Turning Damaged Christchurch Homes into Art Projects

Each home contains a social history – time encapsulated in layers of paint and wallpaper; renovations; 70s lino hidden under carpet; the kids' height markings on the wall. Imagine the pain for Christchurch home owners as they stand by and watch their memories be reduced to a pile of rubble. Not only heartbreaking, but a hell of a waste.

The Whole House Reuse project is changing the status quo by proving that one house is much more than just the sum of its parts. They've salvaged all the material from one modest red-zoned home in Christchurch, bar the concrete slab it stood on, and invited creators throughout the country to transform it into new, functional and beautiful objects.

Over seven days a professional salvage crew and a team of volunteers fully deconstructed the single storey red-zoned home at 19 Admirals Way, in the Christchurch suburb of New Brighton. The entire material of the home, aside from the concrete ring foundation, was dismantled by hand and transported into storage.

Since then 480 materials listings have been recorded in the Catalogue of Resources that Whole House Reuse is now presenting to the creative community of New Zealand during its Design stage.

The recently released publication 'Whole House Reuse: Deconstruction', tells the story of the project so far. It includes photographic and written documentation of the salvage, a conversation with the homeowners, and a research paper on deconstruction in New Zealand.

Facilitated by Rekindle and supported by the Sustainable Initiatives Fund, Whole House Reuse is an ode to the countless homes lost through demolition, and a way to create use and demand for resources that currently end up in landfills. It's the ultimate design challenge in terms of creativity and resourcefulness, and it's good for the planet too.

Sign up now to get your Whole House Reuse Catalogue of resources. The first round of submissions closes April 4th.