AR May 2025: Circularity

The May 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 make new building materials. Whole components are integrated into fantastical concoctions in the work of Marcel Raymackers and transplanted across borders to relieve housing shortages in Ukraine. In Copenhagen and Hangzhou, entire buildings are transformed and reused. But circular design principles fit awkwardly into linear capitalist production processes. As Michaël Ghyoot and Tom Schoonjans write in the keynote, ‘The current capitalist configuration simply does not tolerate curbing exploitation.’ Read the full editorial