Recycled Materials

Recycled Plastic Wrap Art!

If you’ve ever lamented having to throw away a piece of saran wrap, this might cheer you up. This rather striking piece of outdoor eco-art is made out of 10,000 feet of recycled plastic-wrap salvaged from a warehouse! Reader amputectecture says:

“This piece invited people to leave the prescribed paths and enter the chained-off grass. The plan was comprised of four triangles, radiating from one tree in varying heights to create a temporary exhibition space.”

Very cool. Thanks for the tip amputecture!

Prefab Housing Pyramid Puts Students in a (Container) Box

by Jorge Chapa, 02/05/10

From its modular modern design to its shipping container components, Olgga’s student housing complex struck us as a pitch perfect project for prefab friday. The French architecture firm designed the complex to be constructed from 100 repurposed shipping containers. Talk about putting your students in a box!

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Recycled Windshield Greenhouse Grows More Glass

by Kevin Gardner, 02/01/10

Recycled windshields are busting out of the woodwork, from French country gardens to swank sub/urban surfaces. The protective pupa shown here (“la serre” is French for “greenhouse”) transforms more motive motives into regenerative ones, à la auto glass gone wild, nailed to firewood beams and each other and slated for a greenhouse roof. “I like the idea of recovery,” says maker Sebastien Ramirez, who created this warm cocoon without a budget.

Via CyberArchi

Photos by Sebastien Ramirez

PREFAB FRIDAY: Site-Specific’s Minimalist Modern Recycled Prefab

by Bridgette Meinhold, 01/29/10

Thailand-based modular home designer Site-Specific has announced that they are expanding their line and have even formed a new company specifically devoted to prefab homes for the Thai Market. The first home in their new line is the MDL 5.5×6, a home inspired by the shipping container but modified to make it more practical and livable. Made from recycled materials, the one bedroom prefab home is modern, simple, and totally affordable.

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Berlin Factory Renovated Into Stunning Recyclable Live/Work Space

The Palomar5 “Camp” is an incredible project that brought 30 thinkers under the age of 30 from 30 different disciplines together for six weeks to foster innovation outside of the corporate world. To enhance their idea, Palomar5 called on the innovative minds at 45 Kilo and the ZWEIDREI group to design a completely green live/work space for the event. The environment was constructed inside an old empty factory building in South Berlin. It fostered creativity for six weeks and then was broken down and completely recycled.

East German Airplane Transformed Into Super Posh Hotel Suite

Looking for a luxurious hotel to stay at in the Netherlands? Why not try out this Cold War-era East German airplane, which has been transformed into a super delux hotel suite. Parked next to the Teuge Airport in The Netherlands, this fantastic hotel suite for two comes complete with all the amenities — including a cockpit where you can watch the planes land and take off. All of this comes at a fairly reasonable price of €350 per night; you even have a 24-hour on-call hostess.

Students Create Intricate Furniture From Stacks of Recycled Pizza Boxes

What better way to get attention at a design fair than with an artfully designed booth? Taking this logic to heart, students at Germany’s Trier University of Applied Science turned late night pizza cravings into an ultra-unique booth at the imm cologne design fair. Their cardboard creation is made entirely from recycled pizza boxes arranged with the help of a computer program called Booth Generator.

Jean Luc Cornec’s Re-purposed Rotary Phone Sheep

Where do rotary phones sit within today’s more modern, more digitized world? Does our constant manipulation of these familiar and classic, yet obsolete, objects in art and design signify a desire for a more natural state of being? Jean Luc Cornec’s exhibit at the Museum of Communications in Frankfurt seems to imply as much. The exhibition presses visitors to recall more simplified times through a flock of free-roaming sheep sculpted from old, analog, rotary phones.

DIY Meditation Temple Built from Salvaged Materials

We could all use a peaceful escape from the bustle and stress of our daily lives, but not many of us have the luxury or time to hop on a plane and jet off to a secluded beach or private mountain cabin. But what if we told you that a similar place existed in your own backyard for a mere one-time cost of $28? Created by Aaron Westgate, this relaxing Meditation Temple is a pile of salvaged materials transformed into a beautiful retreat for quietude and contemplation.

Stunning Shipping Container City Springs up in Mexico

This hip, colorfully painted shipping container city recently sprung up just outside of Mexico city. Created by a small community of businesses, the project features restaurants, gallery space, bars, funky stores and even living spaces constructed completely out of recycled shipping containers.

Brooklyn Bowl is the World’s Only LEED Certified Bowling Alley

Are you in the New York City area and looking to liven up your weekly routine with an evening out of the ordinary? Well, button up your favorite flannel shirt, pull on your skinny jeans, and head out to Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg for local brews, food by Blue Ribbon, live bands and games of tenpin at the only LEED certified bowling alley in the world!

London’s Olympic Stadium to Be Made Out of Recycled Guns and Knives!

As the world eagerly awaits the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, London is ramping up their own construction plans for the 2012 Olympics. And we just learned this exciting little tidbit about the super sustainable Olympic Stadium currently being built there that makes us even more anxious to see it – it’s going to be made out of recycled guns and knives! That’s right, confiscated weapons from the Metropolitan Police Department are being melted down into scrap metal and used to help build the stadium. That’s an anti-weapons and recycling program all rolled into one!

Beautiful Coffee Table Crafted From Sawdust Scraps

Israeli designer Yoav Avinoam has developed a handcrafted method for casting unique furniture from repurposed sawdust. His beautiful tables and stools juxtapose various textures and are crafted using a mixture of resin and sawdust from a variety of different woods. Because of its excellence in craftsmanship, his Shavings Table was recently honored in Designboom’s Intelligent Hand competition.

Makedo Connector System Turns Trash into Treasures

Are you in need of some cool new décor for your barren apartment? For us more fiscally challenged individuals it seems like the easiest and cheapest thing to do is to tack up a poster of our favorite movie or painting. Boring! But don’t let the 2D world get you down, because the clever Aussies at Makedo have created an ingenious new way to breathe some life into our drab living spaces. Their simple DIY connector system lets you get your creativity going while turning your old piles of junk and trash into some funky treasures!

Jewelry Made from Dismembered Barbie Doll Body Parts

We’re not exactly sure why writing about doll body part couture brings us so much pleasure, but it just feels right. And artist Margaux Lange’s cheeky accessories made of Barbie doll bits and pieces are certainly something that heightens these macabre senses! From multi-ethnic Barbie doll hand brooches …

Recycled Robot Fish Teach Japanese Children About Sealife

Floating garbage has found its calling in these incredible sea creature robots hand-crafted by marine scientist and educator Masamichi Hayashi. Assembled using recycled items including plastic bottles, food containers, styrofoam, raincoats, and motors removed from windshield wipers, these realistic marine robo-dwellers are used in free shows to teach children about the movements and behavior of sea animals.

Vespa Scooter Transformed into a Revved Up Rocking Horse!

This ain’t your grandpa’s rocking horse! Well, okay, it actually is – sorta. This beautiful baby blue Vespa was recycled by one loving grandfather into a totally revved up “rocking horse” for his grandson. This DIY gift is so rad that we would love it even if it wasn’t green, but it is, which makes it twice as nice!
READ MORE AT INHABITOTS …

The New California Craftsmen Going Green in Stride

The New California Craftsmen have begun to make a name for themselves on the Los Angeles design scene, thinking up one-of-a-kind creations made from re-purposed scraps and found materials. Collaborators since first meeting in art school years ago, James Cerasani and Justin Murphy pride themselves on their uncanny ability to design just about anything from, well… anything! From bent wood pendent lights to sculptural steel plant walls, their portfolio is chalk full of inventive and inspiring pieces.

Beautiful Papercraft Tree Pledges to Save 6,500 Acres of Rainforest

The idea of a tree made from paper is kind of sad and ironic. Luckily, design group Le Creative Sweatshop constructed this paper tree from recycled, FSC-certified and carbon-neutral paper stock. Ultimately, this beautiful and intricate artwork is a plug for a generous act by Arjowiggins Creative Papers, who have pledged to save one hectare of Brazilian rainforest for every delegate at last month’s COP15 conference.

What to Do With All That Stuff After Christmas

Want to get a P.H.D. in what to do with your P.H.W.? That’s short for post holiday waste in case you didn’t know. While you may not have heard of the term (we kind of just made it up), we’re pretty sure you know what we’re talking about. The crumpled wads of giftwrap, the withering tree, that sweater from Aunt Mabel that was so fugly that it made a baby cry… if you’ve experienced any of these symptoms, we’re sorry but we’re officially diagnosing you with P.H.W. Don’t worry though – it’s not contagious, and there’s an over-the-counter cure – our 5 easy tips for what to do with all that stuff after Christmas. Read on to check it out!