While some developers are busy building subdivisions filled with throwaway homes, Lendager Arkitekter have built a home out of thrown-away materials.
At first glance you might not realize it, but the Danish firm’s 1,390-square-foot Upcycle House is completely made out of recycled products from floor to ceiling.
With a base comprised of two shipping containers and a roof fashioned out of discarded pop cans, the structure serves as an example of how developers can reduce their carbon footprint when building homes. In fact, upon building the Upcycle House, Lendager Arkitekter found they’d achieved an 86 per cent reduction of CO2 emissions related to construction when compared to a standard house.
And the pollution reduction hardly came at the cost of luxury. Rather than looking like a hodgepodge of discarded goods, the four-bedroom house appears strikingly modern in design, and even features a greenhouse just off an open-concept kitchen.
On top of all that, the whole project was finished with a budget of $175,000, which made it a practical effort financially as well.
After completion, those behind the project were left with a simple question: why don’t building codes dictate that a certain percentage of materials used need to be recycled?
When looking at what’s been achieved with the Upcycle House, it seems likes a valid question indeed.
Urban Planet is a roundup of blogs from around the world dealing specifically with urban environments. We’ll be on the lookout for websites outside the country that approach themes related to urban experiences and issues.
For more stories from around the planet, check out Spacing on Facebook and Twitter. Do you have an Urban Planet worthy article you’d like to share? Send the link to urbanplanet@spacing.ca
