Upgrade: Making Things Better

The incessant trend to throw away rather than to repair, demolish rather than refurbish has been a topic of discussion and criticism for years—at the same time, resource consumption and the waste continue to increase. To counteract this trend, students at the University of Applied Sciences in Munich and ETH Zurich have been developing sustainable and imaginative concepts for repairing a wide variety of objects, applying them both manually and by using digital techniques such as 3D printing. Beyond restoration, many projects aim to further develop and improve the repaired objects constructively, materially, or even in terms of design, lending them new value. This publication presents a wide variety of approaches and projects, complemented by essays by notable personalities from the fields of architecture, preservation, design, manufacturing, and craftsmanship. SILKE LANGENBERG (1974) is professor of Construction Heritage and Preservation at ETH Zurich. Previously, she was professor for Design and Construction in Existing Contexts, Conservation and Building Research at the University of Applied Sciences in Munich, where she initiated a Repair Class.