sci-fi documentary les matérialistes envisions a future circular economy in construction

les matérialistes: a film bridging sci-fi and documentary

Combining documentary and science fiction with foresight, co-creation, and animation design, Les Matérialistes transports us to 2050 to explore the future of the circular economy in construction. The short film conjures a practical utopia that is both ambitious and tangible, depicting future professions, the life cycle of materials, upcoming statistics, and actions at all levels.

Developed by Architecture Without Borders Quebec (AWBQ), Dark Matter Labs, Les Interstices, and RECYC-QUÉBEC, it aims to illuminate what is necessary and possible to achieve a transition to a truly circular economy and to shift our perspective on the real value of materials.

an integrative, participatory approach

The construction industry is responsible for nearly a third of the waste sent to disposal each year. The design team questions: ‘What if we instead saw the city as a circular mine, where materials are continuously collected and repurposed?’ To define the scenario, the project partners adopted an integrative and participatory approach. They invited 25 stakeholders from the local and international ecosystem — such as heritage, urban planning, architecture, construction, institutions, real estate, culture, innovation, circular economy — to a futurism workshop based on a portrait of current challenges and observed global trends.

Les Matérialistes thus holistically integrates a vast number of perspectives. As opposed to presenting a lengthy and tedious written report of the findings, this unique co-production offers an engaging short fiction film. This approach aims to spark a broader conversation on the subject in a more captivating, visual, enjoyable, and impactful manner than traditional communication methods.

Provoking Collective Change for a circular economy

This project is also a call to action for the transformation of the materials economy across all categories, open to evolving beyond the Les Matérialistes project through an exhibition, or a second iteration of the scenario that would integrate feedback.

Les Matérialistes is also intended to demonstrate new approaches to participatory futurism and hybrid practices to build collective future narratives. ‘As we find ourselves at a critical socio-ecological turning point in our history, it is essential to reinvent our ways of creating shared imaginaries to accelerate the movement of our societies,’ notes the design team.

project info:

name: Les Matérialistes
designer: Architecture Without Borders Quebec, Dark Matter Labs, Les Interstices, RECYC-QUÉBEC

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