A context’s excess materials partially determine what ends up being repurposed within it. As a corollary, the material-intensive activities taking place in that context tend to determine the nature of the excess materials that become available for repurposing at the moment a demand arises. Here in Pingdingshan, Henan, China, the pace of construction has been such that the repurposed material du jour tends towards construction materials – here, slightly malformed rebar-reinforced concrete that was seemingly destined for reinforcing a building in the city becomes a functional bench out front of a home inside a quiet alleyway.

Consider how the dominant activity of a place affects the environment around it – and how the excess/unwanted materials from those activities are recycled and reappear in new ways within and around the environment.