Order and Disorder: The Journey to Reclaiming Brick
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This project consists of a brick reuse and production centre, as well as a biodiversity park that is open to the public. An unlikely duo that are on the same journey towards degrowth.
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The centre collects bricks from demolished buildings in Edinburgh, and processes them for reuse in construction and to create habitable homes for biodiversity within the park. Given that the building is situated within a residential neighbourhood in Craigleith, Edinburgh, it invites the public to participate within its functions. The centre aims to increase local awareness of material reuse in support of an environmental degrowth strategy, as well as increase knowledge of endangered species in Edinburgh, and aims to support local biodiversity.
There are four main catalysts on the degrowth journey to reclaiming brick. The site acts as the foundation that defined the decisions in designing this building. The choice of material - brick - was selected to partake this journey due to its organic composition; a perfect representation of the circle of life. People represent the order in the process, with their interaction with space and material, and participation in the degrowth process. Finally, the biodiversity represents disorder. It is an existence that can never be controlled, but can be manipulated. The final product is a manifestation of all of the above and the success of it lies in how well these catalysts are able to communicate with each other. The architecture therefore acts as the common force that creates a space for these catalysts to interact.