Exhibition Location: College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
Construction Period: 1–4 July 2026
Principal Designer: Shuaizhong Wang
Project Team: Shuaizhong Wang, Kwong Lau (Gordon) Hung, Hairuo Sun
Teaching Assistant: Yulinhan Wu
Students: Ruiyao Cao, Chenxing Du, Haizhou Huang, Canghai Li, Zhuofan Li, Qingqing Liu, Shannon Mak Kar Yan, Lingchen Meng, Toby Pang, Kaizhong Yang, Zhuang Zhuo
Special thanks to: Prof. Philip F. Yuan and the DigitalFUTURES team
The “Flexi-Debris” is a research pavilion designed and constructed by the [S]Equilibrium Lab, led by Prof. Wang Shuaizhong, for the DigitalFUTURES 2026 in Shanghai, China. This experimental work integrates gabion systems with bending-active mechanics to upcycle demolished concrete rubble into structural systems in a state of active equilibrium.
With rapid urban renewal, the concrete demolition waste has become one of the most urgent issues on the contemporary global environmental agenda. “Flexi-Debris” seeks to address this issue by rethinking how heavy, irregular construction waste can be granted a renewed structural life through advanced computational design and structural form-finding.
Using the Bending-Active Gabion (BAG) system developed by the [S]Equilibrium Lab at CUHK, the structure establishes a dynamic, coupled equilibrium. By computationally balancing the outward lateral pressure of concrete rubble, the elastic bending stress of slender Glass-Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) rods, and the internal tension of steel cables, the system achieves a geometry that is architecturally expressive and structurally performative at the same time.
Measuring 5.4m x 4.5m x 2.6m, the pavilion was assembled on-site in just four days using a lightweight, standardized, and fully reusable set of dry-connected components. The final structure carries more than 13 tons of concrete waste sourced from a local demolition site in Shanghai, a payload more than sixty times the weight of its own supporting components.
By structurally binding loose and discarded fragments into a high-performance load-bearing system, the project elevates the gabion beyond its traditional role as a passive landscape barrier and into the realm of expressive architectural form. Ultimately, Flexi-Debris serves as a demonstrator for circular construction, showcasing how the digital synthesis of structural mechanics and upcycling can transform construction waste into valuable resources.