On concept, recycling and matière grise

A concept is the synthesized expression of a theory, a certain way of thinking characteristic of a particular era. It can be equated with a means of communication. I attribute the present popularity of the concept to its association with a higher intellectual, artistic activity. Its frequent adoption becomes logical in the context of the dematerialization of ^production1 and the shift from tangible objects that have become commonplace to ^experiences.2 Its spread is also justified by globalization, which requires a common mode of expression and language at international level to facilitate understanding.

Concepts are altered or replaced when nuances or new interpretations emerge. Often the replacement of established terms with neologisms reflects the advancement of a process in a particular direction. For example 'up-cycling' is preferred to 'recycling' to emphasize the added value gained by the material through superior reuse, involving a significant intellectual contribution.

Beyond the essential inventions that influence society, most of the changes in outlook are rather due to processes of rediscovery and reinterpretation. Previous trends, modes of organization and patterns are being revisited and adapted to current conditions. Recycling, for example, is by no means new, more or less formal, accepted or frowned upon, it has been around for as long as the world has existed. It is about necessity, pragmatism and a certain inventiveness inherent to survival and evolution. In history, after fortresses or amphitheaters fell into disuse, their building materials were often used to erect or renovate nearby houses. More recently, Le Corbusier himself reused the stones of an earlier church (destroyed during the Second World War) to build the walls behind the concrete shells of his famous Notre-Dame-du-Haut chapel at Ronchamp.

Now, however, as a result of the realization that resources are limited in the face of exponential growth in needs, recycling has been elevated to the level of a desirable, recommended, common, encouraged practice - a virtue even in some contexts. For example, the LABEX Futurs urbains laboratory at the University of Paris Est is studying the possibilities for implementing cyclical urban systems. Inspired by the functioning of natural ecosystems, these systems involve 100% recycling, in other words the local use of all waste as a raw material for development, thus reducing consumption and pollution, and hence costs. The idea of recycling has evolved in direct connection with the refinement of the concept of sustainability. According to the most advanced rigors, the performance and impact of a building should be assessed not only during its lifetime, but also during construction and decommissioning, with recycling considered from the initial design stage of anything. This implies taking into account from the outset the subsequent mutations that may occur (requiring changes in the usefulness and the way various activities are carried out) to ensure not only the malleability of the spaces, but also the various possibilities for conversion/reuse as easy, logical, effortless, straightforward and straightforward as possible.

Inevitably, much of the research, professional, academic or current discussions, as well as artistic manifestations are dedicated to advancing this concept and its practical applications. An enlightening experience in this respect was proposed through the exhibition "Matière grise", opened at the Pavillon de l'Arsenal in Paris (September 26, 2014-January 4, 2015), the publication and the series of events (workshops, presentations, discussions) associated with it. As the authors explain, "Matière grise" (gray matter) suggests, on the one hand, secondary resources, hidden materials that are already used but can become raw materials again, and on the other hand, the collective intelligence that enables the efficient use of resources and the evolution of society.

The exhibition showcases 75 recent buildings that have involved various forms of recycling or alternative use of materials, ranging from modest constructions for everyday family use to major buildings where materials take on symbolic connotations and recycling is brought to the level of art or turned into a basic concept. In this second category is the new headquarters of the Council of the European Union in Brussels, designed by Philippe Samyn and Partners, currently under construction and due to open next year. The facade of this building is made of old oak window frames collected from EU member countries. Also made of used window frames, but more impressive in terms of color and variety, is the luxury spa club (architect Andramatin) opened in 2010 in Indonesia.

While some of the buildings on display seem clearly the result of a process of improvisation in the pursuit of convenience (such as Batmuhk & Chluntogoo's greenhouse made of windshields, Raffaello Rosselli's Tinshed House or Andrew Perkins' Spencer's Art House), others offer a sophisticated image, with recycling adopted not out of necessity but out of ideological conviction, to demonstrate the viability of unexpected associations and uses, or explicitly used as a language of artistic expression. Elding Oscarson, for example, felicitously blends the practical with the symbolic by setting up the Oktavilla press agency in a former textile factory, with partitions made from piles of salvaged magazines.

One of the main concerns is to use materials that are as cheap as possible and environmentally friendly to prepare and install. To minimize the negative impact and facilitate the work, Doepel Strijkels Architects is experimenting with using old clothes as building materials for the Haka conference room. G Studio are reusing tiles from the site organization to finish the facade facing the inner courtyard of the G100 Greenobyl 002 residential complex in Strasbourg.

At the other end of the spectrum, Nexus Estudio's wallpapering of the Cortxo Gastrobar bar-restaurant in Santa Cruz de Tenerife with 107,000 cork stoppers by Nexus Estudio can in no way be considered a simplification, a judicious use of materials or a saving of time, energy or resources, but rather a manifesto. The Wobo - World Bottle, a 1963 house made of bottles (The Wobo - World Bottle) by John Habraken for Alfred Heineken, impressed by the multitude of bottles washed up on Caribbean beaches and the rarity of construction materials.

Exhibition curators: Encore Heureux architectes, Nicola Delon, Julien Chopin

NOTES:

1 Increasing the relevance of the theoretical, spiritual contribution of intelligence in relation to the actual production of an object theorized by AKERLOF George A., KRANTON Rachel E. (2000) Economics and Identity in The Quartely Journal of Economics, 115, issue 3/ August, p. 715-753.

2 SACCO Pier Luigi, TAVANO - BLESSI Giorgio, NUCCIO Massimiliano (2008) Culture as an Engine of Local Development Processes: System-Wide Cultural Districts in DADI/ WP_5/08, Università Iuav di Venezia B. J. Pine II, J. H. Gilmore (1999) The Experience Economy. Work Is Theatre & Every Business a Stage, Harvard Business Review Press, Boston.