Why is the cur­rent mantra in the con­struc­tion indus­try build, build, build—when reuse, recy­cling, or oth­er forms of respon­si­ble use of resources should be the focus of atten­tion? The inter­dis­ci­pli­nary col­lec­tive Bel­la­s­tock address­es this and oth­er major prob­lems in the con­struc­tion indus­try. La Fab­rique du Clos in Stains, a small town in the north-east of Paris, was used to store mate­ri­als from the demo­li­tion of res­i­den­tial tow­ers. Yet the yard also became a meet­ing place and stage for the neighborhood’s res­i­dents. There were dis­cus­sions: about future urban spaces, how and by whom and with what they will be designed. These activ­i­ties result­ed in pro­to­types for sheds, plant­i­ng beds, arbors, street pave­ment, play­ground equip­ment, bench­es, pavil­ions, and much more. They show how small-scale alter­na­tives can chal­lenge estab­lished systems.

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