EDUCATOR
Hong Kong, China
Concrete Spolia: Reuse of Building Waste
EDUCATOR
Hong Kong, China
Concrete Spolia: Reuse of Building Waste
Project Team
Shuaizhong Wang
Yuanlong Zhu
Yalan Mei
Zhuoyan Xie
Yangzhi Li
Kaiyi Lin
Hanbing Zhao
47 Views
“Concrete Spolia” explores innovative reuse of discarded concrete through a new construction system by [S]Equilibrium Lab in Hong Kong. Featured at the China Pavilion of the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale the project suggests future sustainable architectural and circular construction practices.
Overview
Concrete Spolia is an installation for the Chinese Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition. The project reconsiders construction waste as a primary architectural resource, proposing a complete workflow for the reuse of reinforced concrete and directly addressing SDG’s 11.6, 12.5, and 13.3.
Using demolition concrete sourced locally in Venice, the installation translates discarded material into structural members through digital modelling, precise cutting, drilling, and dry assembly on site. It also serves as a medium for collaboration between the design team, industry partners, local workers and volunteers. With its overhang and legible joints, the installation demonstrates structural safety, reversibility, and architectural expression, marking a futuristic manifesto for circular construction practice.
Institution
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
[S]Equilibrium Lab, School of Architecture
Community Engagement
The installation incorporates concrete sourced from Venetian demolition sites, turning local urban waste into an artifact together with local workers and craftsmen. This bridges Venice’s heritage with ongoing challenges in sustainability in terms of maintenance, decay, and urban renewal.
Partners
Our partnership with Peikko Group integrates industrial technology with academic research, enabling safe structural reuse, rapid assembly, reversibility, and scalable circular construction.
