2024-11-21T13:38:59-05:00 https://archinect.com/features/article/150296853/finding-value-in-waste-japan-s-kamikatsu-zero-waste-center-is-a-temple-to-material-reuse Niall Patrick Walsh 2022-02-03T15:37:00-05:00 >2022-02-03T15:38:05-05:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/bf/bf1f99d5df8b707e97499a37aa2b6dfe.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><p>Today, building materials account for half of all solid waste generated worldwide every year. In response to mounting concerns over the impact of construction on the built environment, a growing number of architects and material scientists are investigating the potential for recycled materials to form an integral part of future construction. In this article, we reflect on a recently completed building in rural Japan that embodies an alternative approach to the norm; with the added accolade of being perhaps the world's first waste recycling center constructed almost entirely from recycled waste.</p>