Uploaded on 2016-04-18 by Cyborgopithecus

I have to admit that I don't know for sure where the materials (I presume mostly tiles, steel and glass) came from, but given the close economic ties between Taiwan and China, it's probable that the materials came from either of these global trade giants. In a way, this lack of information about the origins of the materials is very characteristic of the globalised economy. I have no idea about where the materials for my flat came from, and I presume that tracing their origins would require quite a bit of detective work, especially considering how the materials may have been processed and combined during their use cycle. As with food and other consumer goods, knowing more about the origins of building materials would be useful for understanding the less visible tangles of global trade in our surroundings. ![Block house, Taitung, Taiwan][1] [1]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14609866125813634.jpg