From old buildings at the trotting track – to BYGGElab in Skibet
On the former trotting track in Billund, there used to be a long row of buildings which were demolished as part of the development of Travbyen. During this process, some of the materials from the old buildings were saved for reuse.
This includes, amongst other things, a large pile of timber, which has now found its way to Skibet Makerspace near Vejle.
Here, volunteers have collected the timber in a whole convoy of trailers. And instead of ending up as construction waste, the timber has been given a new role in BYGGElab – a creative building community for children.
There are fun challenges in upcycling
Upcycling isn’t just about reusing materials. It’s also about spotting the possibilities hidden in what we already have.
At BYGGElab, the children weren’t simply given a pile of wood that was ready to use. Before construction could begin, they had to work out what materials they had available and clear the old timber of nails, screws and fittings.
In this way, the timber from the old trotting track has played a part in both the learning and the building process at Skibets BYGGElab.
Think, draw – build!
Over the course of half a year, 20 pupils from Skibet School worked on collaboration, architecture and recycling as part of the BYGGElab project – led by an architect from Kobling.
During the project, they drew, built models and created full-scale structures. What began as an assignment to build creative towers grew along the way to also include a covered clubhouse.
“We think it’s turned out absolutely brilliant and we’ve had loads of fun making it.
We’re continuing to build in our BYGGElab, as we can tell just how much the children love it,” says Anders Bruun, Chair of the Board at Skibet Makerspace
The project is supported by the Danish Arts Foundation’s Artist-in-Residence Scheme and Skibet School, and has been realised with the help of local businesses, volunteers and, as is well known, materials from the old trotting track in Billund.
Read more about the project at skibetmakerspace.dk. (Danish only)
