Paper short abstract:

This paper explores a group of Copenhagen-based builders who act as creative scavengers in modern construction. It shows how these builders turn discarded materials into novel building structures and how they, through this work, contribute to redefining architectural aesthetics.

Paper long abstract:

The construction industry accounts for an estimated third of all waste generated around the globe annually. Yet, the materials made and discarded in today’s construction work contain a treasure trove of materials that could be used beneficially. This paper explores the work required to turn discarded construction materials into novel building structures. It draws on a year of fieldwork conducted among a group of builders working in a craft co-op in Copenhagen, Denmark. These builders act as a form of creative scavengers in modern construction as they have specialized in crafting novel building structures from discarded materials. In the paper, I unfold the scavenging performed by the builders through a description of one specific building project in which the builders were tasked with crafting several small orangeries. I show how the builders simultaneously craft a novel architectural aesthetic as they work on turning discarded materials into novel building structures. I further highlight that key actors in the construction industry are currently taking advantage of this aesthetic. This became evident in the abovementioned project as the final destination of the orangeries turned out to be a conventional concrete building. Studying the reuse of discarded materials in the construction industry thus also, I argue, sheds light on the contradictions and irony that global capitalism has brought to the industry.