Recycled Materials for Housing
Granular Plastic
A modular house construction company, Affresol, has managed to build houses with frameworks made entirely of recycled waste plastic. Each house is made up of 18 tonnes of recycled plastic trash. All types of plastic can be used, and they are crushed into small granules which are fused to make Thermo Poly Rock (TPR). These panels are then bolted together to form the load bearing frame of houses. TPR is stronger and lighter than concrete, waterproof, fire retardant, did not rot and had excellent insulation properties.
Cargo Containers
Shipping containers are used as the main building structure for houses due to their sturdy exterior and tensile strength, abundance in quantity and comparatively low cost. These containers can be stacked to create floors and the interior is renovated and equipped with the necessary equipment. They are a viable option to replace shoddy shelters in overcrowded cities especially in developing countries and areas hit by natural disasters and provide affordable, quality housing.
Cardboard
Priced at AUD$ 35,000, Stutchbury and Pape's "The Cardboard House" is made entirely of recycled cardboard sheets which are made prefabricated style, with a waterproof roof of HDPE plastic. Both the roof and the building are both made of lightweight material which allows easy transportation and construction. It is made from 85% recycled materials, with all materials being 100% recyclable.
Plastic Bottles
Conceptualized by The School of Fish Foundation and Goodweather Design, this temporary floating dining room is designed with the semi-enclosed space floats on over 1700 recycled plastic bottles, with the intention of highlighting the abundance of plastic litter floating in the oceans.
Glass Beads
Ambiente Eco Friendly Modular Homes has patented technology to convert waste glass into glass beads called Ambi-Cells, these cells are mixed with resin to create the composite material of the modular panels. This material is structurally strong, light, air-tight, inexpensive and readily available.
Aluminium Cans
Archi Union Architects Inc. have developed a wall system that contains a grid of empty soda cans in their mixed-use project, Can Cube. The can filled façade is adjustable for daylighting by occupants. The façade works alongside underground heating and cooling devices, rainwater filtration and solar energy systems, which all provide more efficiency and minimize the wastage of energy.
