Architectenweb long read on material reuse
Februari 2026
Building with reusable materials requires a fundamentally different approach to design. Architect Kristóf Zsolt Kovács interviewed Superuse Studios, Overtreders W and architectuur MAKEN and elaborated on this design approach in three articles: The Design, The Process and The Obstacles.
Anyone who wants to build circularly should first dare to ask themselves the most confrontational question: should anything be built at all? If something does need to be built, how do you ensure that the material flows that run through it are part of material cycles?
“As an architect, you are jointly responsible for the flows within the chain,‘ says Jan Jongert: ’Where does the money come from, where do the raw materials come from, where does the money go and where do the waste streams go? In that context, our biggest challenge is the Dutch market. In the current economy, there is little financial support to make and keep our way of working profitable. The economy is based on continuous growth, and waste and wastefulness are commonplace. In a truly circular economy, there would be a different monetary system that is not based on growth.”
These three Dutch articles are now available on Architectenweb:
1_ Circulair bouwen vraagt om ‘open’ ontwerpen
2_ Circulair bouwen vereist breed draagvlak in het ontwerpteam
3_ Circulair bouwen wordt belemmerd door het huidige economische systeem en beperkte garanties
It is great that, in addition to the practical approach that characterises the offices, the missing preconditions for transition in the construction industry are also discussed.
