New project: Future Life

Project Brief;
Devise a project that addresses the problem of waste by 'harvesting and (re)using resources such as:

• Materials eg waste from skips and construction sites
• food waste eg from supermarkets
• space
• time
• water

Design a structure, and/or systems on your site that is/are able to occupy different spaces and fulfil different needs at different times.

and/or

Design a structure or other element within the built environment that can be easily disassembled, reconfigured, removed and remade to meet changing functional requirements and helps to eliminate waste.

The key words for this project are- Gleaning, harvesting and recovering.
 

glean

 /glin/ Show Spelled[gleen]

verb (used with object)

1.

to gather slowly and laboriously, bit by bit.

2.

to gather (grain or the like) after the reapers or regular gatherers.

3.

to learn, discover, or find out, usually little by little or slowly.

verb (used without object)

4.

to collect or gather anything little by little or slowly.

5.

to gather what is left by reapers.

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Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English glenen < Old French glener < Late Latin glennāre ≪ Celtic

 

The concept of gleaning refers to the gathering of crops left over after the harvest, or coat cast off from mining. Products like these, considered economically unviable, were considered fair game for people to collect themselves. The small scale 'harvesting' or cast-off resources allowed them to be brought back to use, rather than wasted. The concept can equally be applied to the present day.

 

Gleaning can be seen as small scale, often creative solution to the problem of waste created by large-scale production. That waste can take on many guises, from scarce material to food; from time to space. Many material, spacial and human resources can be gathered rather than left to waste.

 

Design traditionally operates within mainstream commercial activity where inefficient production often creates waste. But it can equally well operate at the margins, occupying gaps on the fringes of established markets, where commercial activity isn't considered viable. Waste, in this context can be seen as a resource or a material for production.