The [S]Equilibrium Lab, led by Prof. Wang Shuaizhong, exhibits with the installation Concrete Spolia: Reuse of Building Waste at the Pavilion of China at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, which opens to the public on 10 May 2025 at the Arsenale. Titled CO-EXIST, the pavilion is curated by Ma Yansong, founder of MAD Architects, and organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China.
As the world's largest concrete consumer, China generates approximately 2.4 billion tons of construction and demolition waste annually. Derived from spoliation, the ancient practice of repurposing stones from old monuments, “Concrete Spolia” suggests an innovative consideration for discarded concrete as a foundational component for future architecture. Experimenting with a newly developed construction system and workflow entirely based on reclaimed concrete, it preserves the structural integrity of original components while leveraging established industrial techniques to maximise reuse potential.
The installation, with its over-scaled cantilevers and clear, simple joints, fulfils the multiple challenges of design, structure and construction, making a new manifesto in Venice for reinvention to waste concrete.
