How a building becomes a material bank

In addition to the furnishing materials and the non-load-bearing components, the primary structure of a building from the 1950s, which was designed and built with linear value creation in mind, undergoes a “system upgrade” by being divided into transportable components. This strategy not only avoids a downcycling process. On the contrary: circular building components are created from a linear building material. The in-situ concrete columns and beams, as well as the ribbed ceilings, become reusable building elements. The newly acquired components are assembled into a new building within the same construction project, on the same property. This largely eliminates transport and the design process generates a “different” type of local architectural language that follows the “Form Follows Resources” principle. The upcycling building not only represents an appreciation of resources and keeping them in local cycles, but also a new aesthetic mindset.