Prodded by new laws, designers join France?s emerging circular economy.
By Ilana Cohen
A detail by Wagon Landscaping shows an asphalt topcoat transformed into mulch. Photo by Yann Monel.
Architecture 2030 estimates that the embodied carbon of materials will account for 72 percent of emissions associated with new construction between now and 2030. The Sustainable SITES Initiative further underscores the importance of materials in the landscape context, as their selection accounts for up to 41 of 200 possible points in the project rating system?more than any other section. Worldwide, designers are looking for ways to create meaningful landscapes with lower carbon footprints through smart material choices. One approach is the reuse and recycling of construction materials. While such strategies are used in the United States, reuse is often rejected as expensive, logistically complicated, and difficult to implement in traditional design projects. But in France, reuse is becoming mainstream, and landscape designers are developing innovative approaches to reuse in new projects and recycling materials that cannot be reused. François Vadepied, a cofounder of Paris-based Wagon Landscaping, is committed to recycling construction debris from on-site demolition into planting soil. Since founding Wagon nearly 15 years ago with partner Mathieu Gontier, Vadepied has been focused on design/build, deeply involved in the construction process of their projects, and relying on preexisting site...