The result of a collaborative effort from Brighton University and the studio BBM, the Waste House is Britain’s first home constructed almost entirely from trash. 85% of the house – which initially appears to be a conventional, shingled two-story building – is comprised of, among other things, plastic razors, denim jeans, video cassettes, and 20,000 airline toothbrushes for insulation. The miscellany may make the construction seem precarious, but the designers employed established architectural techniques, including weatherproofing the exterior and establishing a sturdy foundation with solar heating properties. As a live sustainable construction project, the Waste House engages the community, and even provides studio space for postgraduate students. Still, its symbolic concept – to allow viewers to re-imagine their ‘trash’ and examine the futility of waste – is what makes the Waste House truly unique.
Via Inhabitat