Thursday, August 31, 2023
The Ultimate Dumpster Diver: Jan Jongert’s Superuse Studios
Architect Magazine: Jan Jongert takes reuse seriously. As he walks you through the buildings he has designed, the architect—a partner at global firm Superuse Studios—tallies what percentage of them was made from materials that were repurposed from other building sites or even other uses.
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I think the amount of waste that is made when it comes to construction is really awful. We need to start doing something about it, and I think that what Jongert has been doing is brilliant. What he did with the old Tropicana building is especially creative. He was able to take something that was just going to go to waste and turn it into something that actually gives back to the environment. Having such a beautiful and calming place to inspire others to help out the environment truly is an inspiring idea. Jongert expands this idea even further with his Buitenplaats Brienenoord project. By inviting children into the conversation, he is ensuring that even future generations will continue on this work of living with zero waste and taking care of the environment. Not to mention, it is incredibly impressive how the Superuse Studios team is able to save almost 90% of original structures or materials in a lot of their projects. Their innovation is incredible, and inspires me to want to use more upcycled materials.
This article, although explicitly referring to architectural buildings, could be applied to most theatre productions. The amount of waste that theatre produces is appalling sometimes. In processing this, I believe it is due to the need to create a new world, thus starting from scratch to create it. However, I think it would be interesting in period pieces for example, or in shows that take place in say the 70’s, to go out to local thrift shops or junk yards to find already existing pieces from that period and use those. I notice a lot of times, that we build new things and then distress them to make them look older. Why do that when one can simply use already-made objects, or even distressed wood if one feels a strong need to build specifically for a production? If the worry is creating a “new” world, I think it would be interesting to use already existing objects from different time periods to create a new look or use different types of existing materials. The possibilities are endless and I feel not enough theatres are putting in efforts to be more sustainable where they can, particularly in set production.
Reading this article left me both inspired about the future of sustainable architecture, but also frustrated when thinking about how little the theater industry has done for environmental sustainability. If Jongert is able to turn wind turbines into play structures, there is little reason for why theatre companies continue to throw sets and other show specific materials into dumpsters during load out. While trashing all unusable remaining materials may be the most convenient and cost efficient option, it only adds to the continuous cycle of overproduction that is fueling our climate crisis. Additionally, finding ways to save and reuse materials will cut costs of future productions. In a financially tight industry, these cut costs mean something. While I recognize that there is so much more nuance to this situation in terms of labor and the management of this all, I hope that in the coming years that the theatre industry and our university practices will more closely resemble those of Jongert.
I think sustainability is one of the biggest issues within theater, especially commercial theater. Theaters use many materials to build sets and props that are made very specifically for one production and once it is done majority of it ends up in a landfill. Although in theater I think it becomes harder to make these beautiful sustainable buildings and sets because they are also dealing with aesthetics and the world of the play, I think it is important to make sure we are trying to not create so much waste. It may end up being more work or money initially but I think there is a way to be more conscious about the sets we are making to be able to reuse or repurpose for other projects. There are a few companies now that are dedicated to making sustainability more a part of theater practices but there is a lot more progress to go, and I think taking inspiration from people like Jongert is a way to start making those steps.
The work that Jan Jongerts does is absolutely incredible and awe inspiring. When I first clicked on the article, I expected the amount of reused or repurposed materials to be somewhere around 10% to 25%, not 65% to 90%. There is a greenwashing issue with many large companies, so I am pleasantly surprised to learn Superuse Studios is actually committed to making a difference. What is most shocking to me is how many materials are thrown away simply because returning them is too much of a hassle. The example being the windows ordered for a school. The school clearly had no reason to keep the windows or spend the money to ship the windows back and it was probably not worth the supplier spending time and money restocking and storing the windows. There are businesses here in the US that take old building material and sell it (for example the place right next door to Creative Reuse), but these places rely on people donating materials.
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