Denmark alone produces roughly 12 million tonnes of waste annually. In the “Wasteland” exhibition, the sustainable architectural firm Lendager Group addressed how waste can be used in new architecture – as new resources. We are all beginning to understand the importance of recycling, but what will really push boundaries in future is the concept of ‘upcycling’.

In the upcycling process, the material is not just recycled, but reused as a new and improved material. For instance, the Lendager Group demonstrated in the exhibition how concrete can be made even stronger by combining the new product with old, recycled concrete.

The exhibition was themed on six different materials, including glass, concrete and plastic. First we met the materials as by-products and then we saw the transformation they undergo to become new materials, new buildings – even new urban spaces, where everything is reused.

One example is the Danish Upcycle House, built by Realdania By & Byg – a house made solely from upcycled materials such as old shipping containers. The result is a house built with an extremely small carbon footprint that is at the same time designed to adapt to the seasons with rain water collection, high utilisation of daylight and so forth. The house costs DKK 1 million to build, thereby proving that this method is economical. And there is no compromising on aesthetics as the house features a contemporary look and a wealth of details.

“Wasteland” runs from the 26th of January to 17th of April at the Danish Architecture Center, Strandgade 27B, 1401 Copenhagen K. Admission: DKK 60. To tie in with the exhibition, there is a series of events and visits to Lendager’s projects and other sites. The exhibition also hosts a smaller free exhibition for children on Level 2 where children and their parents are invited to build a house from scrap.