#built environment

George Rinhart. A view of the London Tower Bridge. 1900

there seems to be no room as the buildings scrape the sky but I cannot wait to be on the road again

i am leaving again and each time the clarity of home blurs like an outdated atlas until all that remains are coordinates of memory scattered across unfamiliar skies

(Photo: d.)

What is Upcycling in Architecture?

DB Schenker Upcycling Hub / AIRLAB © Fabian Ong

Upcycling is a process of transforming waste and unwanted materials into new materials of higher value to reuse in designs. It offers a fundamental change in approaching sustainability, abandoning the traditional linear model in favor of a more circular and regenerative approach. Through upcycling, we can reuse existing buildings and materials, revitalizing them while maintaining their originality.

Recycling and Upcycling

S’Winter Station – Ryerson University – Department of Architectural Science

Recycling is a process of transforming materials determined to be waste into their raw components to create new usable products. This makes recycling a process that requires energy and expense, both too valuable to be wasted if provided with another opportunity, making recycling potentially not the best concept for reducing waste material. Alternatively, upcycling is far more beneficial because it takes and transforms waste materials through their original form, essentially undercutting the need for the energy and expense of breaking them down into raw components that recycling requires. This makes upcycling a much more compelling alternative for sustainable architecture compared to recycling.