Welcome to the CURE project
The CURE project aims to:
- Help establish Centres for Urban Re-manufacturing in different cities
- Evaluate if CUREs facilitate waste prevention through reuse and re-manufacturing
- Document and analyse how the centres operate
- Facilitate knowledge exchange between the different centres and initiatives involved
- Promote improvised re-manufacturing among the general public and interested actors
The CURE project is separated into two stages: a Pathfinder project to explore the idea, followed by the implementation of such centres in demostrative projects. Ideally several CUREs would be implemented, with each CURE being an independent initiative, run and managed by a local consortsium.
Pathfinder Project
The CURE Pathfinder project, ran between August-December 2018, exploring the possibility of establishing CUREs in different cities, estimated the potential benefit these centres may generate in Berlin and Gothenburg and helped engage local consortium to implement the centres. Given that both the available secondary materials and local production are context dependent, each local CURE will define the specifics of how they want to operate, while agreeing to share information and collaborate with the other established CUREs.
During the Pathfinder the project team explored the possibility of engaging more cites in the idea of establishing CUREs, to create a larger network with which to apply for future demonstrative projects. The main goal of the CURE Pathfinder project was to result in follow up applications.
The Pathfinder project delivered a publication reviewing existing initiatives that have inspired the idea to establish CUREs (Avilable to download here), as well as a market analysis report to inform the establishment of a CURE in Berlin and Gothenburg (Downloadable here with all other CURE Pathfinder reports).
Demonstration Projects
CURE Demonstration projects aim to test the idea that Centres for Urban re-manufacture (CUREs) may help mediate the transition to a circular economy, by promoting reuse and improvised re-manufacture.
Currently, centres that align with CURE goals are starting to be established and tested in Europe, such as the Urban Resource Centres from URBACT and the Circular Craft Centres from the Dutch Minitstry of Infrastructure and Water Management. Additionally, the work done in the CURE Pathfinder resulted in one demonstration project in Berlin: the Haus der Materialisierung, at the model project Haus der Statistik (For more information visit www.hausdermaterialisierung.org).
All demostration projects mentioned here have declared their interest in sharing their experiences and helping other locations to start similar initiatives. Further information on the results for each demonstration project can be found on their webpages (linked on their names above).
NEWS
----- November 29, 2019 -----
DBU project application to support the Haus der Materialisierung approved!
After the inspiring Haus der Materialisierung kick-off, CERT from TU-Berlin together with Material Mafia, ZUsammenKUNFT and Circular Berlin applied for DBU funding with a project called
„Reallabor Zirkuläres Wirtschaften im urbanen Raum“: Kompetenzaufbau und Umweltkommunikation im "Haus der Materialisierung". The funding has been aproved and the project will run for three consecutive years supporting the establishment of the HdM.
----- May 21, 2019 -----
Results from the Haus der Materialisierung Kick-off
A big thank you to all the 79 participants to our HdM Kick-off event. It made it clear that such a centre for reuse and remanufacture in Berlin attracts many interested organizations, that already work in these lines. For more information of how the event unfolded and links to the results of the workshops, see
this Post on the Circular Berlin webpage.
----- April 15, 2019 -----
Save the date: Haus der Materialisierung kick-off meeting 07.05 starting at 15:00
As a way of continuing the CURE work, together with Material Mafia, Kunst-Stoffe, Circular Berlin and ZUsammenKUNFT, we would like to invite you all to the first meeting to present the "Haus der Materialisierung": A future centre for reuse, repair and remanufacture located at the Haus der Statistik initiative. The idea is to bring together the reuse network in Berlin to help ideate how to establish such a centre as one of the pioneer users in the renovation project at Haus der Statistik. The official inivtation will be sent out shortly, but as of now, save the date!
Follow this link to learn a bit more about the Haus der Statistik and the ongoing initiative.
----- April 5, 2019 -----
Open source article from our Pathfinder project is available!
We finally got our article published. The article "Designing Away Waste: A Comparative Analysis of Urban Reuse and Remanufacture Initiatives", presents the results of the initiative review done in work package 1 of the CURE Pathfinder project.
Click here to access the article and be sure to check out the video abstract!
----- March 15, 2019 -----
No news yet, but we are working on it!
At the Berlin network meeting we said we wanted to do a next network meeting in March or April this year, but we have not come out with an event yet. We have not lost interest in the project, nor have we forgotten our promise, but we are busy with some project applications to be able to continue working on making the CUREs happen. So, for now, we hope you have a little bit more patience with us, and hope we can come back soon with some exiting news!
----- January 25, 2019 -----
CURE Pathfinder project reports are finally available
Reporting takes its time, so we thank you all for your patience. The only report that is still missing, is the article we submitted to the open source journal Recycling. It is not yet available because it is still under the reviewing and publication process. We will share it with you as soon as it is approved for publication.
All other CURE Pathfinder reports you can download here.
----- December 31, 2018 -----
Happy holidays and wrapping up the CURE Pathfinder project
With the holiday season and the end of the year, we also finalize the last work around our EIT Climate-KIC Pathfinder project. It has been some intense 5 months, but we are happy to have done it. Soon we will update this page with the final reports of the Pathfinder project. So we wish that you stay tuned, and have a happy start to 2019!
----- December 6, 2018 -----
Busy and successful Berlin Network meeting
The Berlin team in collaboration with Material Mafia, Circular Berlin and OMA e.V. held a lively session for the Berlin network meeting at the Haus der Demokratie und Menschenrechte. There were around 70 participants from different backgrounds, interested and active in Berlin, who saw the initial results of our CURE pathfinder project, and pitched in their ideas for what a future circular center in Berlin should be like. The slides showed in the event, including a summary of the results from both workshops done during the event, can be downloaded HERE.
And here are some pictures of the event.
----- November 27, 2018 -----
Great energy at the Gothenburg Network meeting
The Gothenburg team welcomed 27 people to a interesting network meeting at Returhuset in Alelyckan. The team presented the preeliminary results from the CURE pathfinder and asked the participants for their feedback on the CURE concept and it's componing aspects. Then a group of Architect students from Chalmers University of Technology asked the participants to play a game, where they related their institutions to the different CURE aspects and highlighted the difficulties they face, but also explored possible common solutions. We were all so engaged in the game it was hard to get people to take a break for "fika"!
Here you can find the slides for the day.
And here are some pictures of the event.
----- November 1, 2018 -----
Save the date for final network meetings in Berlin and Gothenburg
After much planning we finaly have the dates for our final networking meeting in Berlin and Gothenburg. We expect to bring together relevant local actors that would like to get involved in making both CUREs a reality. Official invitations and more information about the meeting will be shared soon!
Gothenburg Network meeting will be done on Tuesday the 27th of November, between 9 and 13 in Returhuset, at the recycling centre Alelyckan, Lärjeågatan 12, Gothenburg.
Berlin Network meeting will be done on Thursday the 6th of December, between 9 and 13 at the Haus der Demokratie und Menschenrechte, on Greifswalder Str.4, Berlin.
----- October 19, 2018 -----
Berlin Network is growing
After some fruitful meetings we are happy to inform that the Berlin CURE now counts with the invaluable collaboration of Circular Berlin and OMA gGmbH zur Förderung der Inklusion. Please follow the links to their webpages for more information about these actors:
Circular Berlin webpage
OMA gGmbH webpage
----- October 15, 2018 -----
Planning meeting for the final Gothenburg network meeting
The Gothenburg based team met up to plan the final network meeting, and invited a couple of local entrepreneurs to get their input on the project idea and suggestions for relevant partners to invite to the final meeting.
----- October 10 to 15, 2018 -----
Gothenburg visit
Some days were dedicated to working on location with the Gothenburg research team for the CURE pathfinder. Study visits were made to Fixotek workshops, as well as interviews with people working at Fixoteket and Återbruket.
----- October 8 and 9, 2018 -----
Study visit to Copenhaguen
A meeting was done with potential collaborators in Copenhaguen, to discuss the possibility of starting a CURE there. The Guldminen initiative was visited again, and conversations were had with the Golddigger projects Materiale Centralen and Alba Nowik Production.
----- September 19, 2018 -----
Project Kick-off meeting in Berlin
The project team will meet in Berlin at the Chair of Circular Economy and Recycling Technologies, together with Climate KIC representatives. The team from Gothenburg will join via web.
