Upcycling the Ledbury explores an alternative approach to redeveloping the UK’s structurally compromised large panel system (LPS) social housing towers built in the 1960s. Current practices of demolition and construction disregard the residual value of secondary ‘waste’ materials, resulting in the unnecessary extraction of raw resources.

Proposing a re-development of the Ledbury Estate in Peckham, South London, ‘waste’ materials of the old buildings are creatively reassembled into architectural components of a new 1:1 residential housing unit. By selectively dismantling, collaboratively designing, and radically reusing materials, the project enables architects and residents to highlight the abundant technical utility and sentimental value of currently disregarded materials.

Imperfections and markings on each component celebrate the unique history and former material use within the estate; in doing so, traditional notions that architecture must be constructed from new, flawless components are challenged, advocating for an aesthetic of reuse. This, in turn, promotes the reduction of raw resource use in a more impactful way than relying solely on technical solutions.