Event

War Rubble (and) Landscapes. Reuse Practices in Italy 1943-1947

Paper presented at the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) 78th International Conference, held in Atlanta, from April 30 to May 3 2025

Event

Upcycling Architecture International Conference

Politecnico di Torino, Castello del Valentino, Turin Thursday, 30th October 2025

Case Study

Swiss Museum of Transport – Road Transport Hall

Exhibition hall in Lucerne with a facade made of reused Swiss road signs

Case Study

De Gouverneur

Urban house in Rotterdam with a recycled brick façade using reclaimed construction materials

Case Study

London 2012 Olympic Stadium

Modular Olympic stadium in London featuring demountable upper tiers and reused materials, designed for post-Games adaptability

Case Study

Schwere Reiter Theatre

Cultural venue in Munich built with modular construction and rusted steel facade, designed for disassembly and material recovery

Case Study

Renovation of the Atrium Houses in Albertslund South

The renovation of the Atrium Houses in Albertslund focuses on sustainability, waste reduction, and DfD, offering personalized solutions

Case Study

Windows for Ukraine

Humanitarian project delivering reused Swiss windows to Ukrainian homes damaged in conflict, promoting sustainable reconstruction

Case Study

Home Sweet Home

Exhibition at Triennale Milano exploring the evolution of domestic spaces through historical archives and contemporary installations

Case Study

Buitenplaats Brienenoord

Circular cultural center in Rotterdam built with 90% reclaimed materials from the site’s former structure

Case Study

R128 House

Experimental Stuttgart residence by Werner Sobek, showcasing a fully recyclable, zero-emission, and energy self-sufficient modular design

Case Study

Quartier du Sanitas

Urban renewal in Tours reclaimed over 1,400 tonnes of materials for reuse in new constructions and public spaces

Case Study

Construction Skills School

Temporary construction school in London using repurposed cabins and timber, designed for disassembly and reuse

Case Study

École supérieure des arts du cirque Fratellini

Renovation and extension of the Fratellini Circus School in Saint-Denis, emphasizing material reuse and community engagement

Case Study

La Città Ideale - Padiglione Italia Expo 2025 Osaka

Italian Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka features modular timber design, reversible architecture, and circular construction principles

Case Study

Doki-Doki Luxembourg – Osaka 2025 pavilion

Doki-Doki Luxembourg Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka showcases modular design, disassembly, and circular economy principles

Case Study

Fabbrica del Futuro

Temporary pavilion in Brescia built with off-site timber and recycled polycarbonate, designed for disassembly and future reuse

Case Study

Granby Four Streets

Community-led regeneration in Liverpool reusing salvaged materials to transform derelict homes and support local enterprise

Case Study

Matrix ONE

Matrix ONE is a demountable office and lab building with over 90% reusable materials and a comprehensive material passport system

Case Study

Pedrali Pavilion

Pedrali Pavilion is a prefabricated timber structure designed for disassembly, with a focus on circular design

Case Study

ELEMENTA project

A new residential complex built using prefabricated components recovered from the demolition of a parking lot.

Case Study

Denmark Pavilion

The Denmark Pavilion is a modular structure built from 2,500 upcycled chairs, designed for disassembly and reuse at global events

Case Study

Triodos Bank headquarters

Triodos Bank HQ in the Netherlands is a fully demountable timber office with material passports, exemplifying circular architecture

Case Study

Social Housing 2104

On-site urban mining: demolition waste from a former school reused to build structural lime-based cyclopean concrete blocks

Case Study

Proto Habitat Pavilion

Modular timber pavilion in Bordeaux, designed for disassembly, made from 100% local wood and adaptable to multiple living uses

Case Study

Felleshuset

Felleshuset in Fornebu integrates reused materials and local timber, embodying DfD principles in a community-focused building

Case Study

House De Fantasie

Case Study

Impact Hub Berlin at CRCLR House

Impact Hub Berlin at CRCLR-House reuses 70% of materials, integrating upcycling, disassemblable structures, and circular design strategies

Case Study

People's Pavilion

People’s Pavilion at Dutch Design Week 2017: a 100% borrowed building, fully disassemblable, with cladding from local recycled plastic waste

Case Study

Crèche Modulaire Itinérante au Jardin du Luxembourg

Modular wooden nursery in Paris designed for disassembly and reuse, showcasing reversible architecture and sustainable materials

Case Study

ICEHouse

Case Study

Villa Welpeloo

Villa Welpeloo uses locally sourced, reused materials, carefully selected for their availability and potential

Case Study

Le Pavillon Circulaire

Pavillon Circulaire in Paris reuses 60% of components, including 180 doors, rock wool, panels and street furniture

Case Study

Jellyfish Theatre

A pop-up theatre in London constructed entirely from recycled materials, showcasing collaborative building and low-tech sustainable design

Case Study

Plattenpalast

Plattenpalast, a project using recycled WBS 70 panels, highlights sustainable design and material reuse in architecture

Case Study

Officina Roma

Built from reused components, OFFICINA ROMA promotes experimental design within the RE-cycle exhibition at MAXXI through public programs

Case Study

Zinneke headquarter

A sustainable renovation of a Brussels printing facility into a socio-cultural centre, focusing on material reuse and circular design

Case Study

Open Air Library

Temporary open-air library in Salbke reused modernist façade panels in a participatory design and material upcycling experiment

Case Study

Resource Rows

A residential complex built using reclaimed bricks and recycled wood, integrating repurposed materials into contemporary architecture.

Case Study

Design and Build with Ø km (local and recycled materials)

The "Design and Build with Ø km (local and recycled materials)" workshop, organised by ARCò, took place in Milan at Casa Chiaravalle

Network

URRU - Urban Resources/Recursos Urbans

URRU – Recursos Urbans is a network promoting the reuse of construction materials to reduce waste, emissions, and raw material extraction

Case Study

RE:CRETE

SXL Lab (EPFL) built a footbridge prototype using cut concrete blocks from a renovation site to test reuse methods in structural design

Case Study

Layers of Permanence

A design & build workshop exploring reuse of vacant concrete structures in Volos

Case Study

Ephemeral Permanence 1:1

Design workshop in Aalborg on circular architecture using reclaimed materials and availability-based design to build a reusable pavilion

Case Study

Sala Beckett

A radical architectural project where preservation meets transformation in the rebirth of Barcelona’s Sala Beckett by Flores & Prats

Case Study

EUROPA – New headquarters of the Council of the EU

Renovation of the Residence Palace to host the EU Council, combining heritage, sustainability and innovative design solutions

Case Study

K118 Building

K118 – Kopfbau Halle 118

Network

Bellastock

Bellastock is a cooperative in architecture that promotes sustainable alternatives to conventional building, enhancing places and resources

Case Study

Casa e maneggio a Costermano sul Garda

A rural equestrian facility built with straw, reclaimed timber and windows, combining passive strategies and low-tech energy systems

Publication

UP+IT Design Workshop Results Booklet

The booklet with the results of the Design Workshop has been published and is now available

Publication

UP+IT International Symposium

Book of Abstract Published

Event

UP+IT International Symposium "Upcycling and Architecture in Europe. Towards a New Building Culture"

September 20th - 21st, 2024 - Politecnico di Milano | Via Edoardo Bonardi 9, Milan

Event

UP+IT Design Workshop "Upcycling Architecture in Italy"

June 17th - 21st, 2024 - Sapienza Università di Roma | Piazza Borghese 8, Rome

Case Study

Casa Garelli

An ancient barn in the Italian Alps is disassembled and reassembled as a state-of-the-art second home

Network

OPALIS

Opalis is a platform promoting the reuse of construction materials through mappings, technical sheets, and case studies

Network

Built Heritage & Upcycling

The unit explores strategies for preserving, reusing, and rethinking built heritage within a circular and sustainable architecture

Network

Daniel Stockhammer

Network

Corentin Fivet

Network

Mario Rinke

Network

Lendager Group

Network

Zirkular

Network

Parabase

Network

Alessio Battistella

Network

Studio Albori

Network

Paola Altamura

Network

Rotor

Research Unit

Sapienza Università di Roma

Research Unit

Politecnico di Torino

Research Unit

Politecnico di Milano

Research Unit

Università di Roma Tor Vergata