A Waste Epiphany is a testament to resilience. Four years ago they decided to transform demolition waste into design objects. Despite their arduous path, its founders are determined to discover the potential of what others consider trash.

In the heart of the Netherlands, two Chileans decided to revolutionize the construction industry through an innovative idea that, in 2020, was consecrated as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/waste.epiphany/">A Waste Epiphany</a> . With the aim of giving a second life to the waste from one of the most polluting industries in the world, entrepreneurs <a href="https://www.instagram.com/macatorrespuga/">Macarena Torres Puga</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cisco.mcrv/">Francisco Mu&ntilde;oz-Correa</a> knew how to turn what was once trash into true design jewels . Through their perseverance and the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, which embraces imperfections, they managed to make their way through strict regulations and unexpected challenges, proving that behind every piece of rubble there is a story ready to be told.
<a href="https://www.lofficielibiza.com/portraits/kering-s-marie-claire-daveu-on-sustainability-in-fashion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sustainability</a> has always been a fundamental pillar in their careers. They decided to unite their skills in architecture and graphic design to offer a solution to the problem of this waste: they collect concrete and bricks with different pigments to create patterns that result in <a href="https://www.lofficielibiza.com/ibiza/shop-for-designer-furniture-in-ibiza" target="_blank" rel="noopener">furniture</a>, benches, lamps and flower pots. The path was not easy. Being in a country with many safety laws, which limit access to demolition sites due to the presence of toxic materials in old buildings, they had to overcome the obstacle of how to obtain the rubble to start their long-awaited project. &ldquo;We saw a unique opportunity. It seems crazy to me that there are currently people who make designer products with virgin or natural materials, with so many discarded or that have already lost their useful life,&rdquo; says Torres Puga. &ldquo;As we were starting out and we did not have a consolidated project, it was difficult to access the demolitions and get bricks. We had to travel the entire city by bicycle to look for rubble and take it to our workshop.&rdquo;

<h3>NEW BEGINNINGS</h3> “One day we went clandestinely to a demolition site to collect debris. We jumped over the fence, and inside we felt that someone was watching us from outside. We immediately thought it was the police or that they were going to fine us, but it turned out to be the owner of the house, who was about to cry and told us that that place was his home and he had many memories there,” says Francisco. This and other testimonies were a major turning point in the history of A Waste Epiphany. It motivated them to give greater importance to the wabi-sabi concept and to give emotionality to the materials. “For us, the poetic part of the project is key, because they are not pieces that were created from nothing; they were literally someone’s house or home, which was demolished and never existed again. We transform it into something more and give it an endless life cycle, because the products we create can have another life by demolishing them again,” says Macarena. As the Japanese trend points out, the brutal and the unaesthetic can be reborn into something beautiful. In 2023, tragedy struck A Waste Epiphany when its workshop burned down completely. Despite being a devastating event, enthusiasts define it as an opportunity to learn and improve their know-how. “Everything was lost, but we felt it was good because this is part of the concept of A Waste Epiphany, where life comes out of something dead or inert. That is why we couldn’t leave it there, there is a project with a lot of potential that provides a solution to a problem that is still present,” says Muñoz-Correa.

<h4 style="text-align: justify;">L&#39;OFFICIEL: How did you come to terms with it?</h4> MACARENA TORRES PUGA: We saw starting from scratch as an opportunity; to analyze what we did wrong and what we were doing right. For example, with this we realized that it is not necessary to grind bricks by hand, since we understood that everything can be industrialized and from the first minute we can talk to large companies. Since we already have experience, we can avoid certain mistakes that we made at the beginning, and make work and a process much more friendly in that sense. FRANCISCO MUÑOZ-CORREA: We always thought about doing everything ourselves, but we realized that it can be much easier if we create a partnership with companies that have the necessary knowledge and tools to carry out the products on a larger scale. Now that they are looking to the future, the entrepreneurs — currently based in Madrid, Spain — are looking to take A Waste Epiphany to a new stage: splitting the project in two so as not to lose the manual aspect, while mass-producing it to generate a greater impact. They already have the recipe ready and the steps to follow to collaborate with different factories. However, “we don’t want to lose the artisanal aspect of A Waste Epiphany,” says Torres. “As Maca says, we want to have a more intimate part, which presents bold and contemporary products, which set the standard and are at the forefront of design,” concludes Francisco.

A Waste Epiphany: Urban Treasures

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