International Reuse Design Challenge
BACKGROUND
The European Union has implemented the Green New Deal in a quest to be the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Part of this initiative is the New European Bauhaus that will focus on bringing the Green Deal into the “daily lives and living spaces” of Europeans. With the byline beautiful, sustainable, together, the New European Bauhaus (NEB) focuses on the intersections of science, technology, art, culture and social sustainability and inclusion. In May of this year, NEB joined with the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the Free State of Saxony, DRESDEN-concept and TU Dresden in funding a 9-day international workshop; the TU Dresden Circular Design Challenge.
The workshop was aimed at masters, doctoral and early career researchers. I was fortunate to be one of 24 selected to attend from across the world (Italy, Turkey, Germany, Portugal and Australia). Reuse design is 100% my thing and the topic of my current PhD studies, so I was beyond excited to attend, and have returned home buoyed to continue waving a flag for reuse in the face of resistance.
Wherever I go, whatever I read, recycling is for me an elephant in the room; it's low on the circular principles ladder, a fact openly published alongside the funding of recycling innovation and projects. This is the elephant. Meanwhile reuse suits high on the ladder and receives very little innovation or project funding.
Fraunhofer
Disturbingly, it was brought to our attention that the global economy has gone backward in circular practices since 2018 according to the repuatable Circularity Gap Reports.
WORKSHOP
Not so at this gathering. Recycling was set aside as a “low level strategy of last resort” (Melles, G 2023) (it has also been publicly described as a failure. See also Footnote). The multi-disciplinary team of presenters provided the latest insights, tools and methods for circular design, in particular reuse, in the fields of construction and product design.
The insights began with overarching circular economy models and principles. The Ellen Macarthur Foundation (EMF) have been leaders in modelling a circular economy:
Whilst the speakers in no way denigrated the Foundations’ work, alternative models that had further considered the EMF model were offered. It was suggested that the circular economy needed to
“[broaden] its scope from closed loop recycling and short term economic gains, towards a transformed economy that organises access to resources to maintain or enhance social well being and environmental quality.”
(Velenturf, A. & Purnell, P. 2021).
In particular, the necessity for social good in any initiative was stressed. Gavin Melles, Swinburne University, put forward this model:
TU Delft offered circular economy models specifically for the built environment:
A specific alternative to metal recycling was presented by Fraunhofer, including detail on how they are using it in practice:
There wasn’t sufficient time to consider these models deeply, but that work will now form part of my literature review, as well as closer reading of the presentations.
I was also challenged by some of the information presented, and look forward to investigating these matters further. For example, my understanding has been that China has been taking positive actions to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The below graph was presented with the perspective that therefore, if we don’t fix China’s emissions, there’s little point. I understand these two perspectives aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive, but it is significant to my research because much of the design industry is based on desire and consumption, which drives much of China’s manufacturing, and emissions.
CHALLENGE
The participants were put into groups of five to support each other in the challenge activities; firstly, individually implement circular principles in one or both of two scenarios: 1) by reusing linear steel truss elements of an abandoned factory in nearby Heidenau, design a lightweight structure for a summer pavilion in the garden of Pillnitz Palace (where the workshop was held) and/or 2) reuse elements of your choice from an end-of-life motor vehicle to create a product related to contemporary transport. The program allowed for an afternoon and a morning to develop, on 3 slides, a concept individually. This was my 3 slides along with the accompanying talk (I began by imagining I was an 8-year-old):
Right now, if I am 8 years old in Heidenau, and I google my home town, this is what I'll see. Literally the ONLY thing Wikipedia mentions about my town is riots that happened just before I was born. There's nothing on there for me to be proud of, nor in the other articles that come up.
Playgrounds are a German invention, but most Heidenau playgrounds aren't that fun, and the two that are are, not winter-friendly.
Meanwhile in Pillnitz, though there's a lot less 8 year olds, Google shows no playgrounds, and in the palace, we have to contend with staying off the grass.
So the way I see it, the kids in Heidenau need some pride in where they come from, and the kids in Pillnitz need a place to play!
Enter.... the Heidenau SpielenGeschenk, or PlayGift
It's like an awesome playground, but some of it is gifted to the kids of Pillnitz each summer.
At the palace, a permanent play base that sits above ground level, is made from the steel perforated wiring grates and other steel elements from Heidenau. it has a railing of windshields sliced and sandblasted so it is like a beautiful jewel. The location is never put on the palace map, as the Heidenau kids give clues via an app as to where the location is. As you walk along the path this opening reveals itself. In summer, the Heidenau kids loan a play pavillion to the Pillnitz kids, and this sits on top of the circular part of this structure.
In Heidenau, the structure lives inside this play centre in winter.
A multigenerational space created primarily from the materials currently on site. Landscaping is critical to the design, wherein formal pillnitz palace-style elements are referenced, such as with hedge planting into the entry, but the overall feel of the site remains one of potential fulfilled through play.
A skin of shingles from car steel and sliced windscreens hangs las a chandeleir during summer and is lowered over the structure in winter for some warmth. Existing elements such as concrete blocks and tyres are used to create the play spaces. Birds, stars and moon hang in the air, made from car steel, providing whimsy, but also identity and welcome as they represent cultural groups living in Germany, including Syrian.
Critically, the Heidenau kids need to be involved in the final design for it to actually be their gift. And we must consider the existing human and animal occupants in the final design
Each group was then given a concept to take further, and repeat the challenge, but this time as a group. The concept my group was given to take forward was the use of cardboard in the design of a summer pavillion. We had 10 minutes to present our concept, and we chose to create a video to communicate our concept in which we played characters involved in our imagined project, including Head Gardener, Curator, Artist, Material Scientist (Our summer pavillion concept was a lightweight steel structure with only 1.8kgs of waste from the steel factory trusses that is covered annually with a skin developed by an artist and material scientist working together in residence. The skin needs to be biodegradable and forms part of the Palace gardens horticultural management. A horticultural traineeship for people with a disability forms part of the background to the project. Note: our rapid-production video skills were forgiven!
There were some fantastic project examples (my personal favourite being a passive heater designed from car brake pads). The winner was a floating pavillion providing a reflective and access opportunity that I will post up here if I get permission.
The Benefit
The calibre of the presenters and participants was outstanding in terms of their interest in, and commitment to reuse, and therefore are the needles in the haystack of current circular economic discussion that I am grateful to have found, and will be keeping in touch with them. Many additional examples and references of companies and academics furthering reuse innovation were shared, and provide an instant boost to my research efforts. Many of these would not show up on a Google Scholar search for example, but are on the cutting edge of progress in this area. The participants have exchanged emails, LinkedIn and websites to facilitate ongoing discussion.
Thanks
Last but the most least, thank you to the people who supported me to attend: DRESDEN-concept, TU Dresden and Green Industries SA, as well as Ben who cared for our son.
PROGRAM:
SPEAKERS:
Jan Brütting, SBP Stuttgart, Germany (engineers and designers)
Olga Ioannou, TU Delft, The Netherlands (technical university)
Kamel Mnisri and Klaus-Peter Schulz, ICN ARTEM, France (business school)
Jonas Warmuth, EPF Lausanne, Switzerland/Germany (science and technology university)
Markus Werner, Fraunhofer IWU, Germany (production engineering)
Gavin Melles, Swinburne University, Australia
Kathrin Fändrich, Staatliches Bauamt, Augsburg, Germany (Bavarian State Ministry of Housing, Building and Transport)
Matthias Held, HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd, (design university) and Jury Head German Eco Design Award Germany
Jasmin Schauer, Nikolas Neumann and Christian Wölfel, TU Dresden, Industrial Design
Matthias Beckh, TU Dresden, Architecture, Structural Design
Footnote:
This is not to say recycling can’t be done effectively, or isn’t part of a green future - because it is - but it doesn’t warrant the priority it’s currenty being given over other strategies such as reuse. There is an enormous amount of work to be done to advance the capability of all sectors to reuse materials, for example, how to certify used materials.
References:
Velenturf, A. P. M., & Purnell, P. (2021). Principles for a sustainable circular economy. Sustainable Production and Consumption , 27 , 1437 145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2021.02.018
