AR8102_Final Project_Jillian Sproul

POLYCRISIS

DECEMBER 2023

PIONEERS OF GARBAGE pg.5

MEET THE SELF-PROFESSED

“DO-ER”1 pg.9

GET THE NEWEST SCOOP ARTICLE 03

TURNING GARBAGE TO

LUXURY

ON THE UAE TRASH TO MATERIAL FACTORY

IN REVIEW ENVIROMENTAL RISKS

pg.21

e d . 01

03

THE CRISIS

05

PASSIVE SYSTEMS FOR GARBAGE USE

Envi ron menta l Risks

EDITORS NOTES

Environmental risks

Throughout the article, editors

pose a substantial threat,

notes will appear in a light blue

accounting for nearly half of

sans serif font. These notes

the multiple global risks that

demonstrate critique on the topics of conversation.

the World Economic Forum

IMPACTS OF SOLID WASTE ON THE ENVIRONMENT

MARTIN PAWLEY INSPIRED PRACTICES

09

LUXURIOUS SYSTEMS FOR GARBAGE USE

MEET MINIWZ SOLUTIONS FOR UP-CYCLING MINIWIZ MATERIAL DATABASE TRASH COLLECTION & PROCESSING MINIWIZ IN THE DESIGN PROCESS REALITIES OF NORTH AMERICAN LOGISTICS

has identified as potential challenges to our planet.

These environmental risks have the capacity to exert their influence over various timeframes, ranging from short-term disruptions to long-term crises.2 Within the complex network of challenges currently

21

THE NEW UAE FACTORY

23

EDITORS CRITIQUE

confronting our world, the

THE NEW MINIWIZ PLANT FOR UPCYCLING

THE CRISIS

climate crisis stands out as an unmistakable consequence of our human actions. Within this article, practices and theories will be critiqued on their methods of reducing methane emissions, which contribute directly to global warming, and natural resource depletion.

Lisa Goldapple, “Going Circular: Upcycling in Taiwan is Changing the Way We See Trash,” Topia, January 11, 2023, https:// worldoftopia.com/miniwiz-arthur-huang-upcycling-inteview/.

2 World Economic Forum, “Global Risks Report 2023,” World Economic Forum, 2023, https://www.weforum.org/publications/ global-risks-report-2023/in-full/1-global-risks-2023-today-s-crisis/.

1

figure 02

LUXURIOUS OR PASSIVE SOLUTIONS

POLYCRISIS IN ACTION The climate crisis can appear as an overwhelming issue, seeming too large to tackle all at once. Consequently, many do not see the urgency in changing our daily practices to help mitigate global warming. As such, within this month’s edition of environmental risks, this article will take a precise focus on the daily production of solid waste by the individual, known as garbage. This deep dive will create a dialogue on how we can use garbage as a resource to eliminate the need for natural resources specifically in the context of architecture and the building industry.

02

HUMAN IMPACT THE EFFECTS OF GARBAGE ON THE GLOBE Human activities significantly contribute to the excess waste accumulating in our landfills. This is primarily due to a culture of consumption and disposability, where single-use products and packaging are first choice for many due to their low costs.

The over-reliance on non-biodegradable materials, such as plastics, enhances the situation, as these materials take centuries to decompose. Additionally, inadequate recycling and waste management practices mean that a substantial amount of potentially recyclable or compostable material ends up in landfills releasing large amounts of methane into the air. These behaviors not only lead to environmental degradation but also place strain on valuable resources, highlighting the urgent need for a shift towards more sustainable consumption and waste management practices. This places architecture at the center of the conversation demanding a better consideration for the resources the globe and societal functions can already provide.

Rather than thinking of the next new product, we should think about what we already have, to create the next new product. This will place an end to the singular-use mindset the westernized

THE CRISIS

world has adopted.

3 4

figure 03

HUMAN INVOLVEMENT

Peaking at the highest of all time, “nearly 10.9 million tonnes of residential waste was generated across Canada in 2020”3

Government of Canada, “Record amount of residential waste in 2020, but more was diverted,” Statistics Canada, Last modified July 10, 2023, https://www.statcan.gc.ca/o1/en/plus/4045-record-amount-residential-waste-2020-more-was-diverted#.

Government of Canada, “Municipal Solid Waste Management,” Last modified October 4, 2023, https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/managing-reducing-waste/municipal-solid/waste-greenhouse-gases-canada-actions.html#

T

23 percent of national figure 04

The present moment demands the harnessing of innovative

methane emissions come from canadian landfills4

technological

solutions

to

counteract

the

detrimental

environmental effects created by human activity. This involves proactive strategies for climate change mitigation and the alleviation of pressures on finite natural resources. Embracing a Cradle-to-Cradle model facilitates an exploration into the principles of waste-utilizing architecture while directly addressing key concerns identified by the World Economic Forum, such as, failure to mitigate climate change, failure of climate change adaption and natural resource crises. Thus, this article will delve into two very different approaches of using garbage as a resource within architecture. The first section will look at a passive way of integrating garbage into daily architecture. However, the second section provides a more aggressive approach which will be examined to see the realities of adopting this mindset in a North American context.

04

THE PIONEER OF GARBAGE PASSIVE SYSTEMS OF GARBAGE USE

MARTIN PAWLEY

Although many deem that “waste [is] a modern global crisis”5, this crisis has been evident long before the 21st century. In 1975, Martin Pawley (Figure 7) addressed consumer behaviour which provoked the growing levels of garbage within our landfills.

Meanwhile, he also addressed the resource scarcity that was impacting the construction industry and the current need for housing.6 As such, he combined both ideas, and “stated the goal of his research was to address shortages of housing by transforming consumer waste into building materials for low-cost construction”7, proposing the idea of Garbage Housing. Pioneering the idea, Martin Pawley revolutionized the architectural community by suggesting “a concept of ‘secondary use’, imagining that consumer products and packaging could attain a second life as building materials or other uses”8.

Therefore, his book titled ‘Garbage Housing’ analyses two different case studies from his travels and research that utilize the principles of secondary use within the construction

The WOBO House Vs. Cornell Project in Chile The WOBO house (Figure 05) demonstrates the possibilities for innovative design long before mass technology took over the world. During his visit to Curacao in 1960, Alfred Heineken, the proprietor of Heineken beer, encountered homes constructed from recycled glass beer bottles, sparking a creative idea within him. Thus, “Heineken’s original brief called not so much for a bottle that could be used as a brick, but a brick that could hold beer”9. Heineken understood that he lacked the necessary design thinking required to follow through with his imaginative idea, consequently he sought out someone who could fill those gaps. During his return to the Netherlands Heineken found John Habraken, a Dutch architect, who was a “innovator in the field of housing”.10 After realizing that glass was not a far-fetched idea to use as a structural material, in 1963, the WOBO bottle was “the first mass production container ever designed from the outset for secondary use as a building component”.11 Preplanning allowed for the potential of secondary utilization to bridge the divide between limited resources and housing needs.

Ahmed K. Ali, “Architecture, Waste, and the Circular Economy,” The ARCC Journal for Architectural Research 18, no. 2 (2021): 1-3, https://doi.org/10.17831/enqarcc.v18i2.1130.

Martin Pawley, Garbage Housing (London: Architectural Press, 1975), 11-13.

7 Curt Gambetta, “Throwaway Houses,” in The Assembly of Trash (New York: Routledge, 2019), 221.

8 Curt Gambetta, “Throwaway Houses,” 222.

5

6

figure 05

figure 06

Method of ‘Secondary Use’

figure 07

THE PASSIVE METHOD: USING WHAT YOU HAVE

Blending home and garbage togther On the other hand, the project carried out by twelve final year architecture students from Cornell University aimed to create housing from unmodified waste materials. The students were brought to Chile to help design and create emergency shelters that measured 25m2.

Tasked with only using “retrieved supplies of bottles, cans, and other packing materials”12 the students initiated a design that could be replicated for six to ten thousand dwellings.

Using the materials collected, students created barrel vaulted roofs using soft drink and beer cans sandwiched between larger paper material sheets (Figure 06), walls and joints made from steel cans and flooring made of glass bottles turned upside down. Although the structures were “lacking durability”13, the students’ mindset prompted the concept of secondary use by using unmodified materials.

Martin Pawley, Garbage Housing, 26.

Martin Pawley, Garbage Housing, 25.

Martin Pawley, Garbage Housing, 23.

Martin Pawley, Garbage Housing, 92-97.

13 Martin Pawley, Garbage Housing, 94.

9

10 11

12

I

n both scenarios the idea of secondary use came from the initial stages of design. This grass-roots approach seen in Chile and the preplanned design for the WOBO bottle demonstrate a passive application to waste management in architecture. Although, this may not seem entirely practical, there is no doubt that Pawley’s theory of secondary use is a concept created to help society.

06

PASSIVE SYSTEMS OF GARBAGE USE

PASSIVE SYSTEMS IN MODERN TIMES

14 15 16

Thesis by Nicholas Andrew Potovsky A Master of Architecture thesis titled ‘This Thesis is Garbage’ explores similar methods to Pawley for using garbage within architecture. Nicholas Potovsky explores the ways we can take “inspiration from global phenomena of informal cities and their unique relationship to waste materials and spaces,”14 providing alternative ways to propose developments in the affluent world.

figure 08

His thesis touches on a particular project in Montana by architect Doug Eichelberger (Figure 08) who states, “modern consumers use and discard huge quantities of trash that can be recovered and reused before shipment to landfills”15 hoping to use this to his advantage. Understanding that materials have a certain lifecycle in the construction industry, Potovsky looks to Eichelberger for inspiration on how we can prolong waste material lifecycle through

figure 09

methods of compression into structural bails. Eichelberger uses this method to create “load-bearing paper baled walls on baled plastic bottle foundation”16 (Fiure 09 & 10) which is displayed to the left in his project titled Trash Barn #1. Using this passive method eliminates the need for major technological strain in a fully digitized world to create innovative architecture.

figure 10

RESISTING THE NEED FOR NEW TECHNOLOGY

P

otovsky's approach acknowledges the material lifecycle limitations in the current AEC industry.

It offers concrete examples of Pawley-inspired passive systems that can mitigate these limitations, showcasing a practical approach to addressing resource depletion in architecture without relying on the development of new technologies which often increase environmental strain.

Nicholas Potovszky, This Thesis is Garbage: Rethinking Waste, Empowering Communities, Experimenting with Informality for an Unsettling Future, A Thesis, Self-published, 2011.

Doug Eichelberger, “Research Structure #1 (Trash Barn),” Eichelberger Architects, Eichelberger Architects, 2011, https://www.eichelbergerarchitects.com/materials1a.htm#.

Doug Eichelberger, “Research Structure #1.”

PROLONGING LIFECYCLE THROUGH COMPRESSION 08 figure 11

LUXURIOUS SYSTEMS OF GARBAGE USE

MEET MINIWIZ Meet Miniwiz, a Taiwan based company that focuses on the upcycling of the trash to combat the current waste crisis that modern day consumerism has created. At the face of the company sits founder and CEO Arthur Huang (figure 13), an architect and structural engineer, working additionally with Jarvis Liu, cofounder, and alongside a team of engineers.17 Huang’s desire to bring luxury from trash sparked when him and Jarvis made “2.8million on their first upcycled product”18 from waste material realizing there was a market for their invention. Miniwiz designs machines to upcycle trash products making them into everyday goods and architectural products. With their backgrounds in architecture and engineering, Huang and Jarvis have created a multi-million-dollar company out of a resource most people deem unusable.19

“Persuading manufacturers to use recycled material and convincing consumers they are fit for purpose has its own problems” - Arthur Huang

figure 12: Nike Aero-Static Dome

MINIWIZ, “About,” Accessed October 14, 2023, https://www.miniwiz.com/about.php Nasreen Abdulla, “UAE: Factory that turns waste into building materials set to transform Emirates into a green powerhouse,” Khaleej Times, (2023), https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/environment/uae-factory-that-turns-waste-into-building-materials-set-to-transformemirates-into-a-green-powerho.

19 Alejandro Bahamon, INTERVIEW: Architect and Author Alejandro Bahamon on ‘REMATERIAL From Waste to Architecture’, By Bridgette Meinhold, INhabitat, February 17, 2014, https://inhabitat.com/book-review-rematerial-from-waste-to-architecture/ 20 Arthur Huang, “Upcycling vs. Recycling: What’s the Difference?,” Miniwiz, Miniwiz, May 11 2020, https://www.miniwiz.com/blog_detail.php?id=1.

17

18

A Future of Upcycling For Miniwiz, “instead of just mechanically transforming the material into a raw ingredient, upcycling changes the material into something better”20. Huang stated in an interview that this idea came to him when he was in Rome and noticed that “the ancient Romans used rubbish to construct their beautiful, classical buildings,”21 when seeing the cut away of a building. Taking this idea, all Miniwiz projects (Figure 12) figure 13

utilize to some capacity an upcycled product that they have created themselves.

To support the idea of upcycling products, Huang stands for a circular economy to promote designers to do more

“WE’RE MAKING SEXY TRASH”

with trash. At Miniwiz, they can “upcycle your plastic fork or coffee lid into a flowerpot, using only a small amount of energy. The process only takes 2.5 minutes,”22 thus, they cannot comprehend how the public cannot see the possibilities of a circular economy.

Miniwiz’s goals to create a circular economy depend heavily on the public’s cooperation, as such Huang has marketed worldwide that trash can become a luxurious product

I

t is quite evident that Miniwiz’s toughest critic is the public. Their

marketing strategies demonstrate the large buy in that is required from the public. Huang has participated in world

stating, “we’re making sexy trash”23, on multiple occasions.

tours preaching the sexiness of trash to

“Nobody wants to buy our materials, which is why we have to

convince the public to ‘care’. It is evident

diversify how we actually do business”24. Shifting the globe’s

we need to reduce our consumption for

perspective comes from understanding that the public does

climate change, but why is Huang so

not care about trash, or simply does not understand what it can do.25 So, for Miniwiz, their entire campaign is to show what trash can do for you. Many of their systems utilize the idea of social currency to create buy-in from the public, and so far, it seems to be working.

For Miniwiz, the evidence of their philosophy lies in their work. “Miniwiz has designed, engineered, and built an estimated US$100 million worth of buildings and products made from trash to prove the circular economy is a possibility today.”26

adamant for luxury?

HOT TAKE

IS THIS JUST THE NEXT PYRAMID SCHEME ON THE MARKET?

21 Victoria Burrows, “Closing the Circle on Waste,” National Geographic, December 27, 2020, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/partner-content-closing-the-circle-on-waste 22 Bobbie Van Der List, “Doubling Down on Upcycling,” Strategy + Business, PWC Publication, April 1, 2020, https://www.strategy-business.com/article/Doubling-down-on-upcycling 23 Nelson Moura, “This Taiwanese start up aims to make trash sexy,” Yahoo News, 29 October, 2015, https://sg.news.yahoo.com/taiwanese-startup-aims-trash-sexy-111000502.html?guccounter=1&guce referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_ sig=AQAAAE1yuiw6u8Cv94lnG7dExvjY8DLPI0xgDheSglApw3gjHUQpH6J44yP_VrYNtnNBzhoft8emZ12g-eUMF91FtSwvSDok1MzALIWlCbPzqseKKjR_ZWRBJaZHcnN6zD8EiECjs2IKOV4q2HPXNC6LfjWu0YBLoQlo2dyPIeB_azWG 24 Christine Tan, “CNBC Transcript: Arthur Huang Founder and CEO, Miniwiz,” CNBC, July 11, 2019, https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/12/cnbc-transcript-arthur-huang-founder-and-ceo-miniwiz.html 25 Bobbie Van Der List, “Doubling Down on Upcycling.”

26 Bobbie Van Der List, “Doubling Down on Upcycling.”

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LUXURIOUS SYSTEMS OF GARBAGE USE 27

PROVIDED SOLUTIONS FOR UPCYCLING AT MINIWIZ figure 14: Plastic Tiles Made from Trashpresso in Milan

F

or a practice that markets their products through their own architectural projects, it

is interesting that they do not offer architectural design services outside of their products. Is this a part of Huang’s marketing strategy to ensure only a niche selection of clients get chosen to maintain the luxurious façade they are aiming to create?

THAT IS, WE OFFER ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS TO TREAT THE MATERIAL AND DESIGN SOLUTIONS TO GIVE SHAPE TO THE PRODUCT27 - MINIWIZ

Bologna Business School, “A Dialogue with Arthur Huang,” University of Bologna Business School, June 24, 2016, https://www.bbs.unibo.eu/a-dialogue-with-arthur-huang/#gref

THREE WAYS ESG CONSULTING

ARCH. PRODUCTS

TECHNOLOGY MACHINE

Miniwiz provides Environmental,

Most notably known for their

Miniwiz’s Upcycling Technology

Social and Governance Circular

Circular

Architecture

solutions vary from large scale

Consulting Services to aid in creating

Products, Miniwiz specializes in

infrastructure to smaller scale

design and engineering solutions that

creating luxurious architectural

portable solutions. Their technology

help industry partners reach ESG and

products

of

Net-Zero carbon targets.28 Within this

range from textiles, wall panels,

(figure 16), which is a portable

category they provide six solutions

furniture,

upcycled

machine that converts trash into

to promote the adoption of a circular

building systems, fixtures, facade

materials for product use.30 Read

economy.

panels and even structural wall

more about Trashpresso in the

panels seen below (figure 15).29

following sections. Aside from

1. Trash Material Database Module:

All these products made within

their Trashpresso machine which,

Helps companies add their materials

the Miniwiz manufacturing plant,

anyone can buy at a secretive

to the Miniwiz database.

have been created by harvested

cost, Miniwiz also offers pop-

2. Healthcare Performance

waste

has

up technology to sell the idea of

Additives Module: Looks at Anti-

collected. These are catalogued in

upcycling for larger conglomerate

Microbial and non-VOC initiatives.

their material database which is

companies like Nike. From these

3. Life Cycle Assessment Analysis

explored in the next section.

pop-ups, they also offer upcycling

Module: Uses AI to measure

Miniwiz has incorporated all of

hubs that can be transported to

the impacts of a product on the

these products into their own

collect trash from public squares

surrounding environment.

architectural ventures and strongly

most notably in Europe and Asia.

4. Design & Engineering Simulation

encourages fellow architects to

Module: Uses software to simulate

adopt them as well, aiming of

material performance.

mitigate the burden on our natural

5. Test & Certification Module:

resources.

Upcycled

from

trash.

modular

materials

These

Miniwiz

focus

is

the

Trashpresso

Create a better understanding of the building requirements for upcycled products.

6. ESG Index Integration Module: Explores partnerships with larger companies. figure 15 28 MINIWIZ, “ESG Circular Consulting Services,” Accessed December 10, 2023, https://www.miniwiz.com/solution_list.php?id=5 29 MINIWIZ, “Circular Upcycled Architecture Products,” Accessed December 10, 2023, https://www.miniwiz.com/solution_list.php?id=7 30 MINIWIZ, “Upcycling Technology Machine,” Accessed December 10, 2023, https://www.miniwiz.com/solution_list.php?id=6

figure 16

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LUXURIOUS SYSTEMS OF GARBAGE USE 31 32

figure 17

MATERIAL DATA BASE

Miniwiz’s material data base is a cloud asset that allows users from all over the world to access the data sets on materials that can be used to make upcycled products (figure 17).31 Aside from the origin of the upcycled material, the data base also logs any construction certification information to provide transparency for specifications in other architectural products.

Miniwiz hopes that their data base can create a dialogue between scientists and AEC practitioners to show the feasibility of a circular economy. The data base also demonstrates the cost analysis between typical products on the market and the upcycled product. Playing into their luxury brand, Miniwiz says that “luxury is buying less at a lower cost”32 but rather investing in the product and vision.

Miniwiz is also interested in logging materials found outside their own walls. They encourage practices to collaborate and share any information with them in exchange for an EGS service to see how the practice can best use their newly discovered product.

MINIWIZ, “MINIWIZ Manifesto_ 2019 – YouTube,” January 07, 2020, Video, 2:29, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B5rOsVJ7Ag. Bobbie Van Der List, “Doubling Down on Upcycling.”

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS

Price comparison between materials Polli-Ber Brick Wall System33

175$ cubic foot figure 18

Typical Masonry Brick34

50$ cubic foot figure 19 33 34

T

he true complexities of the construction sector come to light when we examine Miniwiz's products.

Exampled to the left, is the Polli-Ber Brick that allows for wall systems to be created without any adhesives or mortar and is manufactured fully from plastic bottles. However, does Miniwiz truly expect the average contractor to invest more than three times the typical price of materials to reduce the amount of trash in landfills? The simple answer, no, it is not economically feasible which places a roadblock in the Miniwiz mindset.

From the Source, “Miniwiz Polli-Ber Brick,” From the Source, Accessed December 11, 2023, https://ftsny.com/products/miniwiz-polli-ber-brick Home Guide, “How Much do Bricks cost?,” Home Guide, Accessed December 11, 2023, https://homeguide.com/costs/brick-prices

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LUXURIOUS SYSTEMS OF GARBAGE USE

COLLECTING TRASH & figure 21

figure 22

figure 20

figure 23

External partners are imperititve for MINIWIZ to function The big question about Miniwiz, is how do they get their trash? From the original conception of the practice in 2005, garbage was collected by hand by Huang and Liu. As the practice began to grow in scale, there was a marked increase in interest from premium companies seeking to join this movement.35 Consequently, Miniwiz augmented its workforce to facilitate direct collection of waste materials. However, it became too large to depend on a grassroots initiatives and thus Huang looked towards creating partnerships with companies that demanded high intensity trash management programs. Beginning in 2017, Miniwiz provided “service base contracts for clients to go green for free”36 explained by Huang in an interview. This business plan for Huang made total sense as “companies already had allocated corporate social responsibility and waste management budgets”37 consequently Miniwiz was able to alleviate both at the same time.

Therefore, Miniwiz often partnered with large scale infrastructure, like shopping malls and airports, for one-year contracts to bring their portable Trashpresso machine to collect the garbage directly at the source. An example of this

Lisa Goldapple, “Plastic bottle pavilions and urban-mined glasses, ‘Polli-Brick’ and ‘Eco-Morph’ and the waste that it slashes, upcycled film theatres and recycled plane wings, these are a few of my favourite things… made from trash,” Atlas of the Future, (2020), https://atlasofthefuture.org/project/miniwiz/ Bobbie Van Der List, “Doubling Down on Upcycling.”

Bobbie Van Der List, “Doubling Down on Upcycling.”

Bobbie Van Der List, “Doubling Down on Upcycling.”

39 MINIWIZ, “Miniwiz,” Trashpresso, Accessed December 12, 2023, https://trashpresso.com/about-miniwiz/ 40 TaiwanPlus, “How to build a brand new future from human waste?,#InnoMinds with Arthur Huang of MINIWIZ,” June 25, 2022, Video, 1:02:59, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqqQZGtAOj8 35

36 37

38

& PROCESSING was at the Big City Shopping Mall in Taiwan, where Miniwiz

positive actions in betting the future globe. The social currency

erected their Trashpresso for a local artist to use the output

then allows the public to purchase smaller products made from

materials to create flowerpot molds.38 In addition to the at-

the trash they created. Removing the middleman allows Miniwiz

source collection possibilities, Miniwiz began partnering with

to capitalize on the trash collection process all whilst promoting

NGOs,39 in East Asia who focused on removing trash from the

luxury and societal benefit.

natural landscapes alleviating the need for disposal the NGOs often struggled with.40

ABOUT TRASHPRESSO figure 24

Published in a recent report, Miniwiz stated that “a lot of trash from Europe was shipped to China, India, Malaysia, and Thailand, after which it was dumped in China”.41 Therefore, for them it seemed like common sense to bring the trash collection and material processing right to the origin of the issue to reduce the carbon footprint of the travelling trash. In 2017, they created the Trashpresso to do just that (figure 21).

Like its name, the Trashpresso “presses instead of burning”42 the materials it is fed. This ensures no VOCs are released into the environment which is a common issue in current waste management practices. Adding to the positive environmental features of the machine, the Trashpresso only uses “3 kilowatts of energy or in recent models is solar powered”.43 Currently the machine only engages with plastics. However, there are six additional Trashpressos in the works that will transform metals, papers, additional plastics, fabrics, yarn and provide opportunity to have a micro small-scale machine that can be installed within the home.44

HOT TAKE

WILL COMPANIES SEE PAST THE ENVIRONMENTAL FAÇADE AND REALIZE THAT THIS PROCESS ECONOMICALLY BENEFITS MINIWIZ MORE THAN THE OWNERS OF THE TRASH?

W

ith the growth of Miniwiz, the collection process has required contracts with

governments and NGOs introducing the topic of policy to the movement. Considering the urge for environmentally friendly design

Aside from the scientific nature of the machine, the

criticized by the public and city officials, could

Trashpresso also engages with the public (figure 23). When

this one-year service base contract incentivise

brought to the target site, it allows the public to use an AI

North American companies like Cadillac

app called Robin to track the trash they provide and collect “social currency”.45 This rewards the individual for their

Fairview to introduce a Trashpresso in their establishments?

Greenpeace Southeast Asia, “New Research exposes a crisis in the global trade of “recyclable” plastics,” Greenpeace, April 23, 2019, https://www.greenpeace.org/southeastasia/press/2426/new-research-exposes-acrisis-in-the-global-trade-of-recyclable-plastics/ 42 Bobbie Van Der List, “Doubling Down on Upcycling.”

43 Bobbie Van Der List, “Doubling Down on Upcycling.”

44 MINIWIZ, “What is Trashpresso: A Quick Introduction,” Trashpresso, Accessed December 12, 2023, https://trashpresso.com/trash-tech/ 45 Victoria Burrows, “Closing the Circle on Waste.”

41

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LUXURIOUS SYSTEMS OF GARBAGE USE

Facade made of DVDs

figure 25

Facade made of Polli-Brick

figure 26

EcoARK Located in Taipei, Taiwan, EcoARK (figure 26), a nine-storey building “built from 1.5 million recycled plastic bottles”46 demonstrates the large-scale application of Miniwiz’s products. Built to withstand earthquakes and fires, EcoARK employs the Polli-Brick product creating “an exhibition hall during the 2010 Taipei International Flora Expo”47. For this project Arthur Huang was commissioned by Far Eastern Group as the Architect of the project thus developing the initial schematic design and following through to construction. Miniwiz engineers acted for structural, civil, and mechanical engineering requirements making EcoARK an in-house project for Miniwiz.48 The commission required that Huang utilize one of their PET products as FEG was one of the worlds “largest producers of PET products”49 and wanted to sway the perspective of the public. The bottles were collected from an NGO focused on PET and transformed in the Miniwiz studio.

Jackie Chan Stuntman Training Centre (JCSTC) For the JCSTC (figure 25), Miniwiz acted as the architect and engineer for the renovation project. Miniwiz focused its engineering consultancy for the structural changes to the roof, floor, and walls, and architectural for the interior scope and the façade renovation. Within the architectural scope, the client, Jackie Chan, a supporter of Huang, asked that Miniwiz “prioritize their trademark materials”50 at any point they could. This resulted in a façade made of recycled DVDs, collected by NGOs and processed by Trashpresso, and interior partitions from tires, additionally including a variety of Miniwiz’s upcycled furniture products. The participation for this project relied mostly on aesthetics allowing in house engineers to work in the background.

Lucy Wang, “Amazing building made from 1.5 million plastic bottles withstands fires and earthquakes,” Inhabitat, May 15, 2017, https://inhabitat.com/amazing-plastic-bottle-architecture-withstands-earthquakes-in-taipei/ Lucy Wang, “Amazing building made from 1.5 million plastic bottles,” Lisa Goldapple, “Plastic bottle pavilions and urban-mined glasses,” Lucy Wang, “Amazing building made from 1.5 million plastic bottles,” 50 MINIWIZ, “Jackie Chan Stuntman Training Center,” Accessed December 11, 2023, https://www.miniwiz.com/solution_detail.php?id=39.

46 47

48 49

MINIWIZ IN THE DESIGN PROCESS A multi-faceted practice Acknowledging the diverse range of services offered by Miniwiz, a detailed examination of four distinct projects will illustrate the company's depth of involvement in the design process. The following case studies showcase Miniwiz's role, ranging from consultant to engaging comprehensively in all aspects of design and construction.

SDTI E-Waste Recycling Facility

Sky Wing pavilion Thailand

In 2014, located in Taoyuan, Taiwan,

The Sky-Wing Bike Pavilion in Bangkok

Miniwiz worked closely with client Super

uses “recycled PET bottles to create

Dragon Technical Industries to “develop

inflatable sky-wings”52 offering cyclists

a new mechanical way of separating

shade (figure 28). This project was

materials found within e-waste”. The

formulated closer to a grass-roots

two companies worked under Taiwan’s

approach. Miniwiz themselves collected

Environmental

Agency

the plastic bottles within the community

who wanted to recover more precious

and erected the Trashpresso on the site

metals from the e-waste than the typical

of the pavilion for local collaboration.

chemical process could achieve. Once

They proceeded by designing the

a new method was discovered through

pavilion, engineering, and patenting

consultancy, SDTI hired Miniwiz to act

the structure for reconstruction and

as the architects to create a new campus

constructed the pavilion themselves.53

to provide better working conditions

This was Miniwiz’s first project in

for the factory workers. Again, the

Bangkok, thus a more local approach

client asked that Miniwiz showcase the

was taken.

51

Protection

discoveries they had made by creating

T

he catalogue of Miniwiz’s work demonstrates a wide variety of skills however, a lacking component in all their projects is the presence of other disciplines. Found on a review from a Junior Architecture Engineer employee, Miniwiz is “totally disorganized, not good time controlling and management system”.54 Could this be the reason why all projects are kept in house to protect reputation? Also, it is suspected that all client driven projects are IDPs due to the strong hold the client has over Miniwiz to protect their image and portray sustainable design.

modular shading systems from the recycled e-waste materials (figure 27).

figure 27

figure 28

MINIWIZ, “SDTI E-Waste Recycling Facility,” Accessed December 13, 2023, https://www.miniwiz.com/solution_detail.php?id=3&work=1 Rina Liu, “Global Sustainability Through Zero Waste,” Taiwan Panorama, 2022, https://www.taiwan-panorama.com/en/Articles/Details?Guid=319bbcd9-b94a-4b43-9dd73f406804674d&CatId=9&postname=Global%20Sustainability%20Through%20Zero%20Waste-Miniwiz%20Pushes%20the%20Circular%20Economy 53 Xiaozhi Research and Development, “Sky-Wing Bike Pavilion,” a+tec, Accessed December 13, 2023, https://archi-tec.com.tw/2020/09/sky-wing-bike-pavilion/ 54 Glassdoor, “Miniwiz Reviews,” Accessed December 14, 2023, https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Miniwiz-Reviews-E1739093.htm 51

52

TOTALLY DISORGANIZED, NOT GOOD TIME CONTROLLING AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 18

LUXURIOUS SYSTEMS OF GARBAGE USE

THE REALITIES OF NORTH AMER LOGISTICS In an interview with Taiwan Plus, Arthur Huang was questioned on his practice of Miniwiz and the chosen location of Taiwan to execute his upcycling dreams. Huang exclaimed back that this was the easiest question to answer. To keep it short he said, “Taiwan allows for the fastest and lowest cost for innovation”55. Taiwan allowed him to experiment the most without a restricting number of policies. He also added that in Taiwan, there are “more engineers and less business owners”56 who were trying to push the limits for experimentation.

Huang received his architectural degree at Harvard, already placing himself in a Westernized climate. However, he stated that “westernized points of view do not see the urgency”57 as much as people in East Asia.

Hence, it was his plan to develop concrete strategies, then return to the United States to propose his ideas. To this date, Miniwiz has no projects

D

ue to North Americas stringent policies, it demonstrates the inability to bring such largescale practices like Miniwiz into westernized places. This consequently demonstrates another issue with the scalability of innovative technology. The required freeness to openly innovate demands a level of participation from a variety of governing bodies.

In the case of Miniwiz, Canadian policy makers will not buy in to his financial gain.

in North America, demonstrating the disconnect between policy and culture.

55 56 57

HOT TAKE

LUXURY SELLS IN THE CONSUMERIST SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICAN CITIES; THEREFORE, POLICY MUST BE THE REASON WHY MINIWIZ CANNOT BRANCH OUTWARDS IN A CANADIAN CONTEXT.

TaiwanPlus, “How to build a brand new future from human waste?,” TaiwanPlus, “How to build a brand new future from human waste?,” TaiwanPlus, “How to build a brand new future from human waste?,”

RICAN

WHY TAIWAN? figure 29

20

THE NEW UAE FACTORY Next Steps for Miniwiz

For the 2024 new year, Miniwiz announced a “factory that turns waste into building materials set to transform Emirates into a green powerhouse”58 at the Climate Future Week in Dubai. The plan is to “build an upcycling plant [that is able] to take some of the raw material locally and turn it into building material that we can sell in the UAE and around the world.”59 In addition, Huang stated that the new factory is set to be “built using sand from the UAE”60, taking inspiration from South African dwellings which used sandbags around the structure of the houses.

Choosing the UAE as the location for the factory comes from its exponentially large plastic recycling market. “It is forecasted to reach 1.44 million tonnes by 2030”61 making it a prime location for Miniwiz to plant their roots. Huang says, “his factory would help the UAE become independent in several aspects”62 allowing them to be “self-sufficient in

UAE FACTORY

digesting its own trash”.63 The hope for Huang is that the UAE can recycle waste into building material and even “ship it to places, especially Africa”.64 However, Huang mentions that this factory will provide the UAE with possibilities of making “even higher end materials”.65 It cannot go without question that these higher end materials will not be the materials going to Africa.

If all goes well, this new factory for Miniwiz directs them on

T

he developments of Miniwiz cannot help but have “financial gain” written all over them. The patenting of technology, and collection of info for databases demonstrate the true end goal for Huang running free in a place where innovation is celebrated.

A comparison to Elon Musk begins to erupt seeing how a new technological advancement to help the environment becomes privatized and capitalised upon. Miniwiz demonstrates another step towards a future of rentism where “entrepreneurs, we are assured, will find new green technologies that will move us away from fossil fuel dependence without government intervention”66 but these high-tech green solutions are “only accessible to the rich”67 seen in the opening of a UAE factory.

HOT TAKE MINIWIZ PROPELS US INTO THE FUTURE OF RENTISM

a new route for their practice, allowing the possibility for further expansion in new locations.

Nasreen Abdulla, “UAE: Factory that turns waste into building materials,” Arthur Huang, “UAE: Factory that turns waste into building materials set to transform Emirates...,” Miniwiz, September 27, 2023, https://www.miniwiz.com/ news_detail.php?id=115 60 Gavin Gibbon, “Taiwan’s Miniwiz to build UAE upcycling plant,” AGBI, October 5, 2023, https://www.agbi.com/articles/uae-upcycling-plant-miniwiz/ 61 Gavin Gibbon, “Taiwan’s Miniwiz to build UAE upcycling plant,” 62 Nasreen Abdulla, “UAE: Factory that turns waste into building materials,”

Nasreen Abdulla, “UAE: Factory that turns waste into building materials,” Nasreen Abdulla, “UAE: Factory that turns waste into building materials,” Gavin Gibbon, “Taiwan’s Miniwiz to build UAE upcycling plant,” Peter Frase, Four Futures (London: Verso, 2016), 20.

67 Peter Frase, Four Futures.

58

63

59

64 65

66

HAS MINIWIZ LOST THEIR WAY?

GARBAGE: THE NEW RESOURCE OF CAPITALISM

T

figure 30

he opening of the new factory in the UAE demonstrates the truly exclusionary practice Miniwiz engages with. Miniwiz holds true to the idea of making trash luxurious seeking out the Emirates, one of the world’s most well-known luxurious destinations. However, it becomes questionable that a service intended to save the world only comes back to benefit Miniwiz and the client at stake. It is ironic that Miniwiz utilises sand, a natural resource, to create the factory when one of its pillars for a circular economy is our current state of scarcity in natural resources. In addition, it directly dismisses Miniwiz’s original intent for the Trashpresso, which brings the process to the source. Yet in this new condition, the carbon footprint of travelling trash will not be mitigated, but possibly increased depending on location. This step for Miniwiz is evidently financial, after going under the radar between 2021 and the 2023 announcement of the new upcycling 22 plant in the UAE.

LUXURIOUS OR PASSIVE SYSTEM The in-depth analysis of Miniwiz's practice highlights various elements that could potentially hinder the application of their methods within a North American setting. These limitations can be largely attributed to the concept of agency within the field of architecture. The concept of agency becomes

products due to extreme price increase for the upcycled

revealed when comparing the passive methods of

product. Secondly, the dependency on partnership for

Pawley and Potovsky to the luxurious provoking

the collection of trash. Miniwiz’s concept, although

ideas of Miniwiz. There is no doubt that both

challenged by the UAE factory, is to bring the process of

practices, be passive or luxury driven, intend to have

making upcycled product to the direct source of the trash.

the same goal of using garbage as a substitute for

Huang sells this idea through the trade-off of allowing

natural resources within the architectural practice.

the company to “go green for free”68. However, the City

However, the practicality and adoption of these

of Toronto, which relies on two private waste companies,

methods depends so heavily on the public, that the

Waste Management and GFL69, Huang may find that

idea of agency must be taken into consideration.

these multi-million-dollar corporations prioritize profit

Within the passive method, the agency lies within

over environmental sustainability. Consequently, any

the hands of the individual. It provokes simple

partnership aimed at enhancing eco-friendly practices

methods that do not depend heavily on technology

might impede the companies' productivity and would be

allowing the public to have their own initiatives to

dismissed.

A COMPARISON

combat the waste crisis. Conversely, the proposal

68 69

of Miniwiz places the agency within the practice,

Conversely, Miniwiz could gain entry through a client-

more specifically, the patented technology, thereby

initiated design that engages Miniwiz's services for the

requiring a buy-in from the public. It is not to say that

entirety of the project, as has been previously demonstrated.

the ideas of Miniwiz are invalid. They are extremely

In North America, numerous companies advocate for

innovative in the idea of bringing the process to the

sustainability; therefore, Huang's high-end design approach

source, however the support system of partnership

might appeal to a large corporation looking to promote

and policy required to activate this method becomes

its commitment to sustainable practices. Ultimately, the

challenging when stepping outside the current

practice of Miniwiz demonstrates a successful initiative

context of their practice.

in removing waste from our landfills and reducing the strain on natural sources, yet it is obvious that the end goal

There are primarily two main elements of the

for Huang is to create a fortune on his method. He is yet

Miniwiz practice that would be rejected within a

another expert on technology and climate change who has

North American context. It begins with the reality

been affected by the world's consumerism. Consequently,

that the main driver of design is economical reward,

pushing us towards a future of Rentism, while poorer

thus, it rejects Miniwiz’s creation of architectural

countries keep struggling with the waste crisis.

Bobbie Van Der List, “Doubling Down on Upcycling.”

Klean Industries, “The World’s Top 15 Biggest Waste Management Companies,” March 17, 2021, https://kleanindustries.com/resources/market-analysis-research/biggest-waste-management-companies-worldwide/

BLENDING METHODS

A

way forward to combat this waste crisis and strain on our natural resources is to adopt the method of the pre-planned secondary use WOBO bottle. Creating a “luxurious looking” building product that also serves as a multi-purpose everyday item can meet corporate needs and give the public the agency to use it in various ways.

figure 31

EDITORS CRITIQUE

R M

24

Environmental risks pose a substantial threat, accounting for nearly half of the multitude of global risks that the World Economic Forum has identified as potential challenges to our

POLYCRISIS IN REVIEW

planet. These environmental

figure 32

risks have the capacity to exert their influence over various timeframes, ranging from short-term disruptions to long-term crises. Within the complex network of challenges currently confronting our world, the climate crisis stands out as an unmistakable consequence of our human actions. Within this article, practices and theories will be critiqued on their methods of reducing methane emissions, which contribute directly to global warming, and natural resource depletion.

DECEMBER 2023