Rescued Treasures: Salvage, Community & the Joy of Reuse

As part of our journey into natural building, we’re not just experimenting with clay and bamboo — we’re also trying to rethink how we source our materials. And that starts with a simple question: Can we build something beautiful without buying anything new?

In Hong Kong, the culture of reuse is often overshadowed by the convenience of throwing things away. Renovation waste, old furniture, perfectly good windows — these things too often end up in landfills, or worse, dumped by the side of a hiking path.

We knew we wanted to do something different. So we reached out — to neighbours, WhatsApp groups, Facebook chats — asking if anyone had items headed for the skip that we might give new life.

And the community responded.

Local Heroes

A huge thank you to Christine, who we caught at just the right moment during her home renovation. She kindly donated:

• Multiple windows (perfect for capturing views in our sample wall and to teach how to connect earth walls with windows)

• A water tank

• A sink

• A ceiling fan

• A large wooden table and benches that we can use for group lunches and activities

  
  

We’re so grateful for her generosity — and for the lovely conversations we shared in the process.

We also want to give a big thanks to Liane, another local natural builder, who donated three beautiful doors that had been tucked away waiting for their next chapter. We'll be turning the old kitchen space into a store and one of these will mark the entrance!

And of course, we couldn’t have done it without Superman (our trusted VV driver in Mui Wo) and Dhan from Ark Eden. These two legends braved torrential rain to help us get the donations safely up the hill — truly going above and beyond.

Why Salvage Matters

Hong Kong sends thousands of tonnes of construction and renovation waste to landfill every day. Items like windows, doors, sinks, and timber are often discarded simply because they’re “not new” — even when they’re perfectly usable.

But landfill space is finite, and the environmental toll of extraction, manufacture, and transport for new products is enormous.

Reusing materials helps:

• Reduce emissions and waste

• Conserve resources that would otherwise be extracted or manufactured

• Give old items a second life, rich with character and story

• Build connections with our neighbours and community

  
  

There’s a special kind of beauty in reusing something. It has history. It carries marks of previous lives and craftsmanship that you just don’t find in something shrink-wrapped from a warehouse.

Unexpected Joys

One of the most unexpected (and lovely) parts of this project has been meeting the people behind the materials. Every item we’ve received has come with a story, a smile, a connection. And those human moments are just as valuable to us as the things themselves.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far. We’ll continue sharing our finds, and if you have something tucked away — a forgotten door, a stack of tiles, a sink or frame — please let us know!

The Kids at Ark Eden enjoying their new lunch time table!

Every piece helps.

🌿In the next post, we’ll share some of the testing our local Earth to find out its contents.

Post Three: Testing the Soil for Adobe Brick Making

Coming soon!

With muddy hands and full hearts,

Alex Bisque-kit