OMI: Open Material Infrastructure
Intallation/performance about the re-use of building materials and concept/design of a platform for skip-divers![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/913c058e32d3d97415ab780f67b67dddd96a7ea3d3d87f98ed5e83dda2e6dd78/omi_oskar_01.jpg)
OMI – Open Material Infrastructure is an extended and applied investigation into the world of construction waste and its potentials for Re-use and Urban Mining.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6d8278dd0616f81f7aa31ce27e546876597ecd309a10fc3fe5be6dba434b697e/Foto-26.05.18--15-26-28.jpg)
Construction skips are the most visible interface between construction sites and the surrounding urban space, serving as a perfect metaphor for the industry‘s material-diarrhoea.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1e8c37cfb945328454cff09429800c62ccdb8c60a5560daa40b39075067df947/omi_mulden_02.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/de451c4577b6f0121b852cd1778b5cd97128a8736cd8778a994c15018b92ede6/omi_mulden_01.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/397f5d5ab18edc89b27224ffa472b0fcb8fb4e3547179d1aeadcac147dc515ec/omi_mulden_03.jpg)
Thereby skips are often the endpoint of neglected and surplus construction material that could still be re-used, but instead gets down-cycled to secondary material, thermally exploited in heat-plants or recycled in metal products.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8006d8092a8fb735c1f3e6b729af8e36a078b2f341d1832be7fb10a5c3853ba2/oskar-kokoschka-platz_07.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c78b842898d7551e63cfdc4db7d2c7a224a5b0db9ebbef36317f1b7d68fa0b35/oskar-kokoschka-platz_06.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6c77ee8c8c44a380156d0359c1cad77cba2fe323ec5543dda960f560c009b2c6/oskar-kokoschka-platz_04.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0e532ae524d666fa505da2bd44e9575ad452398c1da7805ec2b2490eddf3a2ed/oskar-kokoschka-platz_02.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c4c5cfa539519bfacf54bb86d3fe8f7390d28ebf40e2d758f2c49d08ca29e2ce/oskar-kokoschka-platz_03.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/19247405ed7141db659d9289ac842cdd63d339d72d52afe5b9c3e3f9a87fc860/oskar-kokoschka-platz_01.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5fb0b7baf214d39c61a53a8e6716c53467095ecdd21fbaf3cd821383d12cf0d3/oskar-kokoschka-platz_08.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/424b6cae00f40a6e034ccd866f0160a3118fc29545042eeecf41c7c336a31147/oskar-kokoschka-platz_05.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8efd01b6aaf7e3b9f06a3de432bf901663b926a94df800c22b0cd8b73317e33c/oskar-kokoschka-platz_09.jpg)
However practitioners of Re-use and Urban Mining already exist. The best example are skip-divers – individuals collecting and using materials found in construction skips.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e08329088a8902b65c09b9e53a5669e7b048601df95c2b95e5c07fb992a576cb/Bildschirmfoto-2018-06-23-um-14.41.14.png)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8f16fe2e4f87885d6fc17935288c173f81c8089332ca8941ef533161b1b009f4/Bildschirmfoto-2018-06-23-um-14.41.41.png)
Inspired by the practice of skip-diving and as a result of the conducted research OMI proposes a twofold approach:
Firstly OMI creates an online platform for the community of local skip-divers.
Secondly OMI proposes an open online tool called OMI skip finder, a community-generated map to locate current construction skips and make them thereby easier accessible as sources of re-usable materials.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/65426d3dec5a2f00fa13dbea29a23d67204e45491895fcef49d91f701bb9ec68/omi_web_02.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8bc23a138837493a7520b6d12046fd8a1624e612780fe41fab13c09e9b06e77e/omi_web_12.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b9c7d5c2d7e529709bce72da6f2f3b5895a73904926bc1df7f46dfe7d8be7c81/omi_web_01.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cedc435c6892d4b367f2687dc5e08428dd49279fed23febcd2d35f4ac63bf04d/omi_web_14.jpg)
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![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8d9d7caa77e0d16cbba0040aea665f3a613d1db522c2a43ba3b854f9e5fe43c3/omi_web_11.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b234784bdcf6c37fa8afb05873cb37a1a6cd50018175c43dd0b4bfb40ad7040e/omi_web_04.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9e8585a93d49a26c169de20213b8481422f1f1c030e26f4559516fd15dcd7aa0/omi_web_09.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3de1400af4160f86be6b87971c08ffab6640566fbea3ddf4d87d095d4c66530d/omi_web_03.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f58633d0a11774a0c966a86b876dfda3527e41f3eecc052c70eb5b9c19780707/omi_web_13.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7f1d02ea02f91647b521d14d6921f8bba743aa38312194b1979ea21a9cbcaf5c/omi_web_05.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4b83020e24d04991b31c85b444deeeeac07d3982b2debf46cd92ef80cbb84dbf/OMI-Map_mockup_web_01.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/64912b44a256247241bb0090a62875bb54d656b4dd28c6c08baccb56de782e7f/OMI-Map_mockup_web_02.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/de520c4fbe1248b80501984bfa547eb2d6abe9826eb6957b249ea7754fe55f4a/OMI-Map_mockup_web_03.jpg)
↑ OMI-map mobile version
Developed at the Master program in Social Design
at the University of Applied Arts Vienna
Collaborators: Zuzanna Zajac, David Grüner
External support: Arch. Thomas Romm