In the search for a circular economy, this project explores the integration of a paper recycling program. As the Gangbuk district already has a rich paper industry, this program aims to feed and support the existing network of printing plants and to provide a single, centralized location for recycling. With a unique process developed by the University of Brasilia to transform cigarette butt waste into paper pulp, this project is also a smart way to counteract littering and soil pollution.
After a study phase on the different processes and determination of the material flows, the program is based on a vertical logic. The paper and cigarette waste picked up autonomously by robots is collected in the building at street level and then undergoes its transformation. The final products are then distributed at roof level by drones.
The intervention is intended to be light and as respectful as possible of the building and the existing program. The project also experiments with how man and machine can benefit from each other and cohabit together in the most optimal way possible. In order to have as little impact as possible on the existing program and to improve the comfort and general performance of the building, the interventions were concentrated on the façades. The spaces housing the machines, reduced to a strict minimum, take on the role of thermal regulator and generate new interior spaces by their profile, offering meeting places for the craftsmen, workers and inhabitants. The exterior façade retains its original lines, but has been improved by a combination of new windows and sliding polycarbonate panels.