OmBouwen / ReStructure

Three approaches to building intelligently

September 23 thru November 11, 2007
Location: Hogewal 1-9
Opening: Saturday September 22, 5 pm

17 October 2007, 8 pm
Lecture OmBouwen/ReStructure
with Jan Jongert (2012Architecten), Ed van Hinte (Lightness Studios) and Onno van Sandick (Ministerie van VROM).
Language: Dutch

26 November 2007, VPRO Television
Tegenlicht: Afval = voedsel (part 2)

on the Cradle to Cradle filosophy
view part 1 (broadcast in 2006)

Superuse, Building Lightness, Cradle to Cradle.
Building intelligently is a combination of technological development, integration of functions, ethics and a radically new approach to design. The focus is on sustainability and reuse, innovation and creativity. Everything can be organized in a more clever way. Why not cut waste flows short? Use whatever materials are available around building sites. Make buildings much lighter than they are today. This saves a lot of energy and material. Incorporate the dismantling of a building or product into the design. Many people are of the opinion that building intelligently will be the revolution of the 21st century.

The Black Madonna social housing block recycled!
The exhibition ‘OmBouwen/ReStructure' shows that the three approaches to building intelligently, i.e. reuse (Superuse), lightweight constructions (Building Lightness) and Cradle to Cradle, are different but complimentary.
Superuse looks back. Reuse everything available. In the exhibition the window frames salvaged from the Black Madonna social housing block will be used again. Cradle to Cradle looks to the future with designs guaranteeing reuse of high quality, and looks at nature, with value increase at every stage of the cycle: 'upcycling'. Building Lightness adds to this the minimalism of effort and energy through the design of smart structures.

Superuse (010 Publishers), the recent publication about building and reuse, formed the occasion for Stroom to invite the Rotterdam-based initiators 2012Architecten to design the exhibition. In order to optimize the Superuse design method, 2012Architecten created the foundation Recyclicity. Their basic point of departure is to turn waste into building material, with minimal use of energy for transport and processing.
www.superuse.org

Building Lightness, an initiative of Lightness Studios, founded by Ed van Hinte (publicist in the field of design and technique), stimulates the development and implementation of lightweight structures and minimization of transported mass. Lightness saves energy and material, increases productivity, accelerates and creates more flexibility. In short lightness is more efficient.
www.lightness-studios.nl

The central idea behind the Cradle to Cradle philosophy of the American architect William McDonough and the German chemist Michael Braungart is to transform industry through an ecologically intelligent design. Waste is a design mistake. Everything should be fully recyclable. Products should be ‘designed for disassembly', so that the materials can be reused as food in nature, the 'biosphere', or can be used in a next design, in the 'technosphere'.
www.mbdc.com

Lecture William McDonough: The wisdom of designing Cradle to Cradle (YouTube).

Website Cradle to Cradle chronology
List of sources, publications, evenements, interviews, highlights etcetera.

Publication
'Superuse. Constructing new architecture by shortcutting material flows'

Text contributions: Ed van Hinte, Jan Jongert, Césare Peeren
Design: Erik Wong
Language: English
Price: € 19,50
Publisher: 010 Publishers


During the exhibition the book will be available at Stroom Den Haag.

Click here for a photo report of the installation of the show in progress.

Recycloop
photo: 2012Architecten
exhibition survey at Stroom Den Haag
photo: Rob Kollaard
exhibition survey at Stroom Den Haag: Superuse
photo: Rob Kollaard
opening reception OmBouwen/ReStructure
photo: Allard van der Hoek
exhibition survey at Stroom Den Haag: Building Lightness
photo: Rob Kollaard
exhibition survey at Stroom Den Haag: Building Lightness
photo: Rob Kollaard
WoBo (The World Bottle)
window frames in demolished Zwarte Madonna social housing block
photo: Stroom Den Haag
social housing block Zwarte Madonna being demolished
photo: Stroom Den Haag
cover publication Superuse
photo: Millegomme (cover photograph)