Architecture of Reuse

Abstract: Exploring a prolonged life cycle of materials through an adaptive transformation Take, make and waste. Our society is trapped in a linear economic system where we extract raw materials, process them into products and as they have served their purpose they are reduced to waste. This unsustainable mentality seeps through to all things consumable, from fashion and cellphones to kitchen counters and buildings. In Sweden, the building sector is responsible for 40% of all produced waste. Despite our desire towards sustainability, we demolish buildings long before their due date and sustain a practice in which not even new and still functional products are spared from the waste bins. Instead of feeling apathy towards this detrimental practice in which our field finds itself, another approach is to educate ourselves in sustainable building methods we personally believe in. This thesis explores transformation and material reusage, strategies that are often seen as separate programmes but are closely interlinked from a circular perspective. The project investigates the abandoned CEPA-building situated in Västerbro, an industrial area in Lund that is subject to an urban renewal project in the coming years. As the area is demolished and developed into a new residential neighborhood, this thesis proposes an adaptive transformation of the former metal industry building into a mixed use public building housing a youth center, re:makerspace and flexible rental facilities for coworking and commercial activities. The building acts as an explorative testbed to gain knowledge on circular techniques, values and tools. How do we encourage a prolonged material life cycle through architecture?