Dutch, More or Less: Contemporary Architecture, Design and Digital Culture
Dutch, more or less is an exhibition about thirty years of design from the Netherlands. Up-and-coming designers have been invited to create new work for this exhibition, offering a glimpse into the future of (Dutch?) design. The third in this series of temporary installations is For Sale After Demolition by Studio ACTE, on show from 3 April until 24 August 2025
A built fragment, made from repurposed materials, unfolds hidden material narratives.
Built from locally sourced and dismantled materials, this fragment explores new languages and meanings in an architecture of reuse. A short film series traces the process, from material harvesting and hidden histories to final assembly, rethinking the act of building from the outset.
Made of reclaimed wood, plastic and earth, the installation tells stories of PFAS pollution, colonial extraction and intensive farming. The structure incorporates old Rotterdam mooring bollards made of basralocus hardwood, once plundered from the Guianas. Compacted earth blocks created using Rotterdam’s excavated soil are stacked to form a low wall, supporting polycarbonate panels, salvaged from industrial Dutch poultry farms.
With their design and construction method, Studio ACTE aims to create regenerative architecture that fosters collective self-building processes and considers craftsmanship and aesthetics as core values for sustainability.
"An experiment in reclaimed materials, this structure is part of an emerging building culture that considers the hidden geographies and stories embedded in built forms. Reuse requires experimentation, and that means working closely with demolitionists, resellers and craftspeople. Working with these leftover materials isn’t only environmentally urgent: it also opens up new possibilities for design and construction. What happens when architects choose materials for their traces, their stories?"