Author(s): Dillon Pranger
Through understanding architecture and construction as one of the largest contributors to both material depletion and waste production, it is clear, that a complete change of prac¬tices in our profession is necessary. To do so, we must consider new sustainable ways of thinking within the field of architecture through the notion of the circular economy (take, make, repeat). The circular economy, as it is applied to the field of architecture, depends not only on reducing consumption and waste, but on rethinking multiple aspects of our profession’s habits from where materials are sourced to how they are even initially designed and manu¬factured for future recovery. These issues extend themselves deeper into our profession through standardized construction methods, building code regulations, and municipal policies that have been developed in an era where the perception of resource abundance and little consideration for the built environment’s ecological impact existed. This will not be the reality for future generations of architects. A series of built and on-going case study projects by the author attempt to expose, challenge, and further unpack specific issues found in traditional methods of practice dealing with material, construction, and policy. Designed as a series of pavilions, each case study questions the permanence of archi¬tecture through visualizing the project in a constant state of indeterminacy. At the end of each pavilion’s lifespan, nothing is to be demolished and landfilled, but rather understood as a collection of existing and reusable materials. In doing so, each project provides future lifecycles for each of their material inventories through a closed-loop system. These propositions aim to upend traditional architectural methodologies by questioning the role of the future architect while challenging the discipline to address urgent material issues within the larger design process.
Volume Editors
ISBN
978-1-944214-49-4