In the past, old buildings were often demolished without looking at the value that is hidden in its individual elements. Today we are more aware of the fact that our resources on this planet are finite. There is a big movement of urban miners that are looking at the city with this fresh perspective. We must look at old buildings as resources, rather than waste. But we can also go one step further and design new buildings while thinking about how future generations can easily take them apart. I made this Do-Book for Kunst in Zicht, in which children are encouraged to become Urban Miners throughout four interactive chapters.

At first they learn how to look at their environment. What type of materials make up a specific building? How old do you think it is? How would you take it apart?

Next they learn how to carefully disassemble various materials using the appropriate tools. What tools do you need to deconstruct this building? Can we use this sand paper page from our book to give this old bench some love?

In the third chapter they learn how to recognize and categorize the different materials we find in the streets by using their senses. What color does it have? How does it feel?

In the last chapter they learn to reuse the materials we found. What new function could we invent when we combine two different materials? Can we build a very small house with these items?

Illustrations by Elke Cuppens