Arquivo Wins ArchDaily Next Practices 2025 for Circular Architecture via Deconstruction and Material Reuse
Arquivo, recognized as a winner of the ArchDaily Next Practices 2025 award, addresses the construction industry's paradox between the need for sustainable urban solutions and the overuse of the term 'sustainability.' The company acts as a facilitator and mediator among construction stakeholders by promoting deconstruction—intelligently disassembling buildings to understand their parts—rather than demolition. This approach contrasts with conventional demolition practices, which generate significant waste and energy consumption. Arquivo operates in the gap between disposal and new construction, guided by the principle that reuse is fully realized only when materials gain a new life. The firm emphasizes reutilization as a viable alternative for a circular economy, stemming from the Latin etymology of 'construction' as assembling, with the prefix 'de-' implying a conceptual inversion. Its work highlights the urgent demand for sustainable futures in cities.
Key facts
- Arquivo is a winner of the ArchDaily Next Practices 2025 award.
- The company focuses on deconstruction and reuse of building materials.
- It mediates between different actors in the construction field.
- Conventional demolition produces large volumes of waste and energy use.
- Arquivo's premise is that reuse occurs fully when materials find new life.
- The construction industry faces a paradox over sustainable solutions.
- Deconstruction involves disassembling with intelligence to understand parts.
- The term 'sustainability' is often reduced to an empty commercial label.
Entities
Artists
- Manuel Sá
Institutions
- Arquivo
- ArchDaily