The exhibition of the “FORCED REUSE” research at Dropcity in Milan was the result of a two-year study investigating adaptive reuse driven by urgent community needs and carried out by users independently of architects and designers. The project explores the motivations behind non-professional reuse of building elements and spaces, focusing on the circumstances that compel communities to rethink conventional building practices in regions where necessity overrides formal systems — where people are, quite literally, forced to reuse.

Examples include a refugee shelter made from old oil containers, a house built with used car tires, an old bus repurposed as a countryside barn, a bridge constructed from a train wagon, a war bunker transformed into a car repair shop, and a cooperative garage converted into an improvised gym. These structures are created not from conventional building materials but from scarcity and excess — what is commonly considered “waste.” They embody practical intelligence, ingenuity, and aesthetic appeal, making them inherently ecological.

The exhibition ran for five weeks, beginning November 1st, with a publication of the research findings planned for next year.

The exhibition scenography is a 1:1 replica of the case study FO012, in which a greenhouse was repurposed as a human shelter after the earthquake in Japan. The design follows a zero-waste approach: after the exhibition, the greenhouse was reused for agricultural purposes in the Venice region, and the tires were returned to storage.

The research was conducted by KOSMOS Architects, HEAD — Genève, and Gili Merin.