As waste removal becomes increasingly difficult to handle and landfill space ever more scarce, cities such as New York, must become more resourceful in the manner in which they address their refuse. Confronting this problem, the project proposes a building in the midst of the metropolis for waste collection and processing, a “machine for turning trash into treasure.” The municipal Center for Harvesting Utility from Waste (CHUW) recognizes an opportunity to locally treat collected waste, breaking it down into its constituent components – organic substances, metal, paper, plastic, glass, and so forth – in order to exploit its content.