This project examines paper consumption in architectural education and proposes a speculative future of material reuse. Through six drawings and a narrative video, we traced paper’s lifecycle from forest ecosystems to studio production, critique, and eventual disposal. Our research estimates that GSAPP consumes approximately 25 trees’ worth of paper each semester, despite each sheet often being used for only a few hours. To extend this narrative beyond waste, we collected used studio drawings over two weeks, recycled them into paper pulp, and compressed them into a physical studio model. This handmade model symbolizes how architectural education is materially built upon paper while also proposing an alternative circular system. By transforming discarded drawings into new architectural form, the project reimagines paper not as waste, but as regenerative material—suggesting future possibilities for sustainable academic production, recycling infrastructures, and ecological responsibility within design culture.
