Naren Anandh, an alum of the University of Utah School of Architecture, has been awarded the Elizabeth Mitchell Travel Grant from the Utah Center for Architecture. In October, Naren will travel to Japan to document zero-waste communities, supporting the development of the recycling center and informing best practices at DesignBuildBuff.

The project is titled “Zero Waste Communities – Kamikatsu.” A brief description of the project is highlighted below.

As climate change has progressed, multiple design professionals are needed to find better solutions to this global issue. The building industry in the United States has played a significant role in energy consumption and material waste globally. For many years, China was the biggest importer of US waste until the “national sword” policy of 2018. This policy was a significant event that prompted America to reassess its trash export policies and explore alternative methods for managing trash production. 

The philosopher Lao Tzu said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” That is the story of Kamikatsu, Japan. Kamikatsu is a small rural village in the Tokushima Prefecture. After years of trash burning and production, they initiated a project in 2003 to become the first zero-waste municipality in Japan. Over the years, they have slowly implemented rigorous systems for waste separation and reuse by slowly connecting various components of the town. The age-old saying that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure has been shown throughout this town. 

A focal point of study for this project is the Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center, designed by Hiroshi Nakamura and NAP. This building had reshaped an entire village by becoming a community hub and a symbol of Kamikatsu’s environmental values. With this grant, Naren will explore buildings such as the Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center and how it connects the three nodes of spatial, material, and cultural contexts.  

Some of the questions that will be addressed through my research: How did Kamikatsu’s Zero Waste Center integrate itself into the community? How did the context – materials, construction methods, and spatial strategies – influence the design of these waste centers and other auxiliary buildings? How can these lessons be applied to the context of Utah in both the rural and urban areas? 

Congratulations, Naren!