A zero waste world calls for the 3 R’s to be practiced religiously in the right order- Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. We need to minimize unnecessary buying and production to consciously reduce the generation of waste. Thereafter, try to reuse whatever waste is generated and then recycle whatever cannot be reused. This is the only way to avoid minimize the ever-growing waste landfills and the resulting environmental hazards.

Besides various innovative ideas, one unique concept of reuse is giving a new life to waste through repurposed materials and upcycling of discarded materials. To this end, I have come across a great project that I want to share with the Forum. The Brighton Waste House looks like an ordinary contemporary town house from a distance, but it is unique as the first public building in Europe to be built almost completely with waste and discarded products.

Brighton Waste House

The Brighton Waste House at the University of Brighton's City Campus in UK, as its name suggests, is a building constructed mainly with waste material.  However, though constructed with trash, the use of the building is very much tangible and utilitarian. Demonstrating principles of sustainable design, the building serves as a multifunctional research center and events space for university staff and students; and an apt ambassador for a zero waste world and ecological architecture.

The project was designed by Duncan Baker-Brown, director of Design Studio BBM, in collaboration with undergraduate students. Starting with initial fabrication in the university workshop, the construction was carried out between 2021 and 2014 by apprentices from Mears (a social housing maintenance provider), along with volunteers and students. The construction site also served as a live training ground for school and university students to learn sustainable values and practices.

The building truly demonstrates that waste material can be used to create usable and permanent structures rather than finding its way to landfills. As noted by Baker-Brown, nearly 20% of construction materials go to waste in the UK. In other words, for every 5 buildings built, an equivalent of 1 building worth of waste is generated. Such building waste combined with ‘no more needed’ ordinary household and consumer products, were repurposed or upcycled as construction material for this unique project. It is a living proof that the so-called 'waste' material, if repurposed, can be a valuable resource.

Structurally, the building sits on a foundation of ground granulated blast-furnace slag; and the skeletal framework is done with reclaimed wood and plywood from local construction sites. Left-over or reclaimed clay and waste chalk have been mixed and compressed into blockwork for walls that also contribute to energy conservation, by retaining heat from solar energy. The exterior façade is clad with carpet tiles (from an old office building) laid with their black rubbery underlay side facing outwards, providing a fire-retardant, waterproof cladding, in addition to effective insulation. Plastic bags in various shades and hues provide a visual colourful relief from the otherwise black surface.

On the inside, the blockwork is clad with reclaimed plasterboard painted with surplus paint from construction sites. Common household waste filling in the space between the boards and the clay-chalk blocks, adds additional insulation, that is interestingly visible through intermittent transparent panels in the walls. This filling included outdated floppy disks from businesses and schools; VHS cassettes, DVD and video cases from closing rental shops; denim jeans and jacket offcuts from textile traders; single use plastic razors and toothbrushes from an aero plane cleaning company; cycle inner tubes from recycling centers; and so on… The two story structure is complete with a staircase made of compressed recycled paper bricks.

The roof is partly made with reclaimed square concrete blocks that act as thermal mass, covered in a zero-waste rubber sheeting made from 80% recycled car tyres; and the other part supporting solar panels. Kitchen units were picked from a nearby house undergoing renovation. MDF panels, all left over cut pieces from a local factory, were used to create the floor. Old vinyl advertising banners were used as internal vapor control layers. Discarded furniture was salvaged from skips and worked on to give a new look.

Besides the above, many materials were obtained through Freegle- a free online ‘reuse and recycling’ service. Other than a specialist waterproofing filler material from DuPont, and the wiring and plumbing; the only new products used in the building are the triple-glazed windows. But these have been sourced from a company that uses sustainable materials, as also takes back the frames and glazing at the end of their life, for reuse.

The building is Europe's first permanent public building made almost entirely from material thrown away or not wanted. It is also an EPC ‘A’ rated low energy building. The Brighton Waste House project has successfully investigated strategies for constructing a contemporary, low energy, permanent building using waste material. This can serve as a very effective pathway towards a ‘zero waste’ world, where for repurposing waste and sustainable development to go hand in hand.

Images:

Please click on the links below for the pictures:

http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/06/Brighton-Waste-House-by-BBM-Architects_dezeen_468_14.jpg

https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/06/Brighton-Waste-House-by-BBM-Architects_dezeen_784_25.jpg

http://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/imagelibrary/Archive/Waste-House2.jpg

 

Reference and Sources:

https://www.dezeen.com/2014/06/19/waste-house-by-bbm-architects-is-uks-first-permanent-building-made-from-rubbish/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste_House

http://www.designcurial.com/news/the-waste-house-4740787