Evelyn Ågren
cand.arch

Flexible Communities

Community Trailer Prototype

Arkitektskolen Aarhus, Denmark
Research Assistant

The scavengers of the world have long been collectors, gathering refuse and giving it a new purpose. The Urban Scavenger explores a different kind of scavenging, revaluing unwanted materials through the development of a typology for a mobile repair workshop. A work of salvage in form and function, this assemblage of debris drives through cities, collecting discarded matter and repurposing it to develop a practice of care. Workshops are hosted where people can access the knowledge and tools necessary to repair their own objects, continuing the cycle of salvage.

The first phase of the research of the built prototype explored materials defining design as a means of showcasing new potentials in construction offcuts, debris, or scraps. Originally designed as a mobile repair workshop, the Traileris a work of salvage in both form and function that addresses issues of waste handling in social housing estates through architectural initiatives. The project was imagined as an urban scavenger that would collect material across sites through its mobility, and serve as an educational tool for techniques of repair.

How to Build an Apple Pie, 2026

Research from the project is published in the book How to Build an Apple Pie published by Arkitektens Forlag.

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In an extension of the research, the Trailer served as a prop to enhance broader, community space at two social housing estates in Aarhus and Kolding. In addition to gathering data through the hosting of social events and activities, the Trailer facilitated workshops led by the research team to engage residents in conversations surrounding communal space.