Atypical homes made of recycled materials
Each year, the use of sustainable materials becomes a norm in the real estate industry, and recycled materials are no exception. And while some may say that recycled materials don't go hand in hand with the aesthetics of a house, a few architectural firms and several ambitious owners wanted to prove otherwise, designing several homes that are both good-looking and environmentally friendly.
Collage house
The "mosaic" of recycled materials used in the construction of the Collage house in Mumbai, India, consists of a multitude of doors, windows, floors, beams, and even century-old stone columns. The spacious residence has five bedrooms and an equal number of bathrooms and is designed to accommodate four generations. The home also has an underground water tank and a roof garden.
The Governor
Built with 15 tons of waste and rubble, The Governor's residence was designed by the architectural firm Architectuur Maken in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Remains of ceramics, glass, and clay, brought from abroad by the Dutch company StoneCycling, were used to make the bricks. The building includes a kitchen and a dining area on the ground floor, and a toilet and a desk located on the first level. The living room has been designed on the second floor, and the top level has a bedroom and a roof terrace.
Earthship
For those looking to invest in environmentally friendly housing, the Earthships sustainable houses in Taos, New Mexico are a great option. However, they are also a bit expensive, a single house is priced at about half a million dollars. For this amount, the owner will receive not only a simple house but a self-sustaining home with two rooms and two bathrooms, built mainly from recycled glass. The property also includes a greenhouse, a garage designed for electric cars, and a fishpond that facilitates the growth of another vegetable garden.
Cabana Floripa
Several demolished houses have been reborn in the form of a treehouse - Cabana Floripa, located on the island of Santa Catarina in Brazil. Pieces of glass, fragments of ceramic tiles, and painted wooden beams were used for its construction. The property, which can accommodate up to five people, can be rented on the Airbnb platform.
Infiniski Manifesto House
Designed by James & Mau Architecture, Infiniski Manifesto House also includes a variety of recycled materials. We mention, here, both aluminum, iron, and wood, whose appearance has been changed with the help of ecological paints. Cellulose was also used for insulation.
The Bottle Houses
Over 25,000 colored bottles were used to build the project by Édouard Arsenault on Prince Edward Island, suggestively titled "The Bottle Houses". After almost four years of work, using bottles collected from the community, he completed the house, the chapel, and the tavern, which have now become a tourist attraction.
Container Guest House
Cargo containers have already proved their usefulness in the rapid design of low-cost housing. This was also the option used by Poteet Architects at the request of a client, for the design of his home in San Antonio, Texas. Recycled soda bottles were used to decorate the terrace, and the foundation was built with the help of old telephone poles. Dirty water is also used wisely, being filtered to be able to water the garden on the roof of the small house.
Recycled House
It took a lot of patience for the Charlottesville, Virginia studio to be built with recycled materials. And that's because the necessary materials have been collected over six years. They have a diverse origin - a garage, an old cotton mill, and a former mansion. Although small, the property can accommodate six people at a time. Curious tourists can rent it for about USD 250 a night.
Data for this article was obtained from cbsnews.com and greendiary.com.
