can future cities digest themselves? a case for 'cyclopean cannibalism'

while cyclopean masonry may seem something of an ancient phrase, boston-based practice matter design is looking to revive the technique using tech for the 21st century. cyclopean masonry describes the building of walls using enormous, precisely-fit blocks of stone, fortified without mortar. of the many civilizations that produced these megalithic stone works, the inka was one that constructed them without a preconceived design. when materials were scarce, stones were re-adapted into new structures. ‘they they consumed their own cities!’, brandon clifford and wes mcgee, the team behind matter design, assert. the conclusion is a curiosity that informed the studio’s recent project, ‘cyclopean cannibalism’.

‘in today’s urban context, we generate unprecedented quantities of waste,’ matter design continues. ‘there is an impending crisis hinging on how we deal with this debris, specifically from buildings.‘ in order to more intelligently reconsider existing materials, matter design and quarra stone posit that architects could learn a great deal from cyclopean construction methods. as part of the project ‘cyclopean cannibalism’, the inka method of construction is deciphered and translated into potential contemporary building method. building waste sourced from factories, sidewalks and such was scanned, cut and assembled into a multi-material wall. ‘future cities demand a creative cannibalization of their accumulating debris and stagnating structures,’ the team say, ‘can urbanism of the near future be re-imaged as architecturally self-sustaining? can our future cities digest themselves?’

this project is accompanied by a limited edition recipe book titled the cannibal’s cookbook: mining myths of cyclopean constructions.

project info:

year: 2017
material: recycled concrete rubble and stone
principal: brandon clifford & wes mcgeein collaboration: jim durham – quarra stone
mural and book design: johanna lobdell
illustration: joshua longo
structural: caitlin mueller
research team: james addison \ daniel marshall \ mackenzie muhonen fabrication leads: eric kudrna \ alex marshall \ ali seyedahmadian \ brian smith
fabrication team: ryan askew \ eddie banderas \ ramsey bartlett \ frank haufe \ jesse kauppila
acknowledgements: this research is funded by the massachusetts institute of technology with support from the mit sloan latin america office, the MIT hass fund, and the marion and jasper whiting foundation. the prototype is designed by matter design and realized by quarra stone company.