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All visual guidesBUILT BY DAO / 03

Inside the Foundry

One place. Many ways to build.

See how materials, skills and shared space can become a neighborhood’s capacity to make things.

Follow the picture
Cutaway brick Foundry with a salvage yard, storage racks, workbenches, fabrication and gathering spaces.

Seven zones. One connected purpose.

There is a place for
each part of the work.

Explore the spaces that bring recovery, making, learning and coordination together.

Zone 01 / Recover & sort

The Yard

Inspect recovered materials, separate what can be reused and prepare it for its next purpose.

Recovered material → sorted supply

Three flows through one Foundry

Materials move.
People learn.
The work stays connected.

The zones are part of a working system. Follow each path to see what a shared hub makes possible.

Materials

  1. The YardInspect, sort and grade
  2. The DepotStore, track and dispatch
  3. Workshop / ForgeRepair or fabricate
  4. Project sitesPut materials to use

Learning

  1. The HallOrientation and context
  2. The WorkshopPractice with guidance
  3. Project sitesApply the required skills

Coordination

  1. The StationConnect needs and resources
  2. The LoftPlanning and administration
  3. Across the zonesKeep work and records aligned

A material has a story

Keep the knowledge
with the material.

A recovered door is more useful when the next person knows what it is, where it is and what has happened to it.

Example / material record

Recovered timber door

From a salvage site to its next useful place.

01Identity & origin
Material type, source and identifying reference.
02Dimensions & condition
Measurements, visible condition and the inspection findings.
03Location & movement
Storage location, transfers and the project requesting it.
04Work & readiness
Repairs performed, checks completed and suitability for the intended use.

Each handoff adds information the next person can use.

Follow a recovered door

Useful material.
Another life.

A weathered teal door is recovered, restored at a workbench and fitted into a brick workshop entrance.
The next use starts with what is already here.Recover the material, do the work, keep it useful.

  1. Recover

    A door is carefully salvaged from a building.

  2. Prepare

    Inspect, sort, store and repair it for reuse.

  3. Build

    Send it to a project where it meets the need.

  4. Maintain

    Care for it so its useful life continues.

Recover knowledge along with materials. Use it on the next project.

The bigger picture

A workshop supports a neighborhood.
A neighborhood gives the work purpose.

Learn by making.

Practical projects give new skills somewhere to take root.

Make resources useful.

Shared equipment and recovered materials support the work at hand.

Build local capability.

Carry tools, experience and working relationships into what comes next.

Meet the Foundry

Built by people. Built to last.

There is a place for you in the picture.

Bring your skills, your ideas, your neighborhood. Find your place in what comes next.

Find your place