The end is near, now what?

Location: Talent, Oregon

As the exponential growth of waste becomes a more imminent trigger for climate change and the disasters it could bring, it is important to re-define the narrative surrounding waste and explore ways in which it could be applied beneficially on individual, social and architectural levels. This project interrogates the use of mycelium as a resilient material for Talent, a small town on the west coast of the United States recently ravaged by the Almeda Drive wildfire. The fire left behind a divided town, with one end completely engulfed in dust, and the other almost untouched. The result is a line of questioning regarding the idea of rebirth, the relationship between the old and the new and the infusion of the circular nature of waste into the fabric of future buildings. For the people of Talent, this culminates in a community centre which serves to revive the sense of home lost in the fire. It does so by encouraging the act of growing via the compost pavilion to replenish the earth and reaping food waste, the act of learning through the establishment of spaces dedicated to the incubation and mastering of mycelium, the act of sharing encapsulated by a dining area bridging the two worlds of Talent. In essence, it is a structure dedicated to the restoration and the growth of a community.

While waste may teach that all things must come to an end, it also creates ideal opportunities for fruitful beginnings.