#ASLOVES
The Memory
of Waste
This month #asloves ‘Link’ the latest recycling project by WE+ that deals with the problem of commercial building waste in Japan. Their research was born from a real problem – commercial buildings in Japan have an extremely short lifespan of only 5 to 10 years…
Using discarded building materials that come exclusively from the demolition of commercial buildings (including wood, brick, and metals), WE+ first crush the various elements into pellets before separating them into rough and fine grains. The rough grains will later become the surface patterns and the finer grains pigments, once the material is solidified.
These grains are then mixed, molded, compacted, and assembled into a new hybrid material that is used to create furniture objects and wall elements imbibed with the memories of their previous commercial applications. With beautiful surface textures, material ingenuity, and a timeless industrial aesthetic, ‘Link’ is one of our favourite creative eco-projects of the month!
WE+ is a contemporary design studio, based in Tokyo, that gives form to new perspectives and values through unique production methods and means of expression, developed on the basis of research and experimentation.
Photo Credit: Images by masayuki hayashi (excluding process images) courtesy we+