RESPONSE+5

Week 5 - E2 Superuse Reponses


 * 1. **

Humans are they only species to destroy their own environment; other living creatures provide for as well as use their natural habitat in order to create a balanced ecosystem for future generations. Waste created by other species may become food or a resource for another kind of species in the natural world. Their waste is reabsorbed and reused by other species. For example, nitrogen from decomposing bodies or waste are reabsorbed by the soil to promote healthy flora as plants are unable to gather nitrogen from the atmosphere itself. Another example would be types of decomposers or scavengers like earthworms and vultures and bacteria that break down dead plants and animals to ensure that dead matter and waste doesn’t build up in the ecosystem.


 * 2. **

I think found materials are better for the environment than using materials that have been recycled from other materials. Found materials that would otherwise be built up in landfills provide a new way of creative problem solving for architects. Because these structures are already stylized, they have a direct action in informing the architecture (i.e., sometimes the architecture is built //around// the found objects). Not only do found objects hold an aesthetic appeal, they also save energy. In order to be recycled, the object would need to be transported and use fuel as well as use energy to be manufactured into a new product. There is also the possibility of the recycled object being downcycled and lose its value and quality.

However, reusable and found materials may also sometimes be not environmentally sound. They may not be certified in being a safe material for buildings and prove to be problematic if used in potential habitual spaces. For example, train tracks that were proposed to be used for a home’s structural purposes cannot be used due to chemical components that would make it a carcinogen and thus dangerous for people in its proximity.


 * 3. **

Some challenges that they could face when creating larger scale projects are lack of material and transportation of these objects. There is also the challenge of design limitations and also the possibility of negative public opinion about using these materials in spaces (such as reworking the façade of public housing).

It is not easy to find the proper waste material to reuse in quantity and quality. “Harvest Waste” is an open source project that allows builders, architects and designers to find what reusable materials are available closest to their location. This creates a convenience by cutting down on travel time and transportation energy. Using found materials also creates a substantial decrease in costs that would otherwise be used in the manufacturing and transporting of new materials. If designed sustainably, the house would also become energy-efficient, which would also cut down on costs.