Architecture and gathering: on spatiality, conception and revaluation in material reuse practice
Daniel Norell, Einar RodhePurpose
This paper seeks to advance the gathering of used materials for construction both as a practice and as a conceptual framework relevant to architecture. It critically examines disposed building materials, including their societal flows, their role in design processes and their contribution to value creation.
Design/methodology/approach
The research hybridises a theoretical study of the authors' practice-led project, Raamland – which provides a detailed account of material reuse within a specific geographical, material and cultural context – with broader systemic perspectives drawn from architecture, anthropology and sociology. Methods include mapping the localities in which used materials can be found, tracing the trajectories of different categories of such material and contextualising gathering in relation to current and historical practices.
Findings
The paper argues that gathering should be recognised as a fundamental architectural practice, requiring architects to adopt new roles in locating and selecting materials that extend beyond market-driven material flows. The Raamland project demonstrates how gathering is conditioned by the spatiality of these flows, how it shapes design conception and how it enables the revaluation of materials. By engaging with a broader spectrum of materials and localities, gathering can challenge systemic limitations and contribute to a more sustainable architectural practice.
Originality/value
The paper moves beyond familiar professional and technical problematisations of material reuse in architecture in favour of an original framework centred on the gathering of, and designing with, a diverse range of used materials, from valuable resources to waste.