Wapan Walls - Creative Re-use & the Circular Economy

October 28, 2022

Rob Brimley and Sarah Price Landscapes

We love to think of ways to make use of all the materials and resources on a site, rather than bringing in new materials unnecessarily. For this innovative, mini eco-community of three houses near Bristol we are demolishing some poor quality 70's extensions to a 16th century farmhouse but want to use all of the stone and tiles in a creative way.

Inspired by Wapan tiling - A traditional construction technique from the Zhejiang Province of China in which various materials are used to quickly re-build houses in an area prone to typhoons and earthquakes - we are developing an wall construction technique which re-uses materials from the farmhouse to create a rich and textured wall and also provides habitat for insects.

The Ningbo Museum by Wang Shu

The technique was originally developed in an area prone to typhoons and earthquakes where buildings and walls had to be continually re-built, a circular material process if ever there was one! We are updating this technique by combining it with a timber frame and hempcrete to create a wall inspired by ancient construction but fit for the 21st century.