow greater control of local resources, through the not obvious collaboration of the numerous actors who participate in the construction process.
The possibility of weaving a network of relationships with small and medium-sized enterprises at a local level would lead to the enhancement of the characteristic of the territory and would give prominence to the small artisan realities, increasingly overshadowed by the undisputed predominance, in the market, of large industries.
The preparation of a network capable of putting designers, builders, businesses and citizens in contact, would make it possible to establish collaborations aimed at limiting waste, reducing waste and making clients aware of a new type of careful and scrupulous consumption.
In fact, all twentieth-century architecture was characterized by the paradigm of the modern movement, based on the unlimited availability of resources, and contemporary practice today is still far from questioning those foundations. Sustainability is no longer just a question linked to the choice of a possible lifestyle, but the last possible choice. It is necessary to question the current ways of designing, making available materials the fulcrum around which to develop architectural solutions.
The project is based on the creation of a highly replicable and transferable model in any territory and in any condition.
Unfortunately, every city today has a large amount of abandoned or degraded spaces that cannot be exploited by the inhabitants. The identification of the potentially transformable place to be returned to the community triggers the launch of the presented model.
The key element is in fact the enhancement of what is already present in the territory. The subsequent creation of a database of companies near the project site represents the starting point for becoming aware of what the territory can offer, a characteristic that changes and changes based on the context in which one wishes to intervene.
No less important is the investigation of the needs of the inhabitants to understand what future they hope for the site in question, thus allowing the start of the design phase, aware of the materials potentially obtainable from the previously interviewed companies. This phase also allows you to establish which and how many phases will be necessary to complete the project.
The entire model is also based on a type of design that revolves around the concept of simplicity of the constructive solutions, so that they can be easily implemented by the citizens who will participate, and tailored according to the different types of materials that will be able to find .
This brief description serves to highlight the strong elasticity that characterizes the system. Elasticity that allows you to adapt and modify the system based on the materials that you will be able to find, the needs of the inhabitants, the places to be redeveloped. The only element that remains unchanged is the regeneration and return of a degraded place to its community without the consumption of new resources, zero environmental and economic impact.
The global challenges to which the project responds are various.
To begin with, the model proposes a type of design aimed at the reuse and recycling of materials such as to have a low economic impact and zero environmental impact, limiting the use of new resources as much as possible. The choice of this type of material allows to reduce the production of waste, saving it from landfills.
The designed solutions also aim at obtaining a type of redevelopment and careful restoration from an energy point of view through passive solar gain techniques and through adequate insulation of the buildings, for example through the use of double salvaged windows and false walls insulated with material recovery or experimental.
The decision to carry out the interventions not from scratch but by regenerating abandoned and degraded buildings, places or spaces also allows to avoid the continuous consumption of soil by trying to enhance what is already present in the territory.
All these actions are based on the creation of partnerships between the main realities present in the area leading to the birth of a strong bond of collaboration based on trust: companies-administration-associations-citizens, united to generate a real change towards a more sustainable lifestyle.
The circularity at the basis of the model presented is necessary to move towards the creation of long-lasting solutions, which take into account the phases of updating, aging and repair, considering valid strategies such as sustainable design which provides for a type of design that respects the environment with the intention of completely eliminating the negative impact on the environment through intelligent and sensitive design.
