Reuse of Post-Event Waste: A Case Study of Circular Design Involving the Academic Community

Temporary events, characterised by their brief timeframes, present considerable challenges in terms of material consumption. Often, the materials used during these events quickly become waste, even though they retain a high residual value that is not exploited for reuse. As a result, these events have a significant impact on the built environment, highlighting the need to rethink cultural, design, and organisational approaches in order to promote systemic change. This article describes a project focused on experimenting with circular design through a specific case study centred on recurring university temporary events organised at the Politecnico di Torino (Italy). This initiative was carried out by a multidisciplinary team of architecture and design students and professors, with the goal of recovering materials from events and making them accessible to the academic community for reuse. The project included an analysis of the actors involved in the process, the quantification of waste, the exploration of opportunities for material recovery, and experimental activities. This research resulted in the development of prototypes and new scenarios for reuse and sharing. The case study provides an opportunity to develop new organisational and management models aimed at extending the useful life of post-event materials, which may be applied in other contexts. Additionally, this initiative offers an educational opportunity to train future professionals through innovative teaching and research-through-design methods, focusing on crucial topics related to the ecological transition and fostering a culture that views waste as a resource.