Mine The Scrap _ All Projections

“Mine the Scrap” is a data driven process that designs new structures algorithmically generated from existing scrap. Visitors see an algorithm at work.

Mine the Scrap re-interprets artisanal processes of construction through the lens of computer vision and construction automation while addressing the pressing need to convert waste into resource.

Construction waste is the largest single contributor to landfill volume worldwide. Yet much of this material, particularly wood, is reusable in principle. What often stands in the way is the irregular shapes of the waste, which are difficult to consume in a standardized building industry. Instead of conforming to this standardization, Mine the Scrap proposes that we unleash the potential of digital technology to customize new bespoke structures generated directly from available scrap.

The project transforms irregular, non-uniform stocks of construction scrap into new forms, finding beauty and intricacy in neglected waste. Instead of pulverizing and chemically aggregating these disparate scraps in energy-intensive processes, Mine the Scrap finds the unique best use of each piece in a new structure through a sophisticated process of scanning and classification. Combining the logic of the quilt with customized shape and pattern detection used in self-driving cars and face-recognition, Mine the Scrap scans the material and generates an inventory of different forms. The program then creates a family tree that clusters similar scrap pieces together and assembles an implicit puzzle, computing how the various pieces can be combined in a new aggregate form. In fact, the tool begins with a proposed target shape from a designer, but dynamically adapts the form according to the scrap available.

By tailoring design to resources, Mine the Scrap uses big data to tackle big waste. In effect, it creates a search engine for waste, and then uses this search engine to find the best material solution to design problems. Mine the Scrap not only creates minimum-waste material lifecycles, it also develops a new vocabulary of design that is fundamentally informed by resources.

Project Team: Tobias Nolte, Andrew Witt, Michael Degen, Jason Tucker

Sound Design: Simon Epstein | Signal Sound