Building Material Reclamation & Reuse

Catalog description

This course is a very hands-on, project-based seminar focusing on the theory and practice of building material salvage and recycling. Through active and applied learning, students will gain experience in handling, preserving and adding value to salvaged building materials. The course will consist of a variety of small-scale design-build projects, where students will learn and practice the methods and techniques of reclamation and explore the design possibilities of reused material. In addition to being a practical hands-on seminar, this course is also intended to explore and examine the broader historical and theoretical context for the activity of building material reclamation and reuse. Since the literal fall of the Roman Empire, reclaimed building materials have been creatively used in the design and construction of new buildings, yet we lack a thoughtful theoretical (and poetic) construct that supports reclamation activity other than the simple and obvious ethics of sustainability. Themes to be explored: ruins, spoglia, palimpsests, weathering, memory and the mnemonic function of architecture.