中文/EN
Exhibition:
Home Sweet Home -
The Collective Nature of Material Reclamation, Redistribution, and Reuse of a Deconstructed House
Yale North Gallery Exhibition
When a home ceases to be a home, what story does it continue to tell? A post-war prefab house in Greenwich, CT offered an alternative to the conventional paths of demolition or renovation—deconstruction, where homeowners, salvage and reuse experts, and material redistributors brought a second life to building waste. This exhibition reveals the social network and niche expertise that made it possible to deconstruct a home and reconstruct it into many.
The landfill is not where a home ends up. Amid escalating global conflicts and persistent housing crises, the fair distribution of resources is more urgent than ever. In response to the growing disparity in housing affordability and access, this exhibition demonstrates that architecture’s true value lies not just in its static form but in its ability to endure, adapt, and be reborn.
This exhibition is divided into four chapters, culminating in a roundtable discussion between experts who each operated at multiple points along the circular construction–deconstruction and material salvage experts, buyers, non-profit owners, planners, and architects. Together, they discussed the promise and the challenges of smoothing and speeding up the flow of materials in a circular economy, transforming a story of building deconstruction and reuse into a call to action for the entire building industry.
ANOTHER HOUSE DECONSTRUCTED:
A CIRCULARITY TRIPTYCH
by Anjiang Xu, Tian Xu, Matthew Kling When the house in Greenwich, CT finished deconstruction, the founders of New England ReUse—Chris and Carla Kling were still with us.
Completed in 1947, the post-war prefabricated house ended the 72 years of its first life and began another: once treasured by the first owners’ family, the house went through deconstruction instead of demolition. The team meticulously disassembled the house. Beautiful Douglas fir rafters were preserved, destined to become cherished cabinet surfaces in a new artist’s residency at the same site. Salvaged stone pavers were carefully reinstalled, welcoming their guests into a new era.
“Keeping it out of the landfill is the mantra. Do whatever you can, please,” pleaded the new owner. New England ReUse managed, until, like many other reuse centers, it could no longer sustain itself.