Modern

In Rome "modern" means something within the past three centuries and buildings over 500 years old are not rarities. In Florence there is an apartment building that has been in continual use as a domicile for 2000 years. These are not samples of recycling, they are the norm.

Perhaps some of our cultural differences are based on the fact that at the time our "world" was being discovered theirs existed and had for hundreds, thousands of years. Everything was there. Built to last, in stone, brick and cement. They just repurposed.

In the "new world" the building material of choice was and is wood. Something that is subject to every type of decay and rot conceivable. We tear down. We start over. Nothing is built to last. In Europe, Africa, Asia and South America buildings from thousands of  years ago still exist. We look on them in awe...but, never attempt to build anything as lasting. No pyramids here, or A Great Wall or a Colosseo! Somewhere the Incas, Aztecs and Anisazi laughing at us. Wondering who the ignorant savage really is?

We belong to an IKEA mind-set, knocked down. Everything can be easily carted and assembled, disassembled, reassembled but it is only for short term consideration. Even the wood we now build with is a composition, MDF, whatever that means. Sawdust and glue pressed into a flat board. Cheap and easy. How easy? Well if you just add some water to that product you are back at square one, Sawdust. Only now it's a damp, wet mass not a building. Soon we'll be back to Adobe. But there will be some marketing ploy added to make it better than the original mud, straw and dung mix. Perhaps, Bulls--t! A new name, an acronym perhaps, OPBM...organically produced building material. Think I'll go start checking trademarks.