Design considerations for the transformative reuse of a Japanese temple

Abstract

This paper concerns the transformative reuse of materials from a derelict Japanese Buddhist temple in a transcultural context. The process of 3D scanning and photogrammetry modelling for a virtual experience of the building and its furnishings is described in reference to the development of a later study: the proposal to test the reuse of materials by international team of designers working remotely with digital models. The capacity for designers using digital data and metadata to inform transformative reuse applied locally in Japan, via either handcraft or robotic fabrication, is discussed as a challenge for virtual embodiment and craft knowledge. The steps required to progress the research are discussed. Framed by theories of cosmopolitan-localism, the ongoing project proposes new methods for design-led transformative reuse that address the globalised problem of waste flows and test the use of emerging technologies to innovate cultures of repair, reuse and circular economy.