Pihlmann Architects | H Arquitectes | Marcel Raymaekers | Urko Sánchez Architects | BC Architects | Assemble | Atelier Luma | Laurie Baker | Bovenbouw | Baubüro In Situ | Jiakun Architects Globally, we currently manufacture our own weight in new things every week, of which only about 1 per cent is estimated to still be in use six months after purchase. This wreaks devastation on cities and communities in the global south, to which the waste generated by the north is shipped. This issue identifies circular practices at different scales. In Mallorca, H Arquitectes have turned sandstone from an existing building into nougat-like blocks while in the south of France, rice straw and sunflower stems are used to make new building materials. Whole components are integrated into fantastical concoctions in the work of Marcel Raymaekers and transplanted across borders to relieve housing shortages in Ukraine. Entire buildings are also reused, often repurposing materials and components: Pihlmann Architects reused 95 per cent of the existing materials on site in their fit-out of a 1960s office block in Copenhagen, while disused steelworks are becoming a public park in Hangzhou. But circular design principles fit awkwardly into linear capitalist production processes. As Michaël Ghyoot and Tom Schoonjans write in this issue’s keynote, ‘The current capitalist configuration simply does not tolerate curbing exploitation.’ Recycling can even help justify business-as-usual; with salvaged bricks thrown in, or recycled plastic, waste is presented as an opportunity for ‘sustainable growth’. Circular practices should instead be coupled with degrowth, encouraging a reduction of waste and the use of bio-based construction materials. 1521: Circularity cover (above) Zhoushan Community Architecture Team At the Community Educational Base in Zhoushan Village, China, residents have created an ‘eco-wall’ of spoliated flotsam and jetsam, including old tiles, signs, pots, pans and a ceiling fan. Credit: Kuo Jze Yi of Zhoushan Community Architecture Team folio (lead image) keynote Break the cycle Tom Schoonjans and Michaël Ghyoot building Thoravej 29 by Pihlmann Architects in Copenhagen, Denmark Morten Birk Jørgensen essay Salvaging for Ukraine Adam Przywarabuilding Housing for people over 65 by H Arquitectes in Palma de Mallorca, Spain Eleanor Beaumont reputations Marcel Raymaekers James Westcott, Lionel Devlieger, Arne Vande Capelle, Stijn Colonand Aude-Line Dulière building Waldorf school campus by Urko Sánchez Architects in Nairobi, Kenya Peter Muiruri outrage Plastic (not) fantastic Martin Weinerbuilding Le Magasin Électrique by Assemble, BC Architects & Studies and Atelier Luma in Arles, France Manon Mollard revisit Laurie Baker Centre in Kerala, India Rajshree Rajmohanbuilding Kielsbroek recycling centre by Bovenbouw Architectuur in Antwerp, Belgium Christophe Van Gerrewey building Transa repair workshop by Baubüro In Situ in Zürich, Switzerland Kristina Rapacki building Grand Canal Steelworks Park by Jiakun Architects and TLS Landscape Architecture in Hangzhou, China Jacob Dreyer city portrait Waste streams across Lagos Olorunfemi Adewuyi