Yang Chen

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Built to Last—or Change? The Case for Dry Construction in Humid Cities

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In certain parts of the world, construction is still dominated by wet systems—concrete, masonry, and cementitious materials that are poured, cured, and fixed in place. While this has long been considered the norm in some south-east Asia countries, such as Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and China, in most of these regions, they typically share a common trend where labor is relatively inexpensive. This serves as one of the reasons to make concrete more easily available, as one of the typical downside of concrete is its intensive labour cost - this further differentiates concrete as a cheaper and more efficient material system to be building out of.

However, not enough considerations in the region are given to the sustainability aspect when using these wet construction materials,often overlooking the significant drawbacks of its material lifecycle and the difficulty to recycle it without downcycling - making it one of the more unsustainable materials available to be built out of.

Built to Last—or Change? The Case for Dry Construction in Humid Cities - More Images+ 10

Earth-Hugging Duke Plaza / Edge Architects

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  • Architects: Edge Architects
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  748
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2024

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Wu Xi Shi, China
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  333
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2023

Yusan Cafe / Edge Architects

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Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, China
  • Architects: Edge Architects
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  216
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2023

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Dali Edge Architecture Studio Renovation / Edge Architects

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  • Architects: Edge Architects
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  79
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2022
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  NAZA哪吒家具

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Expansion of Gu Zhenghong Memorial Hall / Atelier Diameter

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