Ricerc@Sapienza

The environmental problem of solid waste is latent and is part of the present not only locally but also internationally. The rate of waste generation forecast worldwide will be 44% higher by the 2025. Faced with this environmental problem, organizations and architects from different parts of the world have begun a trial / experimentation path with solid waste in order to grant a second life to discarded products and / or materials. The aim of the article is to analyse various case studies that under simple processes of reuse and transformation reinsert solid waste into new cycles. In particular, they are reintegrated in construction cycles giving rise to an architecture with a sustainable approach, based on the three pillars of sustainability: economic, social and environmental. The research methodology implemented was based on collecting the case studies. Emphasis was placed on reuse and transformation processes as well as the resulting architecture. The discussion of the ongoing research was based on the analysis of the variables location, client, residues and built components. In conclusion, the article states that despite being built under the cradle-to-cradle concept, in the cases analysed it would be necessary to evaluate their technical performance, their environmental performance, and their environmental, economic and social impact.