Work
In recent years, timber-based construction has resurged in China, particularly within low-budget commercial developments such as retail spaces, restaurants, and cafes. The short lifespans of these establishments, however, often result in timber structures being dismantled and discarded within only a few years. China currently generates over 850,000 tons of waste timber annually. Although approximately 63 percent is recycled, much of this material is downcycled into low-value uses such as fuel or low-grade products, despite its structural quality and carbon-sequestering potential.
This project addresses the growing surplus of waste dimensional timber in rapidly urbanizing Chinese cities by reintroducing discarded wood into the construction cycle through physical sorting, stacking, and reassembly. In doing so, it confronts a critical gap in contemporary material flows: the mismatch between the temporary nature of commercial timber architecture and the long-term ecological value of wood as a building material.
Drawing on the formal and structural logic of CLT and GLT systems, the project reinterprets these industrial typologies through a localized and low-tech approach. Rather than relying on forestry-based supply chains and centralized mechanized production, it turns to urban waste streams and manual labor, proposing an alternative model of material recovery, reuse, and architectural production.
Location: NA
Status: Ongoing
In recent years, timber-based construction has resurged in China, particularly within low-budget commercial developments such as retail spaces, restaurants, and cafes. The short lifespans of these establishments, however, often result in timber structures being dismantled and discarded within only a few years. China currently generates over 850,000 tons of waste timber annually. Although approximately 63 percent is recycled, much of this material is downcycled into low-value uses such as fuel or low-grade products, despite its structural quality and carbon-sequestering potential.
This project addresses the growing surplus of waste dimensional timber in rapidly urbanizing Chinese cities by reintroducing discarded wood into the construction cycle through physical sorting, stacking, and reassembly. In doing so, it confronts a critical gap in contemporary material flows: the mismatch between the temporary nature of commercial timber architecture and the long-term ecological value of wood as a building material.
Drawing on the formal and structural logic of CLT and GLT systems, the project reinterprets these industrial typologies through a localized and low-tech approach. Rather than relying on forestry-based supply chains and centralized mechanized production, it turns to urban waste streams and manual labor, proposing an alternative model of material recovery, reuse, and architectural production.
Location: NA
Status: Ongoing