Jane Li Y5
Palimpsest of Waste This project reimagines synthetic waste as both material and social infrastructure, exploring its agency in shaping alternative architecture, community, and reuse. Next to the former Mira Lanza soap factory in Rome - once a site of industrial reuse and now home to informal shelters - it proposes a circular system where plastic waste is collected, processed, and cast into new architectural elements. Rather than displacing current residents, it integrates their resourceful reuse practices into dignified, adaptable housing built from collected waste. Cast fragments - furniture to landscapes - draw from found objects, reflecting personal needs and memories. At its core is a plastic piazza with open kitchens and markets, echoing Roman social traditions. Anchored by a waste campanile, this shared space fosters gathering and exchange. Waste becomes more than material - it is a medium of connection and memory, forming a living archive of care and coexistence.
