Acclaim for the Reclaimed: 14 Cool Upcycled Architecture Projects

Pavilion Made of Doors by Encore Heureux Architects

Encore Heureux Architects named this installation ‘Circular Pavilion’ not in reference to its shape – which isn’t circular at all – but rather to its use of recycled components. “With this experimental process, we wanted to demonstrate that access to new building deposits relies on new relationships with those in charge of deconstructing and dismantling buildings,” they explain. “An improved focus on existing resources and materials would allow us to reduce our consumption of primary resources, as well as avoiding the production and accumulation of waste.”

Hub 67 Community Center by Lyn Atelier

A whole lot of material went into preparing London for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and a whole lot of it was trashed afterward. Local firm LYN Atelier salvaged some of it and incorporated it into ‘Hub 67,’ a community center in Hackney Wick. The temporary structure explores the reuse of material while keeping to the legacy of the Games through its use – encouraging youth to improve their skills so they can strengthen the community in turn.

Tectonic Landscape Made of Plastic Pallets by HG-A + live components

1,000 recycled plastic pallets become a ’tectonic landscape’ at South Korea’s Daegu Art Museum by HG-A + live architects, creating three-dimensional layers for visitors to climb, play and rest on. The installation is the result of a study on how these pallets can be reused in a way that’s both useful and sustainable.

Enabling Village by WOHA

Concrete pipes become sitting and reading nooks, recycled oil drums act as oversized planters and sea containers transform into bridges in the ‘Enabling Village’ project by WOHA, which converts a defunct 1970s building into a multi-use community center in Singapore.